SRT-8 Brembo brake kit

[DZeckhausen]

Originally Posted by E55 KEV

Dave, what are these knuckles (do you have a pic) and can the SRT-8 knuckles be upgraded on the regular models. Thanks.

Unfortunatly, I still don't know the answer to this. I spoke with the engineer at StopTech who made all the measurements on the 300C and, more recently, the SRT8 in order to fabricate the big brake kit for our SEMA project SRT8: http://www.zeckhausen.com/SRT8.htm. According to him, there are so many differences between the knuckles on the 300C and SRT8 that there's no way to transplant brakes from one car onto the other.

Offering directly conflicting evidence, is a Chrysler mechanic in Las Vegas who claims to have installed SRT8 front calipers on a customer's 300C. The customer approached him with take-off calipers, but no rotors. He ordered the necessary parts (whatever those were) and bolted the front brakes right on. The resulting massive front bias prompted him to take the ill advised step of installing a Wilwood proportioning valve in the front brake line circuit, between the master cylinder and the ABS unit. He did not attempt to install SRT8 rear brakes. The measurements taken by the StopTech engineer have me convinced that there's no way they will fit.

Here's where it gets really interesting. The Chrysler mechanic looked up the SRT8 knuckles on his computer and insists they are the exact same part number as the regular 300, 300 Touring, and 300C knuckles. I'm sure this can't be true, since the measurement taken by StopTech indicate that the caliper mounting ears on the rear SRT8 knuckles are rotated (clocked) significantly differently from the 300C knuckles.

Until someone can confirm that the following knuckle part numbers are NOT correct for the SRT8, the issue of transplanting SRT8 brakes onto a non-SRT8 300 model remains clouded in mystery.

• 4782741AB Right-Front Knuckle
• 4782740AB Left-Front Knuckle
• 4782586AC Right-Rear Knuckle
• 4782587AC Left-Rear Knuckle

Does anyone have access to some sort of Chrysler parts database who can confirm or deny that these are the same parts for all 300 models, including the SRT8?

If I can find out the real part numbers and pricing for the SRT8 knuckles, then I may be able to come up with a way to transplant these brakes. It may also require (not that it would be a bad thing) that the recipient of the SRT8 brakes be lowered and use SRT8 springs and shocks.

[E55 KEV]

Thanks for the update Dave.

[stevesrt8]

it should be noted that every car mentioned in criticizing "factory Brembos" cannot even come close to the 300C SRT8 stopping distances! Many much smaller and lighter cars don't stop as well.

It would appear that DCX SRT engineers really sweated the details on this one. Despite the intense dust production, the car remains at the top of any list of real world sedans and beats many so-called sports cars. Pedal feel is superb and there is always a large reserve of braking power, even at speed.

I have also noted that with some mileage the grooving is becoming a non-issue. With 4700 miles now, this girl just keeps getting better!

Steve
06 CSRT8
all stock all original
everything but DVD
waiting for software

[DanRealtor]

So I see all these posts about Stop Tech and big brake kits....

The 300C SRT-8 stops on the dime and gives you nine cents change already!
If it aint broke don't fix it comes to mind.

I've seen write-ups anywhere from 102 to 110 foot stopping distance from 60mph. That is phenomenal. Has ANYONE seen any info about ANY other brake system or modification to actually reduce the stopping distance? I haven't.

Yeah, the brake dust sucks. No whining, just keep wiping them down!
Ceramics will come, eventually.

[DZeckhausen]

Originally Posted by DanRealtor

So I see all these posts about Stop Tech and big brake kits....

The 300C SRT-8 stops on the dime and gives you nine cents change already!
If it aint broke don't fix it comes to mind.

It's a good thing the engineers at Chrysler didn't think that way or else I would still be stuck driving my "mere" 340 horsepower 5.7 300C. Seriously, I've been trying to explain all week to my non-car enthusiast neighbors why I would trade in a perfectly good car with lots of power for another one that looks (to their untrained eyes) exactly the same. Perhaps they'll change their minds after a ride this weekend.

