[Shaka]

Although I'm sure I'll get flamed for posting another thread about an ECS Tuning product, I cant help but share in my joy about this new toy. So, for those of you who can't deal with it, hit your back button NOW!
For those of you who are still here, this past weekend was a good one for me. My friend and I installed my ECS Tuning Stage 2 brake kit into my car. Basically, you get larger rotors (Audi TT ones, slotted), you get Porsche Boxster calipers (you can get the S ones, red, for $200 more), you get Mintex Red pads, and of course the carriers and hardware to make it all work - including some nice stainless steel lines!
Quality, fit and finish of all the hardware is top-notch, but its Porsche, so it damn well better be! For $1,095 this kit really offers a lot compared to stock. It is a monobloc 4-piston system, with a trailing smaller piston style setup. The unit is all very easy to install -- anyone who is comfortable with intermediate type work should be able to handle this job.
Total time was about 2.5 hours to change out the whole setup - that is both sides, includes bleeding the brakes, and even a 10 min test drive to get the pads seated. But all this was Saturday, whereas today I got to PLAY some!
Pedal feel is UNREAL and the grab is just amazing!... the whole setup is really what our car should have come with. The Mintex Red pads are showing little or no dust and they are ready to go right out of the driveway. I've not pushed the limits of fade yet (not enough miles quite yet) but I'm sure it will work great.
Below are some pictures for your enjoyment of the install. If you have any questions please let me know! Cheers!

 

[BK Industries]

Re: Install Pictures : ECS Tuning Stage II Brake Kit... (Shaka)

Sweet setup http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif
How much lighter is the kit with the Porsche calipers??

 

[boostedvdub]

Re: Install Pictures : ECS Tuning Stage II Brake Kit... (Shaka)

Sweet!!! http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif I got stiff when I saw those brakes at ECS when they did my chip!!

 

[Jman5000]

Re: Install Pictures : ECS Tuning Stage II Brake Kit... (Shaka)

That's just TT parts and Porsche parts put together...can't believe you bought that man...

 

[BoraSport]

Re: Install Pictures : ECS Tuning Stage II Brake Kit... (Jman5000)

I will be putting mine on this weekend. Did you purge all of your fluid? Any issues with the wear sensor?

 

[Shaka]

Re: Install Pictures : ECS Tuning Stage II Brake Kit... (Shaka)

BoneKrusher : Good question, and something that I didn't really bother to look into. Honestly, I'd say the weight savings isnt nearly that huge -- it might be a few ounces or so, but it isnt mammoth. What -IS- a huge difference is the clamping power, and the lack of fade.
Last fall there was an event at ECS and Tom let me drive his car for about 20 minutes. My friend and I went out to the freeway and did dozens of sprints (100 MPH to 30MPH and over and over) -- it never faded. So, weight savings? Minimal! Overall braking power and quality - AWESOME!
boostedvdub : Tell me about it... they have the Stage 3 kit on their black GTI right now (not finished yet but test-fitted) and it looks HUGE! It is just way too big for me -- but it is going to make my brakes look wimpy. Very cool! I'm just waiting for them to fit new turbo brakes on an S4... hehe.. that'd rock!!
Jman5000 : Yeah, and Porsche stuff sucks. Okay... here is a rhetorical question for you and the rest of the vortex regulars.... Why is it that StopTech claims they make the best brakes in the world -- yet they have no replacement brake kits for Porsche? (..could it be that porsche quality is better?.. hmm.. inquiring minds want to know hehehe...)
BoraSport : With regards to the fluid, my system already had ATE Super Blue in it -- but if you can use a turkey baster to remove all the fluid from the reservoir, then fill it with your new fluid, and then yes, you flush out the system. After the install you MUST bleed the brakes (both sides of the car, and both sides of each new caliper -- since these new ones have two bleeder screws).
After you bleed the system properly there will be no bubbles and the pedal feel will far exceed anything stock you ever had. I even had Mintex race pads with Autotech stainless lines -- it was good, but not THIS good!!
Lastly, with regards to the wear sensor, I believe that Tom has a fix for this, but I am not sure. However, many months ago I 'capped' my stock sensor off so that it would never show up on the dash -- I did this because the Mintex C-Tech pads had the wrong connector and it just seemed easier than splicing and dicing.
However, call up ECS -- I believe he sells pads that you can splice in easily, and that is not a bad idea for most people. I road race a lot, so checking my brakes is as routine as filling my gas tank. Ciao!


[Modified by Shaka, 10:00 PM 4-8-2002]

 

[houstonspeedfreek]

Re: Install Pictures : ECS Tuning Stage II Brake Kit... (Shaka)

I've got the ECS Stage II+ and love them. Good choice. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif

 

[2KGTI-t]

Re: Install Pictures : ECS Tuning Stage II Brake Kit... (boostedvdub)

i like it!!!
http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif

 

[mrdejected]

Re: Install Pictures : ECS Tuning Stage II Brake Kit... (2KGTI-t)

sweet stuff.... i want to get a break upgrade too...
what about your rears... what are you going to do with those?

 

[Shaka]

Re: Install Pictures : ECS Tuning Stage II Brake Kit... (mrdejected)

quote:[HR][/HR]what about your rears... what are you going to do with those?[HR][/HR]​

mrdejected : The rears started to go on me recently, and while down at the APR BBQ were gone completely on one side. When I got home I had to decide what to do. Here is what I did..
OEM Zimmerman Rotors (from Pottermans) with Mintex Red pads. So, my car has Mintex Red pads at all 4 corners now. For the extra money, I should have gotten the slotted rotors from Tom @ ECS so they matched the front -- but my wheels are so "big" (the wide spokes of the TT wheels) you can barely see the rear rotor anyhow.
ECS is coming out with a big brake kit down the road. But in my experience in track racing, a good set of street pads and OEM rotors are fine for the rear. Cheers!

