Which brand?

[Mach Par]

I've never had the pleasure of doing a drum to disc conversion before. I've always heard great things about Baer, Wilwood, SSBC, etc etc but which one has the best build quality for the money? I'd like them to fit inside of 17" wheels.

[MCB Matt]

We offer Baer, Wilwood and SSBC...

It really comes down to what look you are after...

We sell FAR more Baer than anything, mainly because the new T4 is an incredible value for the $$$$

Let me know what brand you like the best and i can help you choose the best kit to fit your budget and wheels....

Matt

[ProdigyCustoms]

One of the super cool things about having one of the highest volume Pro Touring shops in the country and also a parts business is being able to install and first hand test the products we sell. The shop is a virtual test facility for products and we find stuff we love and find stuff we hate. And if don't love it, we don't sell it! Installing what we sell, we get to go through the installation process, find out how easy or difficult a product is to install, we get to go through the instructions, we get to go through problem solving with the vendor if there is a issue, we get to drive and feel the product. As part of my job, I get to go out and TRY to break something before the customer receives the car.

I say this because I can honestly say we have installed every big brand of brakes for old muscle cars I can think of. We have installed Baer, Brembo, Stoptech, SSBC, Wilwood, factory C4, C5. C6 and factory based 11" brake kits.

We sell, Baer, Brembo, Stoptech, Wilwood, and factory Corvette brakes as well as factory based 11" kits. There is a name or two conspicuous by their absence, and that is by our choice. It means we had a problem with the system or the service and we will not install them, so we will not sell them.

With that said, either Baer or Wilwood have kits for your car and both will work excellent. I consider them true equals in quality and service, and would run either on my own personal car. For 17" wheel applications the 12.19 Wilwood kits fill the wheel nicely, work awesome and won't break the bank. As we speak I am installing the 6 piston version of this kit on my personal Street Racer pictured below (the black car with the flames) and yes I had a choice and bought these. I like them because they are light and look fantastic, and BTW they stop great too. I am running these manual.

The Baer T4 is a great option also and is about the same price as the Wilwood kit but you have to make sure you have a high pad wheels to clear the calipers. Baer has some smaller kits also that will fit and clear lower pad wheels like cast TT2s and the likes.

As for selling what we install, I think it is critical to deal with someone that has multiple products, multiple personal experiences and can recommend the product that is best for you.

To back up the sell what we install, I snapped a quick live action shot of the shop at the end of the day today. there are 5 projects and 3 brake brands in various sizes represented, and this does not include the other 13 cars not in the picture!

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Shop is messy, everyone ran out in a hurry tonight, but there are 5 cars in this building.

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This is my personal Street Racer i built with the kids 14 years ago running through the shop for a little freshen up. Yes, those are one off drag skinny Forgelines! What can I say!

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As we speak I am installing (6) piston 12.19 front and (4) piston 12.19 rear

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We just bleed this 14" (6) pistons / 14" (4) piston Superlite set up on this gorgeous black 69 we are just about finish with.

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Michael installed these StopTechs on Victors bad ass LS7 powered Ferrari Red 69 last week

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This Firebird has a Baer track kit we installed, 13" front and 12" rear

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Rolf's 69 has 14" front and Rear Wilwood Superlites, Rolf's car is going to be nucking futs!

[DriverzInc]

Oh wow and here we go....

[6'9"Witha69]

Do you prefer Blondes, Brnettes or red heads. It is really a matter of taste/preference more than anything.

[67 ls1 vert]

Do you prefer Blondes, Brnettes or red heads..
What if you like them all? LOL

[Mach Par]

What if you like them all? LOL

Nothing wrong with that!

[formula]

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif
This is my personal Street Racer i built with the kids 14 years ago running through the shop for a little freshen up. Yes, those are one off drag skinny Forgelines! What can I say!

This man has a fever. The only prescription is more forgelines.

To further the blonde/brunette/redhead analogy...unless you're going to ride them REALLY hard, you won't regret any of the big brake names. If you're planning to go pro, you're probably going to end up with a blonde/brembo. I prefer redheads/wilwoods myself, they work great for the run-of-the-mill daily grind but can take everything you can give them if you decide it's time to go balls-out. Then again, I have always wanted to take some twin brunette/baers out and give them a good workout. The choice is yours!

[ProdigyCustoms]

This man has a fever. The only prescription is more forgelines.


