Harrop Monster vs ultimate brake package

[Dijm8]

hey guys,
so i got a quote from harrop earlier for both of the brake packages, monster (5k) and ultimate (6500k)

so my question is, is it worth an extra 1500 etc to get the ultimates over the monster

whos got them (either) and how do they feel?

brakes is the last thing i need on my list as everything else on the driveline is done so ill be getting them soon

car is only a weekender and hoping to get some track time aswell

Thanks
Dan

[jaykay]

Try Race Brakes in Sydney....

[amckiwi]

Whichever way you go factor in some braided lines and better fluid as well.

I went with the Ultimates did not even consider the monsters.

Harrop I think have a new monoblock brake setup coming that may be better again.

The ultimates were the biggest brakes i could fit under the SSV wheels

I love the brakes but occassionaly get a loud squeel from them at low speeds <30kmph within about 2k's form home it seems to go away and is only intermitent.

Harrop had a 10% of sale when I got mine but they do not seem to do it often.

PBR also do a setup which comes in between monster & ultimate but after waiting over a year for them I found they do not fit the SSV wheels.

Ultimalte may be overkill for a road car but if it pulls me up once in shorter distance then they have paid for themselves

Stu

[macca33]

I personally believe braided hoses are a bit of a placebo, but they look real flash: :goodjob: Good fluid is a no-brainer.

To the OP - either package will provide you with retina-detaching stopping power, with the Ultimates, well, being the ultimate from Harrop (requires a 19" wheel), so it will come down to wallet size and aesthetics in the end.

cheers

[GKW]

I put the Monsters on a while back and they work real well. Haven't had the chance to compare to the 6 pot Ultimate set-up, but as the car won't be getting flogged around the track, the 4 pot front and rear is find for street use and the odd outing on the track from my experience to date.

No noise either from mine, but I do have softer performance pads which may aid in any noise reduction.

[feistl]

My only advice would be to firstly check what pads/after market rotors are available for each set. One of the bigger problems with Harrop and PBR sets is their is fairly limited pad choice, and what is available is fairly expensive to due to (relatively) low numbers being sold.

I ended up going the AP Racing brakes becuase there are a LOT of after market pad choices out there are were cheaper than the harrop alternatives (this was for VT-VZ 6 piston setups approx 12 months ago). Because AP Racing is standard equipment on so many cars the number of after market parts for sale is large and the bulk number means the price is good.

Also, if you do get into track work you want the smallest wheel size possible, so ideally 18" wheels. Once you go bigger the wheels get heavy (killing performance) and teh rubber gets super expensive.

Rule of thumb is, go the smallest wheel that will clear your brakes. If the brakes are needlessly large, you'll need a large wheel.

Finally (i made a lot more points that i thought when i started writing) is to have a look in the for sale section for one of the Alcon kits. They are much better than the Harrop/AP/PBR alternatives just usually way more expensive. PWRs recent deal means you can pick them up for a brilliant price.

Cheers

[stockergts]

Don't know where you where going for the harrop pads but you can get them in any compound you want the pads is a Audi pad and also Porsche if you want machine the thickness down by 4mm

I would go the performance or pbr m series the monster is the same as the performance bar for the two piece setup

Braided line are a good investment if you push the car if you don't you won't get the fluid hot enough to be able to get the lines hot to expand

[Dijm8]

thanks for the feedback guys, budget would be no more then 7k thats pushing it already as i need funds for other sections for the car, i think anything would pull allot better then the stock 1's on it now, they are so bad, i might go check out the AP and Alcons too,

ive got 19" ssv's on which would be ok for the ultimate's

[white lie]

Do you run a 19" track tyre?

No point going to a massive sized brake combo if the tyres can't pull you up.
I've got the stock 362mm 6 spot/343mm 4 spot APs and they're more than enough for any decent street tyre!

[bluedivide]

I've got the Harrop Ultimate setup on my VZ Senator with braided lines and after the stock HSV (2 piston front) I can definitely say that for track work the Harrops are worth it.

On the street its another matter, the stock brakes were more than capable.

I should mention that the Ultimates (383mm fr) fit with 18" rims as I recently put a set of Koya Bathursts on to replace the stock 19s and the Koyas fit over the calipers with no dramas.

In the end it will come down to what best suits your budget as anything from the main manufacturers (aftermarket) with 6/4 piston fr and 4 piston rear is going to beat the OEM brakes hands down.

[ova400]

I've got the Harrop Ultimate setup on my VZ Senator with braided lines and after the stock HSV (2 piston front) I can definitely say that for track work the Harrops are worth it.

On the street its another matter, the stock brakes were more than capable.

I should mention that the Ultimates (383mm fr) fit with 18" rims as I recently put a set of Koya Bathursts on to replace the stock 19s and the Koyas fit over the calipers with no dramas.

In the end it will come down to what best suits your budget as anything from the main manufacturers (aftermarket) with 6/4 piston fr and 4 piston rear is going to beat the OEM brakes hands down.

