Ok, I know that in most cases the Stock R56 MCS OEM brakes are more than enough and with small changes like better disks and pads they become that much better. But in my case, I drive 100miles a day on the autobahn and have some hard braking situations occur. I have never had a moment that I questioned the brakes on my car but always wondered if a BBK would be worth it for me. If I were to get a BBK I would only be able to run it from March- October as my snow tires are on 16" wheels. I do not track the car but I think that alot of the cars that are tracked may never see the speeds or roads that my car does daily. What I have been looking at are the TCE/Wilwood fronts and the JCW full set. I think I may be able to get the complete JCW kit for about the same price as the TCE/Wilwood kit. What say ye?
If you want to stop faster, I'd say you're better off getting stickier summer tires. Calipers and rotors don't have much of an effect on your stopping distance. And it'd be a pain in the butt to have to swap calipers and rotors twice a year so they fit under your snow wheels. What about that surprise snow storm that sneaks up on you in November or April?
Very good point and one not talked about enough Ben when discussing brakes. The most uber expensive latest greatest brake set up is only as good as the tires that are gripping the road...
Well assuming David does has good summer tires, I would say pads with a bit better bite and fade resistance would be all you need. Big brakes dramatically reduce fade under continual heavy braking loads just as you'd expect for track use. After that, upgrade to some DOT 4 fluid and you'll be all set for daily driving. I have a Detroit Tuned BBK myself, but the primary reasons I bought it were for practically zero pad fade on the track, fast pad changes, and lastly looks.
I'm with the guys above. A BBK is either for 'bling' or for handling the heat of rapid, consecutive hard braking events... not for increasing stopping power when compared to the stock calipers with good pads and fluid. Don't get me wrong, I love my Wilwood setup, but I don't harbor any illusion that it helps at all on the street (though my R53 stock calipers and pads are smaller than the R56, I think). They are hardware for my track weekends (and a bit for looks ) and if I hadn't gotten a great deal on em used, I'd still be on the stock calipers. I love the quick pad swaps, but that doesn't do much for a non-track car and they add some needless complexity to a daily driver.
I won't deny there's some truth to the comments above. Certainly tires can be a make it or break it issue with a BBK. However don't over look other elements of the kit that cannot be achieved with stock brakes: improved response time, improved pedal modulation, lighter weight, longer pad and rotor life (kit dependent) and simple durability increases. Sure...you don't 'track' the car all the time so you may not need a bbk on the way to work. But knowing a simple pad change will net you excess well beyond those who struggle with making a stock system work on the track lap after lap it's also peace of mind that while you may not, you certainly could. Now as your driving skills and desires increase and you search out those 'better' tires for more handling and improved stick, what about the brakes? You can quickly go from more brake than tire to more tire than brake. Just because a consumer runs all season radials now doesn't mean that they may not look to some R compounds for the track later. At this point the oe parts are simply not going to keep up with the potential of the tire. That being said is the investment of $1g or more worth it? That's up to the buyer. It's all a balancing issue in a way.