Is this a good price for Big Reds?

[Rick Lee]

I haven't researched this very much yet, but I've seen these things go for $3400 in catalogues, albeit for a set of all four with brake lines. Is $700 a good price and would they fit my '87 Carrera with (I think) stock Fuchs wheels? Thanks.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/ebayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1809040908&r=0&t=0

[Leland Pate]

Those $2000+ kits include 4 calipers, pads, rotors, and all required brackets.
I'd say $700 is about right (if not a little high) for a pair of front calipers only.

[JDaniel]

How about this ad... save 40%
http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=56881

[pbs911]

The front calipers are the cheep part of the project! The adapters to mount the calipers are about $200, hats are expensive and generally producer specific to a rotor. For the rear you will need to have the calpiers machined, about $400. You can also go with the S4 front caliper on the rear, but this needs to be machined also. As for the rear rotors, you can go with the 930 rear rotor, which bolts on. These are not inexpensive. Or you can go with a custom hat, hub, rotor combination, which are again desiner specific to a rotor. If you want a parking brake, be sure the rear kit offeres this. Some of the kits do not have provisions to utilize the parking brake.

The kits are not a bad price, but can be pieced together for a good price. I saw a set of four Big Reds, F&R, for $800. So I think you could find them for less.

For a Big Red upgrade, you pretty much have to bit the bullet. Whether you piece it together or buy a kit, it is expensive.

[Bill Verburg]

You do not want any old S4 caliper on the rear they came in 3 different flavors of piston sizes(not counting the 3 different 928 versions) all with proprortioning valves and ABS. The only one that is sort of OK for most applications is the very rare 993RS 30/36 rear version

[thabaer]

I paid Carlsen <$800 a few months ago for a pair of new 996tt fronts w/ pads. I hear they carry a bit more pad surface than the big reds, but can't remember where I saw a very comprehensive list of piston/swept data for just about every p-car.

[Rick Lee]

Thanks. I have many projects to complete before I start looking for ways to spend money. My current brakes are fine and someday I'll own a 993 with Big Reds. I was just wondering if it's an easy conversion and how expensive it can get.

[Bill Verburg]

The 996tt are a monobloc design and are physicaly smaller than the Big Red, there is a nice comparison pic on one of my brake pages. Their swept area is usually listed as larger than the Big Red because they are used on 330mm or larger rotors rather than the 322 mm 993tt rotors, I have never been able to get solid #s on the actual pad size of the 996tt monoblocs(Charlie, if you have the pads out for some reason I would love the lxwxh), I have seen them but didn't get the chance to measure them. From casual inspection the pads are nearly the same size.

Seems to me that the Big Reds are ~$6-700 a pair at the dealer, but my memory isn't what it once was.

As Paul pointed out the calipers are only a small part of a brake upgrade, I have put lots of info on my brake pages and am continuously updating.

[spinner]

Check out www.vehiclecraft.com for brake upgrade information.

[ChrisBennet]

Sorry if someone already answer this, but no, they will not fit inside your stock _911_ Fuchs. (They do fit inside 944 Turbo Fuchs with slight mods.)
Chris