AP Racing OR Alcon ?

[Ade]

Originally Posted by Jeff

Ade, I'd be interested to know what the feel is like? I drove the BHP car with alcons all round, admittedly after getting out of the GT3 and I put my head through the windscreen in the BHP car. I found it far too assisted with far too much bite for my liking. Did you find the pedal got harder after the upgrade or easier?

I can only compare it with standard brakes and standard pads and braided hoses. The OEM setup offers an amazing amount of feel because everything is flexing with 'give' at the caliper end of things. I think a harder pad would improve general braking no end, but the lack of cooling on the CSL brakes is a major weakness that easily results in cooked oem brakes.

The Alcons offer an absolutely rock solid pedal when you get on it unlike the OEM pedal which feels flexy and j u s t n o t p o w e r f u l... like driving a used Ford Focus.

I'm trying a softer pad (DS2500) instead of the RS29s to begin with - and I think it works well in this application (although my experience is only 1 night so far). The larger disc/pad area of the Alcons at 365mm dia allows you to run a slightly softer pad compound as the heat capacity is much higher, despite the lack of cooling. The softer pad gives more feel/modulation than you would with an endurance compound like the RS29. I suspect that unless I'm running slicks or at a circuit like Hockenheim or Bedford GT on a hot day, you may not need RS29s... but let's see how things go, and I'll keep a spare set of 29s in the boot for good measure as 29s have never let me down.

If you find too much bite, try a different pad compound.

[Jeff]

I used to use DS2500's on my car in Aus and found them fine for all types of driving. having said that though I've personally never been more impressed than I was in the Porsche with RS29's so I would be hard pressed to not go for them again.

This is the kit I'm most likely to buy after having alcon discs on the Pork. Totally and utterly loved those discs. Not one issue with them.

One last thing, I'm thinking about how I could retrofit the Porsche type cup brake cooling ducts. I'm sure it wouldn't be THAT much work, and a brilliant method of cooling versus ducting etc.

[Ade]

Originally Posted by Jeff

One last thing, I'm thinking about how I could retrofit the Porsche type cup brake cooling ducts. I'm sure it wouldn't be THAT much work, and a brilliant method of cooling versus ducting etc.

The ducts are easy to fit - just cable tie them to the lower wishbones. You can reuse them for the BMW as they are pretty generic. You really want proper ducted cooling hoses to let them be of major significance... the CSL has very poor cooling on the brakes which is the main problem.

[dave1]

i agree in fact a normal m3 has brake cooling ducts in the bumper so a backward step there

[Thorney]

The lack of cooling is one of the reasons we went to this Alcon kit. We do a CSL bumper with brake duct holes in it but its a race only item really, looking to make a road version if there was enough interest.

Note double holes, Jamie even taped his up at Rockingham as he thought the brakes were getting too much air! (he was wrong, but there you go )

[Paul Eggleton]

They look very nice. Think I would stick with black though.