I've seen write-ups anywhere from 102 to 110 foot stopping distance from 60mph. That is phenomenal. Has ANYONE seen any info about ANY other brake system or modification to actually reduce the stopping distance? I haven't.

I have. See: http://www.300cforums.com/forums/44167-post18.html

These numbers are for the 300C with stock "Grand Touring" tires. All tests were done on the same car with the same tires on the same day at the same track. If you install a set of sticky Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires on that car, the braking distance numbers would all drop by a substantial amount. Similarly, if the magazines had tested the SRT8 with the all seasons, the braking numbers would be worse.

You cannot compare a magazine test set of braking numbers on one car with a different magazine test (or even the same magazine testing on two different days or two different tracks). There is simply too much variability. And many magazine tests are a joke, relying on the reaction time of the driver rather than a tripod-mounted radar gun collecting and integrating constant speed data to achieve stopping distance results accurate to within a fraction of an inch.

The Acura RSX Challenge methodology is the right way to compare different braking systems and different tuner packages. See:
http://www.stoptech.com/company_info...hallenge.shtml. They used the proper equipment and test methods to compare identical Acuras that were handed out to six different tuners who could do whatever they wanted to the cars. The braking results reflect the combined effect of tire choices, suspension mods, and brake kits, but the testing was done the same day on the same track with the same measurement equipment and techniques.

When I get some comparative SRT8 data, I'll post it here.

Of all the cars I've owned, the SRT8 is the least in need of a big brake upgrade. Pedal feel is great and the system feels balanced. I don't think there's an issue here of thermal capacity for street driving. However, the StopTech brakes I plan to install will result in a substantial reduction in rotor weight, since they use two-piece floating design with aluminum hats rather than a single chunk of cast iron. I expect to shave off at least 5 pounds per rotor. For me, there's a large aesthetic component to this upgrade. The calipers will be much larger and completely fill the wheels and, with the included low dust pads, I won't be washing them every day.

This is not the no-brainer modification that it was on the 300C. The 300C really benefited from a 4-wheel brake upgrade, as I was reminded when I returned my 300C to stock condition prior to trading it in for the SRT8. This is the sort of mod you do if you have plenty of discretionary funds and you want your brakes to look like this:




It would not be honest to claim huge room for improvement (other than looks and dust) over the factory Brembo brakes on the SRT8. It's simply a question of owner priorities. I have no interest in spending $10,000 on a competition stereo system for my SRT8. But I don't begrudge others from pursuing their passions.

Yeah, the brake dust sucks. No whining, just keep wiping them down!
Ceramics will come, eventually.

If you want to keep the interior barrel of the wheels from being attacked by the corrosive brake dust, you'll need to pull them off the car and wash them frequently. A coat of wax helps too. Once DCX releases some revised pads (ceramic or otherwise), this will be a much more infrequent chore. I do not want to end up with wheels that are pitted inside or have permanent stains in the hard-to-reach corners where the spokes meet the rim.

[DanRealtor]

I agree that anyone can spend any amount of $ on any mod that they feel is worth it. I agree that there is not a lot of room for improvement on the stopping distance. I hate the brake dust as much as everyone else. I wipe 'em daily, wash the car every day or two (literally) and my guys at the car wash are kind enough to wipe down the inside of my wheels EVERY time. The ceramics will come, eventually. I did not realize there was that big a weight difference (5 lbs unsprung on each corner?) Filling the inside of the wheel with rotor? Aesthetic and irrelevant to me. The stock brakes are good for more than daily street driving. I flogged mine on the road course at Sears Point ALL DAY LONG. No Brake Fade: NONE (not for lack of trying!)

You want to spend time and $ to try and improve on the brakes? Cool. I look forward to seeing some #'s when you have 'em.


