Shopping around for big brake kits.

[krysRAW = AROCA-Vic PR =]

I'm sure I'm not alone here, but.......I have this terrible habit of shopping for parts for my '04 156 2.0 JTS, when I'm still in the middle of getting funds together to finish off my current projects on the same car (currently organising for the wheel guards to be rolled and pumped out before installing my BC coilovers in the next few weeks ).

So in this case, I've decided that I have too much empty space behind my recently purchase 19" Stance SC-7 rims, so I thought big brake kits for the front and rear should take car of that problem. But as much as Brembo are the industry standard in performance braking, it seems like everyman and his dog who would consider themselves a car enthusiast has the massive red Brembo stamped calipers installed on their pride and joy, and I for one prefer to have a higher level of custom option in order to have that 'something different' factor about my 156.

So while hitting Da Google for big brake kits I came across this nifty page that has a big brake kit option for the 156, lets you pick all the customisable options that come with the kit, then pick the colour of your car and similar rims that you may have so you can then get an idea of the possible outcome of fitting your selection to your car:

Front Brake Kit:
http://pbbrakes.com/alfa-romeo-156-all-models-97-03-front-big-brake-kit.html

Rear Brake Kit:
http://pbbrakes.com/brake-kits/alfa-romeo/156/alfa-romeo-156-all-models-97-03-rear-big-brake-kit.html

Now a few questions for the '156 Yodas' out there!


1/ these kits are for 156 models '97 to '03. I'm driving a facelift '04 156. Is there a change in the braking systems jumping from the 03 models to 04 and beyond that would make these kits useless on my year car?
2/ the kit comes with floating rotors option, which apparently helps negate the affect of metal expansion and reducing the possibility of discs warping when they are over-heated, improves heat dissipation, which in return reduces brake fade over prolonged periods of heavy braking. Does anyone know if having the floating rotors option changes the total track width of the wheels?
3/ in regards to rotors the biggest I've ever heard discussed on the forums is 330mm, but on this site there is an option for 380mm which are meant vehicles which sport 19" rims and bigger. Is there any reason why I wouldn't or shouldn't think about this sized option?

[Fetta GTV]

I always thought it was good to get a bit of heat into your brakes
I think 380mm would be overkill on anything but a race car.
Dont get me wrong they would look cool but would have no other benefit.

[krysRAW = AROCA-Vic PR =]

I think 380mm would be overkill on anything but a race car.
Dont get me wrong they would look cool but would have no other benefit.

The whole point would be for presentation purposes. Considering that I'm rolling on 19" rims, I think a 380mm option would be ideal, but at the same time considering that braking is an important safety feature, I would not want to risk my own safety for the sake of looking cool when I crash 

Besides it being overkill, any technical reason for why I couldn't or why I shouldn't go that large.

[Fetta GTV]

Other thing to check, If the kits are make in the UK you will need to check if they will pass ADR compliance.
Sometimes these upgrades can cause major issues when it comes to insurance claims.
You need everything to be engineer approved and then tell your insurance company what you have done.
Even going over 1 inch bigger than standard on the rims can cause issues.
They really do take the fun out of modifying your car.
Hopefully someone else will reply with some positive info and ideas

[colcol]

Because the big rotors are heavier, they will take more fuel to spin, as it is more weight you have to spin around, so you will accelerate slower, and then when you want to stop, there is more weight and momentum to slow down, but if you want to run the car at Sandown or the long track at Winton, then thats ok, you will also wear out your wheel bearings quicker.
If it is for a road car, then it is a waste of time and money, thats my opinion, however, it is your car, and if you like doing it, then go for it as we all like different things, and you couldn't have picked a better looking car than the series 3 156.
Would be a bit concerned about the insurance angle though, have a talk to your insurance company for their opinion before you go ahead and purchase the brakes, Colin.

[vin sharp]

Apart from insurance issues, (and certainly fitting original Alfa-Brembos will solve that issue) next to the original Brembos all general aftermarket brakes are rubbish in quality, often fuction and life. Over the years I've seen so many of the different flash-looking, boy racer "billet" garbage with loose pistons, out of square machining, inferior seal surface finish/treatment, seal problems, seized and weather ingress, design-defect flexing........mostly Chinese made (or Far-East as Poms/Europeans like to call it, sounds more exotic!) despite the location of retail point of sale.
Very much like Chinese aftermarket conrods are also rubbish, compared to the Alfa originals. Yet people will shell out $500 or more on things that basically need to be reconditioned to get them to OE spec. And you still don't know what they're made of, heat treatment etc and you can't do anything about inbuilt design flaws......but wow, they look shiney!
Vince.

[krysRAW = AROCA-Vic PR =]

Thanks for the heads up and insights Col and Vin 

Me think I shall be doing some more thinking and research 

[Craig_m67]

I wouldn't be putting anything bigger than 330 rotors from a GTA on. Parts (struts, calipers, control arms) are cheaper than they were five years ago.. But it's still a lot of work just to fill in wheel wells

This is cheaper 

[Alfa156Melb1]

Krys, if you do end up fitting GTA brakes, be aware that you'll have to change the uprights too.. the larger brakes don't fit the 4 pot 156's...

Good luck with it, I love how committed you are to this car!

[krysRAW = AROCA-Vic PR =]

Good luck with it, I love how committed you are to this car!

Hahaha! This reminds me of a guy's forum signature that I saw on the Alfa Romeo Appreciation thread on Stanceworks.com :

"Owning an Alfa Romeo is like being married to a supermodel. Yeah she's a little stupid. Yeah she's plenty expensive, but damn she's f*#king hot!"

[bix]

Are you aware for the 305mm Brembo brake kit for the 156? Brembo quality and no replacement of uprights needed.

http://shop.alfisti.net/Tuning-Styling/Alfa-147/Brakes/Brembo-Brake-System-305x28::6566.html

[krysRAW = AROCA-Vic PR =]

Are you aware for the 305mm Brembo brake kit for the 156? Brembo quality and no replacement of uprights needed.

http://shop.alfisti.net/Tuning-Styling/Alfa-147/Brakes/Brembo-Brake-System-305x28::6566.html

Hey Bix

Yeah I've seen this but I was wanting to increase the size of the rotors to fill up the empty space behind my rims. From what I've read from the other's here, I'm probably best to not go any bigger than the 330mm option.

I also wanted an option for custom colour as I really didn't want the Red Brembos. Is there an option for that, besides doing the custom work myself before installing them?