Dave25

Am considering the official brake / wheel upgrade for my P1 ( Jan 01, 7500 miles )

Question is whether the upgrades are worthwhile.... I love the car anyway but the upgrades have always been on my mind as something to get done. However, the EVO review highlighted some issues with the Wheel and tyre upgrade, saying that it makes the car more edgy and harder on uneven surfaces ( not sure I want it to bang and crash over bad roads..... )

So really what I'm looking for is the views of existing owners. Naturally, the brakes will be with the DS2000 pads rather than DS3000.

Thanks,

David.

wacko

18's look the business and offer more grip. However they really do tramline a lot...
As for brakes, go for AP 6pots. They are far better the the Prodrive option. I tried both before deciding, and i am glad i didn't go Prodrive...
Check past posts, as the P1 brake debate has been dicussed many times before....

MikeWood

Aaron

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Sigmund

It depends on what you want. I have 18" wheels and it is extremely stiff and unforgiving (225/35/18 Bridestone S02 PP). But the grip is enourmous both in wet end dry, and it looks cooool...

Probably there are very few people on this board that actually will use all the grip an WRX or STi with standard tires has to offer. Wider tires tends to tramline easier too.

igratton

I also have the 18" P1 wheel upgrade.

Sure...the ride is a little more harsh....some may also argue the car becomes less efficient over cross country roads.

I actually love the way the car feels now and the outright grip is superb. Tramlining and Aquaplaning in the wet could become more of an issue due to the increased contact patch of the 225 width tyre.

As for brakes. Don't be but off of the Alcons. I have AP racing 4pots (from my previous scooby) which I have not placed on my P1....why ???? because I also have the Prodrive/Alcon 330m brake upgrade.

Pedal feel on the Alcons is superb, very precise. I found my APs behaved a little bit like an On/Off switch....very difficult to apply medium braking. I guess its horses for courses really...you should try them both. Its what 'you' find works best.

My APs are currently doing service on Jase Coopers Type R just to get them out of my garage LOL

Happy purchasing


Ian.

AlexM

Dave25,

Interested in purchasing your wheels if you decide to upgrade... mail me off-line if you are interested in parting with them.

Regards,

Alex

Andrew O'Hara

Dave 25,
I have a P1 with 18" rims and AP 6 Pots. I recently drove another P1 with the Alcon upgrade and wasn't impressed with the Alcon Brakes. The AP's have more feel and bite and this was echoed by the owner of the car after driving mine.

There is a warranty issue here, as Alcons are covered and AP's are not, but do you want to be able to stop in a hurry!! I think Wacko will back me up here!

The 18" rims in my opinion transform the car, less tyre roll, and more grip but the tramlining does increase, common to wide section tyres.

Good luck with whatever you choose



[This message has been edited by Andrew O'Hara (edited 04 April 2001).]

wacko

Dave25, Andy is right. He did infact recently upset someone by telling them what he thought of the Alcon brake upgrade after they had it fitted and driving their car. I drove a P1 with Alcons after driving Andy's with AP's, and i'll tell you this. The day you have to stand on them for real be the brakes warmed up on not, you'll be glad you fitted the AP's. If you are worried about warranty keep your current disks and calipers, but you don't invalidate any other warranty on the car only that for the brakes. It is accepted that the car WILL be modified to some degree by dealers.

Enjoy the car......

Hoppy

Dave25, lots of interesting comments here! I'm not going to say which is best as I've never tried the Prodrive Alcon brakes. However, while I can vouch for both 16in 4-pot and 17in 6-pot APR brakes as being thoroughly fab, I know Simon de Banke still rates the Alcons as the best Scoob brakes he's ever used! (And he's driven dozens.)

Now we can't all be right and some of the comments here are written with knowledge, authority and experience. So what I'm wondering is, is it the pads which are making the difference? I think it must be.

Just a thought, but it might be worth contacting Mike Wood at Prodrive to see what compounds are available, apart from DS2000 or DS3000. Mail him at mwood@prodrive.com

Finally, if it's a wide choice of pad you want, the brakes to go for are the APR 4-pots for 17in wheels. APR list 17 different compounds whereas the 6-pots only take five from Performance Friction and two Pagids. I have Pagid RS421 pads with 6-potters (standard pad bundled with the APR kit). On fast road they are excellent. If you want to try them for yourself on track, I'm at Donington on Easter Sunday (silver 4-door). I'll do anything for a chocolate egg!

Richard

matt d

I'd also mention that it is tyres that determine your ultimate stopping power, not brakes. Bigger brakes mean you apply maximum braking with much less pedal travel (good for emergency stops), and they are much more resistant to fade, but they won't stop your car any quicker when fully depressed because what actually slows your car down is the tyre gripping the road. So I'd say beware of any standard vs Prodrive vs AP brake comparisons unless you know they were done on cars with equal tyres with equal tread depth, because standard brakes with 7mm SO2s will probably stop better than uprated brakes on 3mm P-Zeros especially in the wet.

I do like my brake upgrade (Prodrive), the main advantage is I can drive flat out for quite a while and not suffer from fade when the standard brakes would wilt. As for stopping in an emergency, the best cure is simply to drive 5mph slower near junctions, round blind corners etc, and anticipate hazards - it costs £1500 less and is more effective!

RVeiga

I have the 18", these are better in the dry but not so in the wet. I prefer the ride of the 18"s also.

On the brakes I got the AP-6p because they are better value the prodrive, regardless of which brakes are better/worse under hard driving (but I suspect the AP would be better also).

I kept the original because this is the sort of thing that will get you some money back if sold separately, rather than with the car.

..Rob