Well, being the Forgeline guy, kinda had to do it, LOL! I have 345 / 30 / 18s on 12s for the rear, going to look crazy! I also have 15" slicks on Billet Specialties Streetlites for SERIOUS grudge racing. But I am making the car more civilized and faster at the same time, if that seems possible. I added a custom March Style Track, Vintage Air Gen IV A/C (I will be sitting in the A/C in the staging lanes), one of our aluminum core supports with the double throw down 16" fans, the monster oil coolers, Covans Dash, some killer gauges, A sound system, MUFFLERS that hopefully quite it down, and 500HP MORE NX nitrous. I am making it another rolling billboard for our products.

The brakes on my Street Racer are the same Wilwoods as we put on your Formula. At 150MPH out the back door and no parachute, I need them.

[formula]

Well, being the Forgeline guy, kinda had to do it, LOL! I have 345 / 30 / 18s on 12s for the rear, going to look crazy! I also have 15" slicks on Billet Specialties Streetlites for SERIOUS grudge racing. But I am making the car more civilized and faster at the same time, if that seems possible. I added a custom March Style Track, Vintage Air Gen IV A/C (I will be sitting in the A/C in the staging lanes), one of our aluminum core supports with the double throw down 16" fans, the monster oil coolers, Covans Dash, some killer gauges, A sound system, MUFFLERS that hopefully quite it down, and 500HP MORE NX nitrous. I am making it another rolling billboard for our products.

The brakes on my Street Racer are the same Wilwoods as we put on your Formula. At 150MPH out the back door and no parachute, I need them.

You oughta type up a build thread, man. Nice to see that old dragger get a new lease on life!

I'll be interested to hear your opinions on how they feel with a manual pedal. I know it's a little bit of apples to oranges, but at the end of the day they're all fruit, at least.

[ProdigyCustoms]

I already know, have done literally dozens in the shop. Back in Black has the same brake with manual master, talk to Will about them.

[killer67]

Matt's Classic Bowties is great to deal with - knowledgeable, good service and prices, and speedy! All listed brakes are good - pick what's in your budget and you won;t go wrong. My .02

[67 ls1 vert]

Frank is a great guy to deal with too. Know his products well from trial and error. I like how he tests his products first before he sells them. That's really important in my book. Knowing that you are getting a tested product. That's my .01 cent

[Greg from Aus]

Like others have said its all about likes and dislikes, I am sure they would all be great, Just be sure you get Tech information, not what some wants to sell just because they can make a profit from you.
I like to no that when I ask a question, the information I receive is from experience, not a sales brochure.

Greg

[Ilovemycamaro]

I was struggling with my disc brake decision and was reading so many ads I did not know what to believe. I decided I did not want to talk to any more manufactures because each one said their product was the best. I was hoping for references from installers or owners and the only dealer I could find that could provide a reference was Prodigy. Buying these brakes was a real big purchase for me and I called him many times and he could answer every question. So I bought a set of right stuff brakes and they have been great. Price was important. Frank builds these cars and he was able to talk to me and that was the most important thing to me. So I buy everything I can from him now.

[MCB Matt]

What other dealers did you contact? There are MANY good suppliers out there with the knowledge to sell disc brakes....We are Right Stuff's #1 USA dealer, we know their product as well as MANY other brands, we have been in the parts distribution business for almost 10 years, its what we do and we do it well, 99.7% of our customers are happy with the way we do biz, we are a FULL time distributor. There are 3 kinda of shops....parts distribution, builders and both in one. VERY few are able to do BOTH well....in my opinion DSE is at the top of the game for doing both but they are run as 2 totally diff shops.

With the volume we do and all the brands we carry we could never build cars and maintain the level of service we do as it now takes me 5 full time emp. Just to deal with logistics in distribution!

To each his own as they say!

We work with tons of builders very closly and we get feedback multiple times a day on what works, what dosen't and what fits...we have done lots of ground up builds with shop and end users too as well sell everything bumper to bumper for most muscle cars and have been since i was 20yrs old. My late father ran a very sucessful contracting business and i learned a LOT about ethics and how the customer should be treated, he was very well respected in his field and Kim and I have made SURE we do the same!

Kim and I have worked VERY hard to get to the top of the small business distribution business as we have. We are dedicated to what we do and maintain VERY good status with all the manufactures and constantly get refferals from them because of it!

Matt

[Mach Par]

What other dealers did you contact? There are MANY good suppliers out there with the knowledge to sell disc brakes....We are Right Stuff's #1 USA dealer, we know their product as well. I just makes me laugh, the perception some people have on the forums!