Dan

[DZeckhausen]

A little update is in order. We've confirmed that the front SRT8 brakes will bolt onto a RWD 300C. But the rear brakes require a knuckle transplant from the SRT8. Changing the front alone is not a smart move, since the brake torque of the SRT8 parts is substantially greater than the original front brakes and will result in heavy front bias and lengthened stopping distance. You really need front and rear to make this work. To install SRT8 rear brakes on the 300C (or 300 Touring) you will need to swap in the rear SRT8 knuckles. Since this will lower the car, you should probably also swap in the front knuckles.

The owner of our SRT8 SEMA project car is planning to sell his Brembo brakes and his original shocks and springs. All of these parts have virtually zero miles on them. Heck, the car still has less than 80 miles on it! It was driven just enough to be dyno tested, moved from the parking lot to the show floor at SEMA, and then the bulk of the remaining miles were put on during a photo shoot for the cover of next month's SuperRod Magazine in the Painted Desert.

If anyone is planning to upgrade brakes and suspension on their 300C, this would be a very cost effective way to do it. I know he'll be selling the brakes for $2000 and the springs and shocks for just $350. Moton and H&R made a complete custom suspension for this car, so the original parts are in boxes. When I get back from Christmas vacation next week, I'll put them up for sale in the Parts for Sale forum.

[DZeckhausen]

Originally Posted by DZeckhausen

The owner of our SRT8 SEMA project car is planning to sell his Brembo brakes and his original shocks and springs. All of these parts have virtually zero miles on them. Heck, the car still has less than 80 miles on it! It was driven just enough to be dyno tested, moved from the parking lot to the show floor at SEMA, and then the bulk of the remaining miles were put on during a photo shoot for the cover of next month's SuperRod Magazine in the Painted Desert.

If anyone is planning to upgrade brakes and suspension on their 300C, this would be a very cost effective way to do it. I know he'll be selling the brakes for $2000 and the springs and shocks for just $350. Moton and H&R made a complete custom suspension for this car, so the original parts are in boxes. When I get back from Christmas vacation next week, I'll put them up for sale in the Parts for Sale forum.

I did not yet get around to putting his factory Brembo brakes up for sale yet. But his 20" factory wheels just arrived here and I've put them up in the for sale forum: http://www.300cforums.com/forums/buy...iles-them.html

I'll probably find some time today to put the brakes up for sale as well. Remember, to install the SRT8 brakes on an "ordinary" 300C, Charger, or Magnum you will need to install rear SRT8 knuckles first.

[Black "C"]

Originally Posted by DZeckhausen

The issue is that the KNUCKLES on the SRT-8 are different than the knuckles on the regular 300C. That means the brake mounting location is physically different between the two cars. Thus it is possible that you can't bolt the SRT-8 brakes onto a 300C regardless of what wheels you use.

It's the same with many other models. The BMW M3 uses different knuckles than the rest of the BMW 3-Series models. You cannot bolt M3 brakes onto any other 3-Series model. However, you CAN bolt the 330i brakes onto a 323i, since the 323i and 330i share the same knuckles. The M3 knuckles are unique to that model.

See with BMW and generally cars that use aftermarket companies for brakes have custom brackets made to fit the calipers. The companies provide the dimensions of the knuckles, and the caliper mounts and its up to the brake engineers to make it fit.
The SRT8 brakes WILL fit, with the proper brackets that a lot of fab shops will make for you.
However,
You have to ask yourself is it cost efficient to do it? The brakes, the larger rotors (one piece mind you) and the bigger wheels and tires and for what?
Generally slightly better braking then the stock 300C.

My suggestion, and what i know works wonders is this.

2 piece floating rotor (2 piece rotors reduce the rotational mass by about 8lbs) put this on each corner and that's over 30lbs shaved off the cars weight.
A wilwood kit will cost you cheaper, but you also might have to invest some time with their staff to get the correct fitment for your cars.
I don't think they have a Chrysler 300 kit.
But their kits are just as efficient as StopTech, and better then the stock Brembo set up on the SRT8. This i know from experience.

[rander]

I swapped to SRT brembo's. I basically swapped out the front and back knuckles, shock and springs, hubs and calipers. $2700 bucks. I got them from clevelandpickapart.com

they specialize in late model used parts.