MikeWire wrote:
If you had brake fade I would take a harder look at the condition of your existing rotors and pads before upgrading to a BBK (big brake kit) because it's easy to drop a G on just the basic parts for a BBK - not a good cost/value ratio to me.
x2!
Fluid too. I would say with fresh rotors, decent pads (Hawk hps maybe?), and a flush of the fluid (with ate typ200 maybe?) you would be set for aggressive street driving.
I'll chime in. Don't get a BBK unless you're racing. Even then consider heavily. This is primarily due to the weight gain. A BBK is unsprung so in the world of car weight that's huge. Upgrade your pads, save the dough and be happy.
Hawk HPS's are good. I'm running PBR's- they scared teh crap out of me until after about a week of running them. Now, they bite hard. Stay away from Mintex!!
Generally ECS Tuning has great stuff at a good price.
As far as chips: I've driven cars with all of them. Honestly, they're all comparable. You'll have slight differences in power along the RPM band and possibly some slighty differen A/F readings (again along the RPM band).
Actual power gains are slight between the chips anymore. They're all very good. GIAC is my top fave, but as mentioned, I'm running REVO with the big injector file. I am very pleased overall. My only complaint is that REVO disables the misfire warning. So if I have a coilpack blow, it won't tell me it blew. (The car will simply run like crap and I'll have to replace each until I find the one that blew).
I'll be going Stage 2 whenver I get out to Missoula. Other options are to drive west to WA or south to Denver. Or remove your ECU and ship it. Either way, it's nice to have someone relatively local do it for you for you (the aforementioned tuning problems).
When/if I ever go stage 3 it will be either MTM or GIAC
‘14 Sequoia
'11 Sprinter 170” Diesel 2WD
Former Dubs:
'03 A4 1.8TQM Modifcations
'04 Jetta VR6M GLI - Silvery
'99 Passat 1.8TM - Emerald Green
'88 Fox GL 1.8M - Brown...gold?
Go with PBR, they're relatively cheap... like $43 and they're good. I have them on my rears and when the fronts go out I'll be replacing them with that too.
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'02 A4 1.8TQ Denim Blue