Matt

I like to collect the info from all sources and then make my purchase based on price, help and customer service. I haven't talked to a sponsor on here yet that isn't polite. Of course, free parts will definitely ensure my future business. Hint hint. :cheers: :D

Ben

[67 ls1 vert]

One thing that I noticed about you Matt is that you never converse with any of the members in here. The only reason you are on this board is to list your parts. Sometimes it helps to get online so the people get to know WHO you are. Not just a sales man on the net. :idea:

I think that's why people like to use some of the vendors on here more than others, because they get to know that person. :cheers:

[Ilovemycamaro]

What other dealers did you contact? There are MANY good suppliers out there with the knowledge to sell disc brakes....We are Right Stuff's #1 USA dealer, we know their product as well. I just makes me laugh, the perception some people have on the forums!

Matt

Wow, almost sounds like you mad because your the #1 USA dealer like it is your god given right to the sale. I never even heard of you. I see you just joined up, great impression.

Here is my original post I refer to, your name did not come up.

https://www.pro-touring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=66809

[MCB Matt]

We have been around a long time, its not like i am claiming the right to the sale.....my point is just that there are several of us out there selling them SAME parts...search our name on camaros.net or chevelles.com, we have been on there awhile..we market is several way, forums are just not something we have done it the past.. we have worked long and hard for what we have and where we are.....

[Mach Par]

Wow, almost sounds like you mad because your the #1 USA dealer like it is your god given right to the sale. I never even heard of you. I see you just joined up, great impression.

Here is my original post I refer to, your name did not come up.

https://www.pro-touring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=66809

Please don't be clogging up my thread peoples.

[MCB Matt]

The time involved in being a sponsor on 7 forums is intense, plus we have a retail store, retail website and sell on ebay.....add to that a great family and 2 small kids there is only so much time in a day. The forums are a marketing tool for most retailers, almost every post from OTHER sellers involves a sales plug....just go back and take a look....

For the buyers or end users on here its a wealth of info and a place to meet other guys in the hobby as well as find deals on parts!

This business involves a ton of politics, all the things that go on and are said behind the scenes it what frustrates me the most. I will NOT comment on what is said i am just trying to explain my position after LIVING the parts distribution life for so long now.

Matt

[MCB Matt]

67 ls1 vert....I have only been a sponsor on here 2 weeks....when time permits I will contribute what I can but since we market in so many ways I have to dedicate my time where I can.

Sometimes it's a little difficult after work (as all the parents know) as I have two little ones that need my and Kims' attention.

NOTHING is more important than them, I only get to see them grow up once and I lost my dad when I was 29 and I am thankful for him raising me the way he did, and making me the man I am today. I want to make sure I do the same or more for my kids, they are amazing!

Matt

MachPar : With this I'm stepping out of this thread as its' lost it's original focus. I'd love to discuss your project goals either through PM or give me a call, I'm in the office right now! Almost all of the big brand brakes will work for you, we'll just have to determine your specific needs and project goals. Sorry for the thread hijack, but I've got a lot of experience in this field and sometimes I get a little excited!

[Ron.in.SoCal]

Matt - Fernando (Killer 67) says you're a good guy and that's good enough for me, but you said:

With the volume we do and all the brands we carry we could never build cars and maintain the level of service we do as it now takes me 5 full time emp. Just to deal with logistics in distribution!

My response - you're kidding, right?

You said -
The time involved in being a sponsor on 7 forums is intense, plus we have a retail store, retail website and sell on ebay.....add to that a great family and 2 small kids there is only so much time in a day. The forums are a marketing tool for most retailers, almost every post from OTHER sellers involves a sales plug....just go back and take a look....

You cold not be more wrong. I could go back and post 50 responses from Frank where he gave suggestions w no sales plug.

You said -
Sometimes it's a little difficult after work (as all the parents know) as I have two little ones that need my and Kims' attention.

NOTHING is more important than them, I only get to see them grow up once and I lost my dad when I was 29 and I am thankful for him raising me the way he did, and making me the man I am today. I want to make sure I do the same or more for my kids, they are amazing!

See, Fernando was right.

Here's the deal Matt. This site and Lat-G are member supported forums. The symbiotic relationship that exists between members and vendors works real well when tech questions get answered by guys that have real world installation experience and no other fully transparant motive.

Nothing wrong with being a distriburtor only because you add value in the form of good deals, but you have been called out for reccomending bad tech (2" drop spindles). You have hawked every thread you have posted in trying to make a sale. You have dumped tons of ads with no value add, ever. My personal experience with your firm was off an eBay ad and the guy that answered the phone didnt know the difference between a 6P and a 6S. Needless to say, I took my business elsewhere.

