Brakes - Brembo, others

[Carspotter Daily]

Hello, just wondered if any other owners bought aftermarket brakes like Brembo or other ones that work better then the stock ones.. I have a lot of trouble stopping the two ton beast after launches (of course) and want to know if anybody else has had luck with other brands.

Thanks!

 

[Branzo90D]

Aren't the "P" Model Ss already equipped with Brembos? Thought I heard that somewhere. . .

 

[MP3Mike]

The standard brakes on the Model S are Brembo.

 

[Carspotter Daily]

Aren't the "P" Model Ss already equipped with Brembos? Thought I heard that somewhere. . .

I'll E-Mail tesla and see, although I'm not an expert in brakes, it seems like brembos should be a bit more... Violent. For instance, if I were to slam on the brakes at 100 km/h, the braking distance is 108ft (close to that), and with Brembos I would expect a lower braking distance.

Anyway, have any other brakes worked better for anyone?

 

[jerry33]

I'll E-Mail tesla and see, although I'm not an expert in brakes, it seems like brembos should be a bit more... Violent. For instance, if I were to slam on the brakes at 100 km/h, the braking distance is 108ft (close to that), and with Brembos I would expect a lower braking distance.

Anyway, have any other brakes worked better for anyone?

108 ft for an ~2100 kg car is very short.

You can get the Brembo ceramic brakes for $16K.

 

[Gizmotoy]

The standard brakes on the Model S are Brembo.

Indeed. All Model S get Brembo calipers and pads.

So it's not really a quality problem. You just need bigger/stronger to get what you're looking for, not simply a brand switch.

Brembo pads are kind of known for their lack of initial bite, though they make up for it once heated. Perhaps that's what you're sensing? Might be cheaper to try different pads first before replacing the whole system.

 

[linkster]

These monster Brembo (for Teslas) 6-piston, mono bloc, aluminum hat, nearly 15 inch fronts on EBay ought to detach your retinas

 

[AWDtsla]

Hello, just wondered if any other owners bought aftermarket brakes like Brembo or other ones that work better then the stock ones.. I have a lot of trouble stopping the two ton beast after launches (of course) and want to know if anybody else has had luck with other brands.

Thanks!

Sounds like something is wrong with your car.

The Model S can't generate nearly as much as the total kinetic energy over time as an ICE car. It doesn't really need massive brakes.

Maybe you need a bleed, or perhaps some bedding and/or pads.

 

[CHG-ON]

I think 108 for a 4600# car is pretty darn good for non-carbon ceramic. It is a tourer and not a true sports car, afterall. I'd love to see the stats with ceramic.

 

[ifung90]

I've researched extensively on this.

Oe Brembo are Mitsubishi Evo 8 front caliper and CTS-v rear calipers

you can buy aftermarket pads for these calipers and upgrade lightly.

Or or you can get big brake kits from Brembo. They have a 6/4 piston set up for front and rear. Around $9000 USD from tire rack.

or I'd recommend getting this brake kit.

View attachment 112460

Racing nbrake has good reputation in the track world. Great deal for front and rear set up.

also have a ceramic option. This is pricy now and don't think it is worth it as ceramic is used for repeated abusive use and I doubt you'd take the tesla on track days right?

Take me a look at my tesla. I went with AP Racing Radical big brake out upgrade but you need a machinist to make you a custom adapter. 6 piston 390mm disc on my set up.

Private message me if you need help. I can point you in the right direction.

 

[Nismode]

I've researched extensively on this.

Oe Brembo are Mitsubishi Evo 8 front caliper and CTS-v rear calipers

you can buy aftermarket pads for these calipers and upgrade lightly.

Or or you can get big brake kits from Brembo. They have a 6/4 piston set up for front and rear. Around $9000 USD from tire rack.

or I'd recommend getting this brake kit.

View attachment 112460

Racing nbrake has good reputation in the track world. Great deal for front and rear set up.

View attachment 112461

also have a ceramic option. This is pricy now and don't think it is worth it as ceramic is used for repeated abusive use and I doubt you'd take the tesla on track days right?

Take me a look at my tesla. I went with AP Racing Radical big brake out upgrade but you need a machinist to make you a custom adapter. 6 piston 390mm disc on my set up.

View attachment 112463

Private message me if you need help. I can point you in the right direction.

Any noticeable improvement in braking distance, feel? More/less brake dust? How's fitment compatibility with the stock 19s or 21s?

 

[AWDtsla]

I wouldn't be surprised if someone got those brakes and their braking times got worse. They'll need to get hot before they work.


You'll get much more benefit by picking a streetable low-temp high-mu brake pad.

edit - Hawk HPS has worked well for me in the past, haven't checked if they make the right size of Model S.

 

[jcaspar]

I would think traction would be one of the main limitations to stopping quicker. You can get bigger and bigger brakes but if the anti-locks have to kick in to prevent lock, they won't help. Maybe better tires.

 

[EarlyAdopter]

Tires are generally your limiting factor for braking distance for daily driving, not calipers or pads. Quick way to check this - are you able to engage ABS when braking hard? If so, your brakes are over-powering the traction provided by your tires. Upgrade your tires to shorten your braking distance.

Upgrading your pads is typically only needed if you're tracking the car and need increased resistance to heat fade from continuous, hard braking. Upgrading your calipers is typically only needed after moving to more aggressive tires, like R-Comps.

 

[Gizmotoy]

Upgrading your pads is typically only needed if you're tracking the car and need increased resistance to heat fade from continuous, hard braking.

