[jeremyfrost]

I'm still undecided as to whether to stick to my standard wheels or to fit bigger ones and hence larger brakes.

If I go for the big brake option, any ideas which wheels will allow for 4 pot calipers? I am tempted to go down the Godspeed route as they come out a lot cheaper than Abbott. I think I would sooner retain 17" wheels as they are likely to give a better ride/handling balance than 18's. So, recommendations for makes and places to source them from for a competative price would be more than welcomed.

 

[jeremyfrost]

Oh, does anyone who speaks Sweedish know if Speedparts do brake kits for 9000's?

 

[billj]

Originally posted by JezF:
[qb]I am tempted to go down the Godspeed route as they come out a lot cheaper than Abbott.[/qb][/b]

The AP brakes cost around £1400 from most other places compared to £1600 from Abbott (I think these prices are all excluding VAT).

I have a set of 17" wheels that came from a car (Bubbles) that has AP brakes. They are no longer available, but Mark E has a newer set of 17" wheels on Bubbles now, still with the AP brakes.

I'm also still interested in the Godspeed upgrades due to both lower purchase price and lower running costs.

 

[jeremyfrost]

I wonder if the Godspeed prices are vatable? If not, they are a hell of a lot cheaper than Abbott. There are also Brembo sets for a very reasonable price. Bill, I will be most interested to see what you end up with as I will probably go to Abbott for the LSD first.

 

[jeremyfrost]

Oh, looks like Godspeed are £1300 for the AP calipers with their disks. Very good if they don't charge VAT.

 

[aeropilot]

I see Godspeed are offering 'new' Brembo Red caliper kits.....hmmnnnn......I wonder if these are those Ferrari 355 calipers that Ylee was letting them know about....

Jez, I believe the 17" make of wheel that the AP will fit in are the Rimstock Team Dynamics ones, Bubbles I believe (Mark...??) wears the RVR11 wheels available in 7"x17" and 7.5"x17". There are several styles available for the 9000 in 17", but I don't know if they will all allow the AP fittment, Trent's maybe able to advise on this as they deal with Rimstock.
Have to say at only 8kg the ProRace1 wheels in 7x17 are my favourite's of those available for the 9000, but I don't know if the 4-pots will fit..??

http://www.rimstock.co.uk/rimstockframeset.htm

 

[mark e]

Yup, Graham, you're right. Bubbles wears RVR11 7x17.

I bought them from Wheelmania - I think they're the only UK outlet for that particular model.

From a quick look, I would say that it's likely that most of the other models can squeeze 330mm/4pots in, but the guys at Rimstock are quite helpful and I'm sure would be able to supply you with the internal dimensions of the wheels. When I get Bubbles back in a couple of weeks I can then measure the clearance on the RVRIIs so there'll be something to go by...

 

[jeremyfrost]

Mark,

Out of interest, how much did you pay for these wheels? The site only shows a package price of a very fair £640, but I wonder what tyre that is for and whether VAT is added to that price? They do look rather nice - I wonder why the Rimstock site says that they are for export only?

Rimstock's site also shows which wheels will fit on a 9000. In 17", it suggests that you can fit Monza, Motorsport, RVR11, Mirage and Pro Race.

Mmm, this warrants further investigation.

 

[jeremyfrost]

Flippin' blink - they're as cheap as chips! £110 each at present or £700 with Avon ZZ3's and a tenner postage! Anyone using these Avons? That means £260 for the tyres. However, I can get tyres at trade if I want to go for different ones.

So, if I go for these & Godspeed brakes, that means I've got new wheels, tyres and brakes for less than the cost of AP calipers from Abbott.

Where my chequebook!

 

[Alex_S]

The Brembo calipers could be the ones used as an option on the Seat Leon Cupra R. Theres a guy just North of Bristol who is using these in a kit for various VWs and the calipers cost around £90 each.

A friend has just fitted them to his Golf Rallye.

 

[mark e]

From memory, Jez, the wheels were about £450 for the set!!

ISTR I was originally quoted £550, but when they turned up, the bill said £450. I wasn't going to argue...

 

[jeremyfrost]

They did say that they were on special at present. Hell of a different between the price of these and Abbott's Kahns or Azevs. I assume that they are as good?

The Brembo sets seem pretty keenly priced at Godspeed. I wonder what the performance difference is between the standards kits, the Brembo's and the AP's as the prices differ quite a bit? With Godspeed, I do rather like the idea of an ali bell and a replacable disk. One of the Lotus tuning companies makes such a disk set (using the standard calipers), but they cost over £500!!!

 

[mark e]

Originally posted by JezF:
[qb]They did say that they were on special at present. Hell of a different between the price of these and Abbott's Kahns or Azevs. I assume that they are as good?
[/qb][/b]

IMO, no.
Whilst the quality of finish is OK, it's not in the same league as Kahns or Azevs. I would also say they're probably not as strong- but that is as much down to the style of the design as anything else. The Kahns and Azevs just look a more substantial wheel- and I reckon the Kahn equivalent of the RVRII is on inspection. But you pays your money, you takes your choice... and you might well say who's really going to notice the difference in finish under a light coating of brake dust anyway...

 

[billj]

Originally posted by Mark E:
[qb]and you might well say who's really going to notice the difference in finish under a light coating of brake dust anyway... [/qb][/b]

A light coating? Mine go straight from (relatively) clean to black in the space of a short drive

 

[jeremyfrost]

By the way, what size of tyres are people running on their 17" wheels?

 

[mark e]

Optimum size of tyre for 9000s on 17" rims is generally accepted as 215/45. You won't get any problems with rubbing. 225 can be borderline depending on how far you lower the car and offset etc.

 

[mark e]

Originally posted by BillJ:
[qb]A light coating? Mine go straight from (relatively) clean to black in the space of a short drive  

 [/qb][/b]

I don't have that problem... do you use your brakes more than me?

 

[aeropilot]

The Kahn's are [expletive deleted] in terms of strength, don't know about the AZEV's. Kahn wheels are designed for posers and are about looks not strength or anything like that. Kahn admit as such on their website. They are very soft.....not great if you knock them......

For strength you've got to look at the motorsport oreintated manufactures such as Speedline, OZ, etc.,etc.....

IMHO I think the Rimstock wheels are damn good value, especially as you can fit 4-pot kit within the 17" size, as long as you don't expect them to perform like a £1000+ set of Speedline's etc., you can't go wrong.....

 

[jeremyfrost]

Considering that I was thinking of replacing my Super Aeros with the same for a very reasonable £425 from Neo Brothers, £410 for larger, nicer looking wheels is a very good price.

As per my previous posting, in some ways, I'd prefer to keep my stock wheels. But, with improved handling and the facility to fit larger brakes in the future, I have pretty much decided where my money is to be spent.

 

[mark e]

I think Graham has summed it up about right. I've already bent one of my RVRs on a severe change in road surface level (no comeback tho, there was a "ramp" sign

).

They are however very good value; indeed it was buying the original 17" Rimstocks from Trent at £300 plus VAT that enabled me to afford the APs...