Interesting Video on AP Racing Facebook/Ebay "kits"

[eacmen]

I found this video interesting of AP Racing/Essex going through the kits you find on Facebook/Ebay for many different cars out there:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHMnNcWEBL0

In this case the caliper was geniune but the other parts of the kit were not.

[jet_dogg]

It's possible to avoid 100% of these scams by knowing your vendor and not being a cheap fuck which saves you money in the long run. But alas, people never learn.

With how slow this dude talks and the fact that it's thirty minutes you'd have to watch this at 2x speed and skip throughout. Regardless, thanks for sharing so others can see and hopefully learn yet another lesson.

[fattycharged]

I found this video interesting of AP Racing/Essex going through the kits you find on Facebook/Ebay for many different cars out there:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHMnNcWEBL0

In this case the caliper was geniune but the other parts of the kit were not.

Sounds just like buying a UUC brake kit from UUC!

[Slideways]

That kit looks like the guy from Driftworks designed it to fit his 964 lol

I was expecting one of those "fake" big brake kits in the video, but it seems the previous owner did some customization to adapt the AP kit (something like the rally road 996s, but worse).

[Gt4]

That’s why I try to only buy Brembo or AP Racing BBK.

It sucks when you own a BBK and they stop making parts for it, like the Performance Friction Z29 rear BBK some people had (including myself) on E46 M3 in the past.

Right now, I am trying to get a BBK for my E30 318is cause I am swapping my spare S54 in it so stock brakes won’t make it. I am considering doing a 5x120 conversion to it but even than it seems like only options are kits made by random shop with custom brackets like the one in the video…

[eacmen]

One thing that caught my attention is the reasoning behind using studs in the adapter to prevent damage to the aluminum threads. Makes sense when you think about it. But not sure I would have considered that when designing a bracket myself.


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[Will]

That’s why I try to only buy Brembo or AP Racing BBK.

It sucks when you own a BBK and they stop making parts for it, like the Performance Friction Z29 rear BBK some people had (including myself) on E46 M3 in the past.

Right now, I am trying to get a BBK for my E30 318is cause I am swapping my spare S54 in it so stock brakes won’t make it. I am considering doing a 5x120 conversion to it but even than it seems like only options are kits made by random shop with custom brackets like the one in the video…

Perhaps Wilwood can help with a setup for your e30 with 5x120 conversion.

[elbert]

It's possible to avoid 100% of these scams by knowing your vendor and not being a cheap fuck which saves you money in the long run. But alas, people never learn.

Of course these are the same idiots that will complain that a product doesn't work, when in reality they bought a fake on ebay or amazon

[Gt4]

Perhaps Wilwood can help with a setup for your e30 with 5x120 conversion.

Massive Brakes/Lee is located in Montreal, Canada. He makes BBK for different BMW platform with Wilwood and AP Racing calipers. I don’t like Wilwood, I had a set on my Sti and a set on an E46 M3 lately.

I will see if he can makes something decent with AP Racing calipers otherwise Brembo has a 4-pistons front BBK for E30 M3 available in 330x28mm but I would have to step the BBS RS to 17’’…

[Will]

Massive Brakes/Lee is located in Montreal, Canada. He makes BBK for different BMW platform with Wilwood and AP Racing calipers. I don’t like Wilwood, I had a set on my Sti and a set on an E46 M3 lately.

I will see if he can makes something decent with AP Racing calipers otherwise Brembo has a 4-pistons front BBK for E30 M3 available in 330x28mm but I would have to step the BBS RS to 17’’…

Nice, I recall Lee was building the BBK rotor hats and caliper brackets for the e30m3 crowd on S14.net or s14power.com. Hope he's able to help.

[Cronenberged]

Gt4 Giro makes the replacement discs for the PFC kits. I to am feeling the frustration with PFC discontinuing a lot of its products for the E46.

[George Hill]

To preface this, I have installed AP kits and continue to do so and as a shop wouldn't likely install some random "ebay" kit.

BUT with that said it sounds like what the guy bought was a an AP "kit" just not one produced by Essex which at the end of the day is likely not as good of an option. I didn't see anything in the video that directly said the kit he bought was a dangerous or destined to fail setup, but just not ideal.

I did like how he described what makes an Essex kit better, solid info overall and I'll be sure to reference this to clients in the future.

[CrisSilberGrau]

To preface this, I have installed AP kits and continue to do so and as a shop wouldn't likely install some random "ebay" kit.

BUT with that said it sounds like what the guy bought was a an AP "kit" just not one produced by Essex which at the end of the day is likely not as good of an option. I didn't see anything in the video that directly said the kit he bought was a dangerous or destined to fail setup, but just not ideal.

I did like how he described what makes an Essex kit better, solid info overall and I'll be sure to reference this to clients in the future.

Watched the video a while back, the calipers are not the issue since they come marked and you can check the serial NR on them, however the rest of the kit is bogus. And a bbk is not just calipers etc, cant take shortcuts especially on something this important, other things maybe but in the long run you pay either way.

[mrgizmo04]

Requires to be careful to be a consumer and jumping on good deals. Posted in a other thread but demand for bling bbk is way up, so someone will find a way to satisfy the demand.

A lot of things that matter get compromised.
Metallurgy of the rotors like cheap cast iron vs high carbon alloys.
Cheap stuff warps and cracks quicker and easier.
Proper rotor design, veins matter for efficient cooling.
What material is "assembled" in the kit for pistons, cheap alu vs steel.
Proper hat design and mounting.
Mounting brackets that are off tolerance, don't fit, or require washers/spacers/shims/hacks to fit.
List goes on.



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[WestBankM4]

Requires to be careful to be a consumer and jumping on good deals. Posted in a other thread but demand for bling bbk is way up, so someone will find a way to satisfy the demand.

A lot of things that matter get compromised.
Metallurgy of the rotors like cheap cast iron vs high carbon alloys.
Cheap stuff warps and cracks quicker and easier.
Proper rotor design, veins matter for efficient cooling.
What material is "assembled" in the kit for pistons, cheap alu vs steel.
Proper hat design and mounting.
Mounting brackets that are off tolerance, don't fit, or require washers/spacers/shims/hacks to fit.
List goes on.



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This is the stuff of nightmares. It's the primary reason I opted for a used brake kit from these boards, the Brembo GT Monoblock kit, 6 piston 355mm fronts and 4-piston 345mm rears. It's obviously overkill for the car but I figure I can always pull off later and slap on the M4 CS w/ the correct components from Brembo.

When I rebuilt these Monoblocks I went with everything Brembo minus the rotors. The rotors I'm using are Girodisc and I'm certain I'll be happy with them, according to Phil Wurz out of BimmerWorld, this was his suggestion and I like how they're made in the good ole USA. There were cheapies floating around but you should know better no doubt, no cheapies for bling when it comes to brakes.