Just a note to others, the Koya wheels are a wheel set designed to clear big brakes, so most 18's will not fit. But good to know they fit as they are relatively cheap wheel that can fit brakes that size.

[Dijm8]

tyres dont bother me, ive got 2k tyres on my 19's now and ther amazing and i dont see track tyres semi slicks being much more then that if that much at all..

i sent off a email to race brakes sydney for a few quotes aswell to give me an idea on some other brands

[feistl]

tyres dont bother me, ive got 2k tyres on my 19's now and ther amazing and i dont see track tyres semi slicks being much more then that if that much at all..

:lmao:

Ive got $1800 18" road tyres on my car for normal driving, and ive got a set of $1600 semi slicks for track use. I would say the semis give probably 50% more grip (thats a conservative estimate as well) and wear at a much slower rate.

Road tyres on the track just dont work (unless your only doing hill climbs).

I felt sorry for a guy who took his brand new RE001s out at sandown a few months back and completely wore them out in a single day.

Track Work = Second set of rims with semi slicks.

Only time you can get away with street tyres is if the rest of the car is crap (EG standard brakes, suspension) and thats the limiting factor. The second you modify the car you need to change rubber.

Oh and as mentioned earlier, the smaller the wheel the better for track use. Big wheels are heavy and offer less grip (due to less flex in the side wall) and cost a shit load more. Hence finding a light weight small wheel to clear your brakes is important.

Cheers

EDIT - Just reread what you posted... Do you mean your going to use your road tyres on the track becuase their good enough or that you can get track tyres for the same price so that doesnt worry you. Could be taken in 2 ways...

[kriminal]

thanks for the feedback guys, budget would be no more then 7k thats pushing it already as i need funds for other sections for the car, i think anything would pull allot better then the stock 1's on it now, they are so bad, i might go check out the AP and Alcons too,

ive got 19" ssv's on which would be ok for the ultimate's

7k should get u a set of new ap racing 6\4 pot.
I just got a set installed in my car VY SS but havent taken it out on the track yet, havent tested the brakes yet either but just normal driving MASSIVE difference.
The big limiting factor will be ur tyres once they are installed.

an fyi the VY SS 18's will clear the AP racing 6 pot brakes with no issues... its a tight fit but theres a bit of space between the caliper and rim.

And if ur tracking it def get a set of semi's. As Feistl said its 50% more grip, i would prob say more then 50%, a lot more. Its hard to describe, just imagine ur car turning in like a go kart.

[Dijm8]

no no would never use my roadies for the track ther awesome for the road but for the track...nope lol

hmm now you guys got me thinking again... specially about the grip for track days etc, i wonder if they would let you mix the packages up



:lmao:

Ive got $1800 18" road tyres on my car for normal driving, and ive got a set of $1600 semi slicks for track use. I would say the semis give probably 50% more grip (thats a conservative estimate as well) and wear at a much slower rate.

Road tyres on the track just dont work (unless your only doing hill climbs).

I felt sorry for a guy who took his brand new RE001s out at sandown a few months back and completely wore them out in a single day.

Track Work = Second set of rims with semi slicks.

Only time you can get away with street tyres is if the rest of the car is crap (EG standard brakes, suspension) and thats the limiting factor. The second you modify the car you need to change rubber.

Oh and as mentioned earlier, the smaller the wheel the better for track use. Big wheels are heavy and offer less grip (due to less flex in the side wall) and cost a shit load more. Hence finding a light weight small wheel to clear your brakes is important.

Cheers

EDIT - Just reread what you posted... Do you mean your going to use your road tyres on the track becuase their good enough or that you can get track tyres for the same price so that doesnt worry you. Could be taken in 2 ways...

[feistl]

no no would never use my roadies for the track ther awesome for the road but for the track...nope lol

hmm now you guys got me thinking again... specially about the grip for track days etc, i wonder if they would let you mix the packages up

Yep cool. Sorry at first i thought you meant you had decent road tyres which would be great for the track (Like the WRX driver who killed his set of RE001s).

Definitely get a second set of semi slicks for track use.

Is the car a VZ or a VE?

If VZ, as kriminal pointed out a set of VY 18s will fit over the AP 6 piston stuff, meaning track rubber is cheap. If you have to run 19s it'll be more expensive and you'll be slower.


Don't know where you where going for the harrop pads but you can get them in any compound you want the pads is a Audi pad and also Porsche if you want machine the thickness down by 4mm


Matt at Race Brakes in Sydney.

That was kinda my point though, you need to machine the thickness down to get them to fit. This makes it more complicated and expensive.

Whereas the pads for the AP racing are designed specifically for that caliper (as that caliper is used on a lot of different cars around the world). PBR were the worst for pad choice though, as its was pretty much PBR and Hawk pads...

As i said, that may have changed in the last 12 months though.

[Dijm8]

yeh i got a vz, just waiting on some prices from a few suppliers at the moment

good to know about the vy's fitting the AP stuff