Which type of AP Racing Brake Kit is right for me?

Whether you're looking for the most gorgeous brake package to fill up your 20" wheels, or you're trying to cut every hundredth of a second from your lap times, Essex has an AP Racing Brake Kit to fit your needs. Essex offers AP Racing Brake Kits in two main varieties, Road and Competition. How you plan to use your car will determine which product category best suits your unique needs. The owner profiles below will help guide you towards your best fit. However, please keep in mind while reviewing these profiles that you'll likely fall somewhere between these two owner types. That's completely normal, and is true with most of our clients. You'll just have to decide where your priorities lie, and where you want to take your car. If you're curious about how a certain type of kit performs in the real world, you can always find tons of owner reviews and feedback on our Essex Blog.

AP Racing by Essex Road Brake Kits

If several of the bullet points below describe your relationship with your car, an AP Racing by Essex Road Brake Kit is likely your best choice.

  • I drive my car on the road the majority of time, and only take it to the track once in a while
  • I want big discs that fill up my wheels, and I want painted calipers that turn heads and get attention
  • I don't want my brakes to make any more noise than my stock brakes
  • I sometimes drive my car in wintry conditions, and my local roads are salted to melt ice
  • I'm not terribly concerned about saving every ounce of weight possible
  • I don't need 50 different race pad choices, and I don't plan on swapping pads all that often

If that sounds like you, click here for more information about our Road Brake Kits

AP Racing by Essex Competition Brake Kits

If several of the bullet points below describe your relationship with your car, an AP Racing by Essex Competition Brake Kit may be in your future.

  • I spend as many weekends at the track as possible, and driving my track car on the road bores me to tears
  • Component durability and keeping my brake consumable costs low will be crucial to the long-term success of my marriage
  • I'm okay with a few squealing and scraping noises from my brakes, because race car!
  • I don't drive my car on salted winter roads, because that's why winter beaters exist
  • I want to save every ounce of unsprung weight, and I've even gone on a diet to bring my race weight down
  • I'll be wrenching on my car fairly often, and I want tons of brake pad options

If that sounds like you, click here for more information about our Competition Brake Kits

Please refer to the chart below for more details on how our Road and Competition Brake Kit lines differ from each other. If after reviewing this information you're still unsure which type of kit is right for you, give us a call at 704-824-6030. One of our sales associates will be happy to walk you through the available options for your car!



Road Brake Kits

Competition Brake Kits

Calipers

Calipers

Four or six piston painted calipers- Red, Black, Silver

Four or six piston anodized calipers

Differential bore aluminum pistons with dust boots

Differential bore stainless steel pistons with no dust boots

No anti-knockback piston springs

Anti-knockback piston springs

High temperature piston seals

High temperature piston seals



Discs

Discs

Directional AP Racing with varying vane count

Directional, high vane count, AP Racing Discs

Patented AP Racing J Hook disc slot pattern

Patented AP Racing J Hook disc slot pattern

Disc diameters are larger to fill out wheels

Disc diameters optimized to maintain low weight

Disc width designed to fit OEM wheels when possible

Disc width chosen for heat capacity

One-piece or two piece discs

Two-piece fixed or floating discs

Anodized aluminum disc hats (on two-piece designs)

Anodized, low weight, high airflow aluminum disc hats

Fixed or floating disc hats

Fixed or floating disc hats



Other

Other

Anodized aluminum or steel caliper brackets

Weight-relieved anodized aluminum or steel caliper brackets

Sport brake pads included

No pads included

Brake fluid included

No brake fluid included

Spiegler Stainless Steel Brake Lines included

Spiegler Stainless Steel Brake Lines included

All mounting hardware and install instructions included

All mounting hardware and install instructions included



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News & Blog

March 13th 2024
AP Racing by Essex Brakes Chosen for Acura's Integra Type S TCX Race Car

The identical brake kit is also now available for your Integra Type S or Civic Type R!

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Porsche 911 Brake Upgrade Guide

Your brake choices depend on how and where you plan to drive your car.

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New Products: 390mm and 378mm Radi-CAL Competition Brake Kits for C8 Corvette Z06

Larger brake options for America's midship supercar!

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