[s-cars] BIRA vs Big Red (ECS2, etc)

[Lewis, Gary M]

My take on the 996 mono vs. 993tt.  I looked at the two calipers from a
pure design standpoint, and my bet is the 996's aren't any stiffer, and
weren't built to be stiffer.  I strongly suspect that they were built to
be lighter.  I really think the spec was for a lighter caliper with the
same stiffness.  Porsche must be struggling to keep these cars in the
~3,000 lbs. range.

If you are staying with stock rims, AND/OR not into the track, get the
RS2 brackets and 993tt calipers.  WAY better than stock.  CHEAP
(~$1,000).  If you are track happy, get the kit that allows options for
the best/biggest rotor.  Then you can agonize over drilled vs. slotted.

Summary, think track or street: 
Street - ease/cost of caliper/rotor combo. RS2 bracket, A8L rotors,
993tt calipers are cheap, effective, fit under stock, and all the
replaceable parts are US spec.  I'd think a Bira combo would be next.
Not sure how much/available the Euro A8 rotors are tho'.  Either would
be fine assuming they fit under your rim application.  I'm sure someone
will chime in (or flame).
 
Track - meanest rotor you can find/fit.  The caliper and rims will
follow.  Bira has enough combos to choke an F1 team.

Gary Lewis

1995.5 S6 Avant, Green/Ecru, RS2 MAF, RS2 Exhaust Manifold, RS2
Injectors, Custom Turbo (K26 Turbine, Factory K26 Cold side (Audi Works
'999' P/N) with 50mm intake and custom Innovative Turbo compressor
wheel), TurboXS Type 25 Bypass Valve, Bilsteins, Eibachs, Big Reds, Spec
II Clutch.



-----Original Message-----
From: James Bowes [mailto:thermobob at hotmail.com] 
Sent: Sunday, August 01, 2004 8:16 PM
To: rdeis at io.com; s-car-list at audifans.com
Subject: RE: [s-cars] BIRA vs Big Red (ECS2, etc)



The 996 is a more modern design.. it has a monoblock design, which
Porsche 
switched over to in order to allow for less caliper "twist" under high
load 
(2-piece can technically twist under heavy braking). When comparing the 
calipers, 'size' is a relative term. I don't know the specifics, but I'd

advise looking into the sizes of the pistons within the calipers. It's
also 
important to look at the size of the rotor that each system uses, as
this 
will have a direct effect on braking power. It'll also add more rotating

mass, as a side note (not a good thing). Overall caliper size, while 
indicitive of greater braking power, isn't necessarily a good
comparison, 
but all things being equal a smaller caliper will fit under a greater 
selection of wheels. I have the 996 calipers and have been VERY happy
with 
them, and they fit nicely under my 17" OZ wheels.

One specific that may or may not be important is that the 996 calipers
come 
in black, silver, and red. They are also priced in that order. The red
ones 
came on the Boxster 'S' and are VERY expensive. Silver ones came on a
996 
Carrera special edition, and cost around 50 bucks more per caliper than
the 
black ones (if you can find them - not all dealers can get them). So,
long 
story short, if you demand a red caliper, go with the 993 Big Reds, 
otherwise you've got some research to do!

IMHO, if you already have the System 3 brackets, go that route. Braking 
power is tremendous.

James Bowes


>From: Robert Deis <rdeis at io.com>
>To: s-car-list at audifans.com
>Subject: [s-cars] BIRA vs Big Red (ECS2, etc)
>Date: Sun, 1 Aug 2004 20:03:58 -0600
>
>
>On Sunday, August 1, 2004, at 09:32 AM, s-car-list-request at audifans.com
>wrote:
>>
>>Take a peek at http://www.urs4.com/technical/brakes/UrS4_brakes.html, 
>>then decide for yourself.
>
>So, by looking at those pictures, the "Big Red" is 993TT, and is a 
>larger
>unit than the 996. 996 is monoblock and 993TT is bolt-together.  Both
fit 
>under stock wheels.
>
>Ok, what are the descriminators (sp)?
>
>
>
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