Stoptechs and Falken GRB-451s tested on the track (long)
09-25-2002, 03:39 PM
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Stoptechs and Falken GRB-451s tested on the track (long)
I took my S4 out to a BMW and Porsche event at Sebring last weekend. I am a novice so I'm not the best person to give a detailed review of the brakes and tires. Having said that, I'll review them anyway.
The Falken 451s were very sticky and the wear was very even. My instructor said they are the stickiest street tires he's ever ridden on. Being a newbie, I was quite harsh on the tires. You know, missing my line so I had to turn harder at speed to compensate. While the tires squealed, they certainly never howled in spite of my occasional bad driving. The tires really seemed to help the car track out well, when I finally able to nail the line the car practically drove itself out of the corner. I rotated my tires today and the wear is very even, you can't even tell I was at a track event. In street use, they are comfortable and seem to handle wet conditions well. My only complaint is that they are fairly loud for street use, I just crank the music to compensate. At $135 a tire, I highly recommend them.
I have the Stoptech 332mm front brakes with stainless lines all around, I used Pagid Orange for the track event. They definitely performed as advertised. I had just a hair of brake fade and that is only because I was over driving the brakes. I was flying into corners and braking extremely hard, I was almost trying to fry the brakes just to see how much they could handle. At the hairpin at Sebring (turn 6?) I would make up immeasurable time as M3s and 911s braked early while I was under full throttle. I had all the confidence in the world in those brakes, even if my instructor didn't. Frankly, it was the difference between losing and winning (not that I actually won anything).
I was passed by only one car at the event, a blown Camaro SS. He passed me on the aforementioned hairpin, braked late and went right off the track. I braked down to 30mph, made my turn and never saw nor heard from him again. That serves him right...thinking he can pass me!
The Falken 451s were very sticky and the wear was very even. My instructor said they are the stickiest street tires he's ever ridden on. Being a newbie, I was quite harsh on the tires. You know, missing my line so I had to turn harder at speed to compensate. While the tires squealed, they certainly never howled in spite of my occasional bad driving. The tires really seemed to help the car track out well, when I finally able to nail the line the car practically drove itself out of the corner. I rotated my tires today and the wear is very even, you can't even tell I was at a track event. In street use, they are comfortable and seem to handle wet conditions well. My only complaint is that they are fairly loud for street use, I just crank the music to compensate. At $135 a tire, I highly recommend them.
I have the Stoptech 332mm front brakes with stainless lines all around, I used Pagid Orange for the track event. They definitely performed as advertised. I had just a hair of brake fade and that is only because I was over driving the brakes. I was flying into corners and braking extremely hard, I was almost trying to fry the brakes just to see how much they could handle. At the hairpin at Sebring (turn 6?) I would make up immeasurable time as M3s and 911s braked early while I was under full throttle. I had all the confidence in the world in those brakes, even if my instructor didn't. Frankly, it was the difference between losing and winning (not that I actually won anything).
I was passed by only one car at the event, a blown Camaro SS. He passed me on the aforementioned hairpin, braked late and went right off the track. I braked down to 30mph, made my turn and never saw nor heard from him again. That serves him right...thinking he can pass me!
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