AMR GT4 Brembo Brake Upgrade Review
 

Situation:

My stock brakes were finally on their last leg and needed replacing, so I took the opportunity to explore upgrades at TRG ( internet search: trg aston martin racing for their website) and decided on changing over to the Brembo Brakes used on the TRG AMR Vantage GT4.

Background:

I've been a long-time member on the Porsche side of this board and recently made the move to an Aston Martin Vantage. I've learned a lot about the car from many of you on this forum, so I wanted to contribute and give back by making a review of an upgrade I haven't yet read about here.

I'm a car enthusiast and like spirited driving on some local backroads and have casually attended HPDE's, a few trackdays, and a few autocrosses. I am not a track junkie and am learning more and more about how to properly drive fast and improve lap times. My 2007 Vantage 6-speed manual is primarily used for the street, and I want to add more performance upgrades so I can attend track days with the car but still keep some street driving comfort for the days my wife and I drive up to Napa wineries.

The parts and part numbers installed were:
Brembo Front Brake Rotors (bre-09a46411 LH Rotor, bre-09a46421 RH Rotor)
Brembo Rotor Hats (bre-xa91420)
Hardware and Rings (bre-05a46737 and bre-05877407)
Pagid RS Series Pads
Rear brake discs (OEM)


Assessment:

I just had the brakes installed last week, so these are very early driving impressions. In a word: AWESOME!

My stock brakes were squeaky, had a lot of pedal travel, shaking and vibration, and really did not inspire confidence while driving quickly. That has all changed now.

The GT4 brakes have amazing stopping power: approaching corners and coming to a stop is done with ease. They are clearly above and beyond what is needed for the street and outperform my worn out stock brakes in every way.

I didn't weigh the rotors pre/post installation, but they are clearly lighter and of higher quality material than the stock rotors.

There are some limitations: at low speeds and bumpy roads you will hear/feel rotor hardware "clicking". I personally don't mind it much, but it is present and may alarm passengers and others you let drive your car. I'm still bedding in the brakes, so there is some squeal when coming to a dead stop at low speeds. It will hopefully go away with time.

Another limitation is price. They are on the high end of cost after parts, labor, fluid change (over $4k).

Recommendation:
These are amazing brakes if you plan on going bananas at the track. If you're using them only for street driving, there are more cost effective options.

Overall, I am very happy with this brake upgrade and the excellent service provided by the team at The Racer's Group in Petaluma. Attached are a few pics of the brakes and their garage.

More pics

You're using the stock calipers? What is the diameter of those disks? Are they larger than the later Vantage's, at 370mm?

Yes, the new rotors fit the stock calipers. I was surprised to learn that too! Apparently the GT4 uses the same size calipers.

I'm not sure on the size. Some parts catalogs say 365mm but it isn't clear.

That's some serious hardware... I'm looking forward to your thoughts on the pads as you get some miles on them.

These front brake rotors are 365x32mm

OEM 4.3 & 47 (=>2008) Front rotors : 355mm
OEM 4.3 Rear rotors : 330 mm

OEM 4.7 Vantage S Front rotors : 380mm
OEM 4.7 Rear rotors : idem 4.3

I have a 13 Vantage and have 6 pot Brembo's in front and 4 pot in rear. Not sure about the stock pads but hose are fabulous calipers. The rotors seem like they are good also.

Awesome, the brembo a are amazing, had them on my V8. They a re definitely very pricey.

There is no a much less pricey option available for a direct replacement when it comes time to replace the stockers from racing brake.

http://www.racingbrake.com/Two-Piece.../am-irk-01.htm

Great post, I didn't know TRG worked on street cars too, might have to go check them out someday.

VelocityAP also has 2-piece rotors that look like a good option - http://www.velocityap.com/Aston-V8-V...iece-rotor.htm

They primarily provide service for track cars, but are starting to market towards street cars too. I ended up getting an oil change, brake, and transmission flush from them. Very reasonably priced compared to our local dealerships.

They have a Yelp check-in discount, so be sure to use it if you end up getting parts and service there.

Also if you're into wines, they provide private tastings in the garage with the cars!

Good find on RB two piece rotors - True light weight and built not only for heavy track duty but also can greatly improve your street driving comfort.

Just to clarify in case some one don't care about "cheap" rotors, why we can make these DBS two piece rotors at fraction of Brembo. These rotors are built with the same quality and rotor size (355x32mm) as stock replacement for those muscle cars like Corvette Z06, CamaroSS, CTS-V, Viper, Challenger/Charger, Mustang and import motorsports like ISF, G37S/370Z etc. in addition to our standard BBK, so you can imagine we use a lot of casting and forged aluminum hats plus we never charge luxurious tax like others.

Racingbrake first introduced stock replacement two piece rotors in motorsports industry for Sti, EVO and Z06 (three most popular and brake demanding track cars) since early 2000, and today we make more two piece rotors and more coverage (from Acura to VW) than all the competition combined.

https://www.racingbrake.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=6200

RB is a 30 years brake company based in Fullerton, CA with extensive experience in metallurgy and brake design (3 US patents). All components and brake system are engineered to improve and optimize the brake performance.