You shouldn't need to replace it although it doesn't hurt at all. I've ran the original calipers on my car for over 105k miles and the boots melted off at around 25k. I just recently changed to Spoon calipers but only because I found a good deal on a used set.

 

Recently did caliper rebuilds -- mostly out of guilt -- after many years tracking with ripped piston and pin boots.. I suppose there's a theoretical possibility of a freak incident with pebbles getting caught in there somewhere...but I've never heard of it actually happening.

 

A few track cars had a lot of problems with AP's street kits. Can't go too wrong with PFC / Brembo / Stoptech.


0.02

 

Details?

How many people with a BBK still run ducting?

 

i got the stoptech trophy kit:

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=834900

i haven't had a chance to hit the track with it yet, but i can already tell they dissipate heat much more than stock. they feel a bit stiffer as well. it might just be my imagination, but abs could be coming in a little sooner than stock, perhaps due to more bias in front. i know stoptech tunes the bias to what they think is correct, rathet than trying to keep the oem bias, so the xp10/8 i used to run may be unbalanced now. i dunno... might just be me. can't really tell on the street. but it does seem abs works perfectly fine, which is what they claim.

there's a thread here about the pfc brakes, and it does appear that the pfc system has a number of advantages over stoptech. however, i still rather have the stoptech since 1) they are local, and it will be easy to rebuild the calipers, 2) they are a little cheaper, 3) pads are standard shapes, and thus are easy to find, and are also cheaper than those individual ones pfc uses. but it appears if time and $$$ are of no object, pfc could be technically better.

 

The front bias you are feeling is most likely due to the pads you're running. You're using different pad compounds front and rear which affects the bias. I've tracked my Stoptech kit using the Stoptech pads front and rear, and Ferodo DS3000 pads front with the Stoptech rears. With the DS3000s up front, the bias definitely got shifted forward. With the Stoptech pads front and rear, it's quite even.

 

yup. have you tried the same pads front/rear on the track with r-comps yet?--wondering if stoptech completely eliminated the stock rear bias.

i just placed a deposit from rb's +1 rear bbk, so maybe with the greater rear break torque, the xp10/8 setup would be appropriate again.

 

nope, the boot is just to keep dust out and really isn't required to be there at all. I got tired of replacing them years ago when my car was a street/track car and it's fine. I would still rebuild them maybe once a year to make sure you don't have too much crap in them.

 

If you're going to run r-compound tires on the track the forward bias a bbk can give you is a plus. With r-comps there's so much weight transfer to the front during braking that it's very easy to lock up the rear tires.

 

Without the dust boot, the caliper will require more frequent rebuilds. The question is how much more frequent. Some have suggested you can put quite a few miles on the calipers without them. This will depend on driving conditions.

I, for one, am not happy that my boot melted away.