You are a shining example of the opposite of "What do I need to make these 56 pot McLaren P1 calipers fit my Ed30?" type stuff that seems to be the culture these days
I have yet to find a requirement to move away from the standard brakes. I don't do track days, because it's a road car.....I'll buy a Caterham when I do track days
I think most folk who feel the standard brakes are inadequate for road use....
...are driving way too fast on public roads and / or leaving the braking way too late.
...have f'cked rear calipers.
...have a vacuum pump seal leak.
...have crap pads.
...have worn dampers.
...etc.
Seriously, I have braked from some pretty silly speeds I'm not proud of and the standard brakes were absolutely fine. Bigger brakes improve the initial bite because of the torque leverage and bigger pad area, but you cannot deploy more stopping force to the tarmac than the tyres are capable of. Standard brakes can lock the tyres just as easily as massive brakes. The only difference is pedal effort. I'd rather save my money and push the pedal harder
At high enough speeds the OEM brakes can't lock the tyres, even if you stomp the brakes as hard as you can. But for road use only the R32 and 7R brakes are plenty enough. If you want a lighter setup the NQSBBK should be the best option.
Just the track use requires a bigger and better setup.
Exactly. You cannot deny that big brakes offer better braking and shorter shopping distances.
If you are locking your wheels us with 312mm discs then you need better tyres.
Yep, very true. The key words there being "high enough road speeds", where the stock brakes can't shift enough heat. I'm not disputing bigger brakes aren't needed on track days and I agree they look cool and can work brilliantly if sized correctly, but in the context of road driving - if people are over cooking standard brakes, I think it's more a question of driving style than a braking deficiency and it's only a matter of time before they come a cropper. If people push the limit with standard brakes, they will push even harder with uprated brakes, and the consequences will be even worse. That's why insurers bump up the premium for bigger brakes.
There isn't much significantly better than the PS4 at the moment. Doesn't matter how grippy the rubber is, 225 section is 225 section. For example, you will never get 911 GT3RS stopping power from bolting 911 GT3RS brakes onto a Golf. The 911's chassis was built to deploy that stopping power, the Golf's wasn't. And that's the issue I have with bolting on random disc / caliper combinations from various makes of car because it can often give patchy results.
I've had AP Racing kits in the past and I do like silly powerful brakes, but I wouldn't spend that kind of money again on a road car because I don't think the cost / benefit ratio stacks up on the road, unless you get a hard on from braking as late as possible of course. Something cheaper like the MK7/340mm setup makes better sense for a road car.