Racing Brake CCB install and review!
Okay, let’s get this out of the way… Yes, I am a little crazy. But once I get locked onto a vision for a car, I go all in haha. Go big or go home, right? Plus, I always wanted carbon ceramic brakes and being the first one to have these is pretty cool.
I am all about confidence in the cars I drive. The viper is a great car out of the box, but it had a few avenues for improvement. My goal is to turn it into the ultimate street carver with a few track days thrown in. In short, not a racecar for the street, but a street car that can do track. After addressing the suspension with Tractive, my next point was the brakes. Was not happy with the high speed hard braking confidence. The rear wiggle/wag, the fade after a few sessions, the overall stopping power, the brake feel and modulation, were all factors that got me looking for alternatives. Plus, I wanted something that filled the wheels a little more and wasn’t red.
Goals for Brakes:
1. 6-piston fronts to move the brake bias forward
2. Bigger front rotors
3. Balanced system front and back
4. Lighter than stock (car is a non-track pack GTS)
5. Different color options (preferably silver or grey to go with the monochromatic theme)
6. Ability to fit 18/19 track wheel setup (have 19/20 for the street)
7. Retention of stock handbrake
8. Multiple pad options
9. Ability to switch between CC rotors and steel ones
10. Aftersales support
Options I considered were the ACR CCB, VE BBK, RB steel kit, RB Viper steel kit, RB CCB kit.
The Kit:
Warren at RB was great about answering my questions and talking me through the various options. RB has a very modular approach and they are happy to work with you to find the right fit. Everything from mixing and matching front and rear calipers, rotor materials, pad materials, etc. Once I settled on the kit, RB kept me updated on the build, anodizing and shipping process every step of the way.
Went with the anodized CCB kit. Why CC? Weight savings (rotational and sprung), longevity on the street, no dust, no rust, and cool factor.
Steel option: https://racingbrake.com/dod-irp-03
Rotor upgrade: https://racingbrake.com/dod-crk-03
Full CCB kit: https://racingbrake.com/rccb-dod-02
• 2 ea. RB 6-piston caliper (12.9 lbs with bolts and adapters)
• 2 ea. RB 4-piston caliper (9.55 lbs with bolts and adapters)
• 2 ea. Front CCM Rotor (13 lbs each, 380x34 mm)
• 2 ea. Rear CCM Rotor (10.65 lbs each, 360x32mm)
• 4 ea. Caliper adaptors (includes SS brake lines)
• 1 Car Set of Street pads (Newly developed ST-600 pads)
(Weights measure by my scale…so plus/minus a few ounces is possible)
Install:
General install is basically the same as the RB BBK install already posted by KB Viper,
https://driveviper.com/forums/thread...mounting+bolts
Kit is excellent quality and everything fits together nicely.
Longest/most complicated part of the install was removing the old brake lines. Getting a wrench on the brake lines and a socket on the brackets holding them called for some interesting angles. Note, fully loosen brake lines from hard line first, before removing the bracket. Having the stability of the bracket helps apply a counter torque when loosening. Also took a bit of trial and error to get the new stainless lines tightened enough so that they didn’t leak at the attachment points. Was afraid of overtightening them…but you can crank the stainless line to the hard line pretty tight. Bleeding the brakes was also pretty easy. Used Motul 600 for that. May bleed them again after cycling through the ABS just to make sure. Rear hand brake is a tight fit, but it does clear the rotor with mm to spare. No dragging while driving from what I can hear/feel.
Additional install resources from RB:
https://racingbrake.com/tech-tips/
Weight savings:
Front Rotors: -13.75 lbs each (-27.5lbs from front axle)
Front Calipers: +2.05 lbs each (+4.1 lbs to front axle)
Rear Rotos: -13.70 lbs each (-27.4lbs from rear axle)
Rear Calipers: -1.65 lbs each (-3.3 lbs from rear axle)
Overall that equals:
Loss of 54.9 lbs of rotational weight
Gain of 0.8 lbs of Caliper weight
First Impressions:
• They look awesome! Top notch build quality and complement the car perfectly
• Brakes have little to no noise
• Car was dirty to begin with, so I can’t comment on the dust. But am going to assume that it will be less than stock if almost non existent
• Easier to modulate brake pressure over stock. Initial bite is gradual with a nice progression all the way to lock-up. Some CCB can be pretty grabby at the top, these are not.
• Braking power/bias seems better distributed, but have not been able to push the car yet
• Steering is lighter and whole front of the car feels lighter. Also feels like I can feel more through the steering wheel. It’s great!
• Biggest surprise was just how much the suspension changed with the weight loss. Tractive suspension was already great before the brake swap, now…it is on another level. Street setting now gives that cushy ride without being floaty. You feel the bumps in the steering wheel, but the ride is unfazed. Race mode on the street is also vastly improved. I feel like I get twice as much feedback through the steering wheel without the car being harsh; Like all four corners are glued to the road. The same bumps I went over before the brake change are now less jarring. Very very confidence inspiring.
• Winter is starting to move into the PNW, so a full track test will have to wait until the spring. Stay tuned!
Overall, I love how the car handles and feels now. Definity turning into a forever car! Is the kit worth the price? Depends on your priorities… Personally, I am always a fan of less weight vs more power. Could I get similar stopping performance with the steel brakes? Probably? But I am all about the feeling and experience, so it made sense for me. All the pictures are below. Happy to answer any questions if you have them.
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