Okay so I'm finishing up a 5.3 turbo build that's going to be a street car mainly. Car will have 600+hp and I have all stock brakes which I know will not be sufficient, also, the previous owner removed the abs module so unfortunately i can no longer rely on any help from abs.my question to you guys is whats a decent brake setup/upgrade for such a setup? I realize brake are just as important as engine mods and im not afraid to spend some money but i dont wanna spend a fortune either..I'm a hardcore engine guy but I don't know jack about brakes so just talk to me as if I know nothing. likely be using nitto drag radials for the rear if it matters. any Input is greatly appreciated.

 

If I had to do it over again, I would prefer to pay more and get a kit from Stoptech which keeps the system balanced. For the ABS, you can also plumb in a Wilwood proportioning valve to reduce the rear brake pressure.

 

funny you say that haha I actually ordered the wildwood valve last week, still waiting on it to show up. so when you say a kit from stop tech, what all does that include? you talking just pads and rotors or is this an actual brake upgrade

 

StopTech has multiple kits. Better kits would typically include everything for the swap... calipers, pads, rotors, lines, brackets, bolts, etc. Less expensive kits re-use your factory calipers.

You're probably looking at $1500-$3000 for a kit which includes calipers and is for all four wheels. It irritates me that they are so expensive, but I like that they design the kits to keep the correct brake balance with the OEM brake master cylinder and pedal ratio.

 

Yeah the price is slightly irritating...but I hear what your saying. I'd like a full brake upgrade, although I'm reading on other threads that upgrading the rear calipers isn't usually even necessary due to so much less weight being in the rear..? looks like this may be a case of trail and error for me. I'm going to do as you suggested though and check out the stop tech kits. who's a good vendor on here selling them for a good price?

 

What's the goal for the car? Slowing after a drag pass or running around a road course?

What are your thoughts on ABS capabilities? Do you want to have ABS or are you trying to make do the best you can without it?

A simple ABS setup with blank rotors, stock calipers and a good street pad up front (Hawks HPS or 5.0 would be a couple examples) are plenty for highway and drag strip stops.

If you're trying to do all of this without the hassle of getting ABS back on the car, then it will take some work to find the right balance of pads and braking bias to maximize your stopping ability.