Or you dislike the pedal feel, which is what I suspect is going on here. I have a feeling the main issue isn't one of maximum stopping power. Brembo pads, for better or worse, frequently lack initial bite. If you don't dig into the pedal with any frequency, they may give the impression of being underpowered. In that case, switching to a different or more aggressive pad may completely resolve the complaint.

As you mention, short of that, the next step is a tire change.

 

[Carspotter Daily]

Okay - Thanks, it's mainly a safety concern, and i know i shouldn't expect more from a two ton car... And yes, sorry - All Model S's come with Brembo's stock.

Now i'm wondering if there is some way to disable ABS. I know it helps with cornering while braking, but i will most likely never track my car, or do any racing - so ABS doesn't really help me.. Like i said, ABS allows you to steer while braking to avoid collisions, but also sacrifices braking distance.

Thanks again!

 

[ifung90]

disabling ABS is a bad idea.

Before I upgraded to my AP Racing big brake kit, I have updated my tires to Michelin Pilot Supersports 245/265 section width.

As many have suggested, Tires are 80% the story and 20% is brakes.

I presume the OP has already upgraded tires or are running the 21" option with the upgraded summer tires. If you're on all seasons like the General Exclaims or the Continental Contisport, no brake upgrades will benefit you as they are terrible tires in terms of grip.

I live in an area where I am blessed to be allowed to run Max performance summer tires 365 days of the year.

In terms of brake upgrades, I don't agree that big brake kit will make the car brake worst in any case, even if they are Ceramic disc. It depends on the ceramic disc and how they are manufactured. In the 2011 R8 V10 that I used to drive, it had Ceramic brakes and their initial bite was strong despite cold start. If you're accustomed to early generation Ceramic discs, then I suspect you would be biased in their performance. Ceramic disc also have a longer life than their steel counterparts.

I can't comment on the Racing brake compound as I have no personal experience with them, but the AP Racing street pad that I have create less brake dust than the OE pads.

The bite is much stronger and way less prone to overheating thus leading to a longer brake pedal travel.

Hawks HPS are no better than the original tesla brake pads. I would not recommend these for heavy cars whatsoever.

If you're looking for brake pads, try Racingbrake 500 compound. Porterfield RS pads or Carbotech XP8/XP10.

Go find Peter @ Nextmod since you live in Greater Toronto area. I used to live in Markham.

 

[AWDtsla]

Hawks HPS are no better than the original tesla brake pads. I would not recommend these for heavy cars whatsoever.

If you're looking for brake pads, try Racingbrake 500 compound. Porterfield RS pads or Carbotech XP8/XP10.

Go find Peter @ Nextmod since you live in Greater Toronto area. I used to live in Markham.

Going to something like an XP10 for a street car is stupid. They have minimal performance when the brakes temperatures are at ambient, it will be worse than the stock pads. HPS is a compromise for increased coefficient of friction starting out even at cold ambient temperatures.

But hey, you can browse car forums all day long with people upgrading to big brakes with high temp pads for cars that rarely see the track.

 

[Gizmotoy]

Okay - Thanks, it's mainly a safety concern, and i know i shouldn't expect more from a two ton car... And yes, sorry - All Model S's come with Brembo's stock.

Now i'm wondering if there is some way to disable ABS. I know it helps with cornering while braking, but i will most likely never track my car, or do any racing - so ABS doesn't really help me.. Like i said, ABS allows you to steer while braking to avoid collisions, but also sacrifices braking distance.

Thanks again!

You have to be a damn good driver to do better than ABS on the street on anything better than gravel or snow. Even most track-day instructors are going to tell you to smoothly and progressively press (don't stab) the brake until ABS kicks in. The chance of you riding the fine line between maximum stopping and locking the wheels in a panic braking situation is practically zero. Leave the ABS on.

The stopping distance on this two ton car is already extremely impressive. 60-0 comes in 108 feet. Note that of the 20 fastest-stopping vehicles ever tested by Motor Trend, a list populated with exotics and sports cars, #20 accomplished the same feat in 101 feet. It beats the Panamera by 3 feet even though it weighs 500 more pounds.

It could be a hell of a lot worse.

 

[ifung90]

I don't think the motortrend testing of 60-0 is the best representation of "brakes" as you don't hit the brakes as hard as you can and clench your teeth every single time you want to stop right?

The standard brakes lack feel and has a fairly long pedal compared to other sports sedan in its price range. But I guess the argument is that the model S shouldn't be considered a sport sedan, then in that case it shouldn't need any brembo calipers to begin with. Then again it shouldn't have the power to go from 0-62 in 5.5s/4.0s/3.2s/2.9s either if it's not a sports sedan.

I think a 2.9s 0-62 mph car should stop under 100 ft, hence why I upgraded my brakes and don't regret it whatsoever.

This is probably under my previous car's influences are all sports cars (C63 PP, supercharged M3 and Big turbo Golf R) so the Model S fairs quite poorly against other sub 4.0s 0-62mph cars in terms of braking.

I've seen many people daily XP8. It's not a loud squeaky pad nor is it more dusty than the standard compound. I would never recommend dailying Hawks HP+ or HT30. I've had great results using Ferodo DS2500 (but overheats if you repeated stop from 140 mph to speed limit) and loved DS1.11 (new DS3000 compound) but unfortunately the oem calipers only have DS2500 available.

Hawks HPS is a great oem alternative if you're looking for a cheap, reputable pad that dusts less, but for real stopping power wise it's not adding up for the smiles per dollar spent.

I think most of us on the forum can afford better things for this car since the car is by no means cheap in any way.

OP, Racingbrake also has a 2-piece rotor upgrade with pads for $2400 USD. 4 Rotors and 2 sets of pads with stainless lines. Fairly good deal if you want to retain original caliper.