 

[mrdejected]

Re: Install Pictures : ECS Tuning Stage II Brake Kit... (Shaka)

what made you get slotted and not xdrilled? i personally like slotted more..

 

[Shaka]

Re: Install Pictures : ECS Tuning Stage II Brake Kit... (mrdejected)

quote:[HR][/HR]what made you get slotted and not xdrilled? i personally like slotted more..[HR][/HR]​

ECS's Stage 2 kit uses Audi TT rotors which come plain. ECS then slots and cad coats them. That is how the kit works... those then fit under the Porsche Boxster (or Boxster S) calipers... so the setup on my car came with slotted, not drilled, by eftault..
I'd RATHER have slotted AND drilled, or even better, I'd rather have cast rotors, like the 993 Twin-Turbo has... but that is what you get on the ECS Stage 3 kit.. and that was more money... hehe... so.. I got what I got, with the kit...

 

[mrdejected]

Re: Install Pictures : ECS Tuning Stage II Brake Kit... (Shaka)

cool deal http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif i like your set up a lot

 

[Max Rebo]

Re: Install Pictures : ECS Tuning Stage II Brake Kit... (Shaka)

Ideally, that (or something similar) will be my next brake setup whenever my current ones wear down.

How is the brake bias now that you have more braking power in the front? I always wondered what would happen during panic stops where you have to use the ABS. Just curious. You know...I'm thinking along the lines of Stoptech...where they design them around good brake bias (among other things), so the front isn't too powerful.

 

[Shaka]

Re: Install Pictures : ECS Tuning Stage II Brake Kit... (Max Rebo)

quote:[HR][/HR]How is the brake bias now that you have more braking power in the front? I always wondered what would happen during panic stops where you have to use the ABS. Just curious. You know...I'm thinking along the lines of Stoptech...where they design them around good brake bias (among other things), so the front isn't too powerful.[HR][/HR]​

Don't get me started on StopTech and their crappy products... they dont "adjust" anything -- or if they do, not properly, to adjust bias. Some of their kits offer TOO much rear bias, if anything. So... but I want to avoid a Stoptech-bashing thread so, if you have questions about that, IM me.
Anyhow... the bias is very nice -- the setup offers a bit more clamp in the front which is fine because the weight of the car is more up front. Under a few heavy braking sessions on the freeway down from 100MPH the tail felt very solid -- I didn't notice any 'dancing' from the lack of braking back there. Overall it stops better but without jeapordizing stability.
http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif to the guys at ECS for their work and the kit...

 

[UTdaneVW]

Re: Install Pictures : ECS Tuning Stage II Brake Kit... (Shaka)

Lookin really nice dude! http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif Hope to see you around this summer so I can see these in person, I dont think the pictures are doing justice.

 

[cadiburns]

Re: Install Pictures : ECS Tuning Stage II Brake Kit... (Shaka)

quote:[HR][/HR]Okay... here is a rhetorical question for you and the rest of the vortex regulars.... Why is it that StopTech claims they make the best brakes in the world -- yet they have no replacement brake kits for Porsche? (..could it be that porsche quality is better?.. hmm.. inquiring minds want to know hehehe...)[HR][/HR]​

I don't know if you have ever seen a StopTech caliper held up next to the Porsche Big Red caliper, but the design is basically identical. I could be wrong, but the S4 and A4 have different master cylinders, but Stoptech has the same kit for both cars. I thought their "calculations" (i don't know what they're using to calculate this) made each kit to fit specifications for that certain car. I don't get it.


[Modified by cadiburns, 9:09 AM 4-9-2002]

 

[wolfsburg2]

Re: Install Pictures : ECS Tuning Stage II Brake Kit... (cadiburns)

looks real nice shaka. what size rime is the smallest you can run with those brakes?

 

[Shaka]

Re: Install Pictures : ECS Tuning Stage II Brake Kit... (cadiburns)

cadiburns : I've never seen them right next to each other, but I've held a Stoptech kit and my own Porsche stuff. You are right, they are damn near identical. Both are very nice... the Brembo quality of the Porsche stuff is a little better. The paint quality of Stoptech sucks (red is many shades, etc) but overall, they are both otherwise good stuff.
However, like you said, what does stoptech use to measure? If they really cared enough to make them different, why dont the A4 and S4 have different piston sizes if they use different master cylinders? Because it doesnt matter -- and because their whole marketting scheme is junk... in other words, I think they created this whole ordeal just to help them sell product. I'm all for good brakes, and hence, I am all for ECS's good brake stuff... Stoptech rubs me the wrong way!
wolfsburg2 : You basically need 17s for my setup. There are almost no 16s that will clear it I believe... a few, but not many. The Stage 3 brake kit from ECS might have a bit more clearance, actually.
Go to www.ecstuning.com and go to your car and look under brakes. Tom has added templates that will further allow you to determine what wheels do or do not fit. There are some kits that will permit 16s, others do not. I forget which is which, so for the best results, download and test a template. Good luck!

 

[Crash6]

Re: Install Pictures : ECS Tuning Stage II Brake Kit... (Shaka)

Nice set up. Sorry to hit you with another question, but I need to know if your running spacers to push the wheel "out" slightly to clear the calipers. I have been seriously considering this kit but was told it would not work with the 17" Monte Carlos. If you are using spacers, what size are they?