Here's my advice. Become a real member of the sites you where you post. Ask questions, provide real world experience where failures have occured. Don't try to sell something in every single response. Run limited ads in the vendor section and don't make them look like eBay. Don't cut and paste an ad on Lat-G proclaiming your vendor status on Pro-T (that's just stoop-id). Continue providing the good customer service that guys like Fernando have experienced. Don't look at us as patsys w $$$. Guys here are pretty smart (smarter than me) and will call you out or see you for what you appear to be. BE the guy people want to talk to. Do that, and I'd consider you for my future purchase.

My .02

[MCB Matt]

We do maintain a VERY high level of customer satisfaction and YES we do need 5 full time people to handle our volume, if I was to brag like others on here about how much I sell you would quickly realize we are near the top in sales for many brands we sell but thats not me, I am not going there! Like I said before we sell in many markets and many diff. products. If you haven't done it you can't possibly know what it takes.

We have a full time web guy, full time warehouse guy and Kim, myself and Melissa on the phones, getting tracking numbers, dealing with day to day tasks of running a business like we do. As for you talking to someone here who wasn't aware of the diff. on the Baer calipers you may have talked to someone here who's job it is NOT to need to know the diff. thats why Kim and I are the key sales staff. I have sold many parts to many members on all the forums, its what we do, we sell parts. We know how long it will take to get them, who to talk to with the manufactures to get things done, ect.... There is a lot to it. Believe it or not there are LOTS of people out there who know what they want and just want good service, someone to answer the phone everytime they call ect.

We do NOT recommend DROP SPINDLES, I have talked hundreds of customers out of them but sometimes people what them or need them....There are thousands of drop spindles sold everyday. I personally don't like them but not everyone cares about geometry, auto-x, ect..They just want and easy install and know they will get an exact 2" drop.

Matt

[Ron.in.SoCal]

We do maintain a VERY high level of customer satisfaction and YES we do need 5 full time people to handle our volume, if I was to brag like others on here about how much I sell you would quickly realize we are near the top in sales for many brands we sell but thats not me, I am not going there!

Sounds like you just did. I guess my post above didn't make sense to you.


We have a full time web guy, full time warehouse guy and Kim, myself and Melissa on the phones, getting tracking numbers, dealing with day to day tasks of running a business like we do. As for you talking to someone here who wasn't aware of the diff. on the Baer calipers you may have talked to someone here who's job it is NOT to need to know the diff. thats why Kim and I are the key sales staff. I have sold many parts to many members on all the forums, its what we do, we sell parts. We know how long it will take to get them, who to talk to with the manufactures to get things done, ect.... There is a lot to it. Believe it or not there are LOTS of people out there who know what they want and just want good service, someone to answer the phone everytime they call ect.

Whose fault was that? Why didn't he send me to you or Kim??



We do NOT recommend DROP SPINDLES, I have talked hundreds of customers out of them but sometimes people what them or need them....There are thousands of drop spindles sold everyday. I personally don't like them but not everyone cares about geometry, auto-x, ect..They just want and easy install and know they will get an exact 2" drop.

Matt

Uh-huh

https://www.pro-touring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=73062

[Mach Par]

Please don't be clogging up my thread peoples.

Mods, please close this thread.

[MCB Matt]

You kno what Flash, I have NO NEED to prove my compaines worth to you, this is insane. We can ALL type what we want all day long but when it comes to personal interaction its all diff.

I don't fully understand your involvment in this thread or the point you are trying to make?

I know what I do here for the hobby and the many happy customers I have and had had over the years. If you don't know anything about us you shouldn't be posting about US

Thanks for your comments

Matt

[MCB Matt]

March Par - AGREED, this is crazy!!

There is enough politics in life without a car hobby website contributing!

Matt

[JustinB]

Wow, this thread spun out of control. Mach Par, what 17" wheels are you running? Wheels are going to play a big part in which brake combo is going to fit.

[Mach Par]

Wow, this thread spun out of control. Mach Par, what 17" wheels are you running? Wheels are going to play a big part in which brake combo is going to fit.

Year One is supposed to be remaking the Rallye IIs in in 17" sometime soon so that's my first choice. If they don't do that soon I'll buy the wheels to fit the brakes. lol

[DriverzInc]

Marchpar, if your interested in the Rallye II, but need custom brake clearance, offsets, etc., check out NewGen's 500 wheel.