TCE *BIG* Brake kit is out!!!

[airtroop01]

cpharley,
I can see your point. If other people and things weren't on the road, I wouldn't see the need for em either. But, its not always that I'm driving so fast that I'm in a situation where I can't stop. Nor is it cause I'm flying down the track with my built motor yelling "Yeehaw!" More than likely, some idiot who isn't paying attention will pull out in front of me, or a little kid will escape from his mother's grasp and run into the street, or some damn deer picks just the wrong time to cross the highway. In other words, for me, they give me a fighting chance when I'm out on the road.

I've always been a fan of big brakes. The power to stop quick is right up there along with the power to go quick. Big brakes have saved me on more than one occassion.

One time, not too long ago, this clueless mother trying to turn left pulled out on this 2-lane in each direction road near a Wal-Mart where I was crusing along at 50 mph (speed limit on that road) in Virginia. She was just looking somewhere else and whammo stopped right in front of me blocking both lanes. I mean if she pulled out a few secs later, she could have T-boned me! Well, I could see in the backseat a little baby in a car seat. I know a side impact at 50 would be fatal to some econo-japan car. I laid on the brakes for all they were worth while on the horn to get this chick to move. Of course that made it worse, cause she was staring at me like a deer caught in the headlights. The Baer brakes and performance pads I got dug in for all they were worth. They always stopped hard I used to joke that it'll leave your eyeballs on the dash. I still remember watching the look in that chick's eyes as the speed was hauled down like we got caught in the clothesline on an aircraft carrier.

I stopped a total of 10 inches away from the door. I'm not sure what the 50-0 time is on that brake combination. But, I know it did its job. And for what? $3k I potentially saved someone's life and perhaps my own. What if it took another 40-ft to stop? I don't wanna know.

[Dbl G]

That is what it is about, right there ,,,Safety

[cpharley]

I can see what you are saying about safety, but I don't see myself in that type of situation. I am a person who remains very aware of my surroundings. If I am driving through my neighborhood, I proceed slow until I get to open road. Same for parking lots, or any area that has potential for children/pets crossing my path unexpectedly.

<<Disclaimer: I am not suggesting in my statements that anyone posting in this thread is a negligent driver. >>

As I said before, I can see that the big brakes will give a shorter stopping distance which statistically has proven to be safer, but they are not going to stop you on a dime. Remember those statistics are skewed by individuals who could care less about taking preventative safety measures while driving. Considering these brakes will not stop you on a dime, you still have a risk of hitting a pedestrian or all the things that the kit is supposed to help prevent. I think if a driver takes all precautions, good driving habits will give all the security and safety you need.

I have had my truck for almost 4 years and have not been close to striking a pedestrian or another vehicle. If the kit was 1/2 - 1/3 the cost, I would see it entirely differently and definitely worth the upgrade.

This is just a matter of opinion though. I am not here to talk bad about anyone considering buying the kit. I just have not seen it cost-effective for myself yet.

[Chris Wilson]

CP, a lot of it probably has to do with where you live. I've been to Indiana and Illinois often and even in the Cities, there is no comparison to here. Half the folks here are tourists. Many from outside the country. They haven't a clue of where they are going. We have a ton of young hispanics that try to play fast and furious here. Mix that in with the retiree population and you begin to see what it's like driving here. The HD is the first vehicle I've owned for over a year without it being rear ended.

Chris

[Dbl G]

Swing thru the Atl. at rush hour,,,,,,I'd rather smoke crack. Crazy MFin dagum som B atch's,,,Why I ohta and I am from Detroit and have driven around in N.Y.

[Todd TCE]

Let's be painfully honest here for a minute.

As the vendor I really don't see this kit being the end all of road racing brakes. I don't believe it should really be marketed that way. Neither is the truck!

There are a couple of reasons for the existance of such kits. First is 'because you can'. No different than what I see as a total waste of coin on in truck entertainment centers. I gues it's all in what is important to you.

Safety is a concern but so too is efficiency. The larger systems can produce the same results with less effort. Think of blowers here; you want to run the piss out of a tiny one or a more efficient one with less rpm running cooler? It's simply the reverse in the BBK.

Do trucks need this kit beyond the more popular 13" kit? In most cases probably not. But if you have big ol wheels on there you probably want to fill them like anyone else. Does that make it $3K of bling? While it IS fully functional most people will never tax this type of part to what it can really do- especially those with the big wheels who are not running open track days.

The bottom line IMHO is that it's like many other parts for a vehicle. You buy it because you like it, it aides in performance, and it represents YOUR creative appearance of what looks good and is important to you.

[Dbl G]

Todd is right I have over $3K in bling and it just looks pretty. Well it did win me a show or two.

[Blown Twice]

I wonder if these will work with my Jesse James 38 Specials, I had another big brake kit ready to install but the edge of the spokes hit the calipers

BT

[Krix330cic(NJ)]

Mikey, been trying to get you on AIM.. anyone home?

[Ayrton]

Originally posted by Blown Twice
I had another big brake kit ready to install but the edge of the spokes hit the calipers

BT

That is why you need billets wheel cut just for big brakes (hint hint)

[Todd TCE]

Actually, you'll be happy to know that the spoke clearance is very near that of the smaller (yikes!) kit. Somewhere I posted the data on this.

I began the hat build again today and hope to have these parts in hand shortly. Once I know the final offset of the hat and the caliper profile numbers I can add the numbers here:

http://www.tceperformanceproducts.com/wheel_fit.html
(seems I sorta left it blank...)

I need to dig up the mount offset numbers to calculate this for sure and put it up. All based on the hat offset of course.

[2002GreyHD150]

here is my take... I have brake upgrades on EVERY (yes all 9 of them) I own... all the mustangs, the wife's mountaineer, the contour SVT, & the HD.... granted 3 of them are in the $2K+ range. Most are in the $500-1000 range (slotted/dimpled rotors, great pads)....

Having been in sales for performance upgrades for a long time this is the criteria we use with our customers:

1.) over 22" wheels... YOU NEED more than good rotors & pads, regardless of wheel weight.

2.) heavy vehicle to start with stereo, performance up grades over 400hp, &/or excessive towing/added cargo regularly, YOU NEED more.

3.) Crazy metro traffic, occasional or everyday, with stop & go for more than 20 minutes at a time... YOU NEED more...

4.) lastly, if you care about the "bling factor" & any of the above even 1/2 apply YOU WANT more...

I am impressed with Todd's honesty & knowledge. His professionalism & concern for our group is a model ALL SV's should mimic, if they are already not doing so...

Rob W

[Todd TCE]

How would you feel about a matching rear 14" kit with four pot calipers?

[Hoffmann]

In my truck,as far as the way I drive I'd be more than happy with just a front big disk(slotted/dimpled) adapter for the stock calipers,and stock size on rear but (slotted/dimpled)to mach the front ones

So what seems to be so hard to achieve

machine(cut out the brake surface) the stock front disks;

have another big disk(hat) to go over it;

have the adapters for the calipers;

have a slightly bigger set of studs to accommodate the new disk/hat + old center

[airtroop01]

Originally posted by Todd TCE
How would you feel about a matching rear 14" kit with four pot calipers?

I like the idea of it. I'd really want to do it.
The only problem for me would be that I wouldn't be able to run my 16" slicks. I'm not ready to give that up until 17" drag slicks become avail. However, for the street - that would be perfect.