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Powerbrake Big Brake Upgrade Kits from Vorshlag

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  • Powerbrake Big Brake Upgrade Kits from Vorshlag

    Vorshlag sells Powerbrake big brake kits, and to keep the shopping cart pages from getting too cluttered we have written this post and will link to it from individual product entries. Read more below to learn about Powerbrake and why we recommend, sell, and use their products.

    About Powerbrake

    Powerbrake designs and manufactures high-performance and race brake components that offer exceptional performance and durability at surprisingly competitive prices. This is made possible through state of the art CAD, FEA and CAM software as well as cutting edge 5-axis CNC production equipment that results in design and production efficiency that gets passed on to customers and ultimately translates into competitive product pricing.



    Powerbrake's base of operations is South Africa, where all components are machined. A big part of the cost savings with Powerbrake comes from currency difference between SA and the USA. This is one of those rare times where you DO get more than you pay for. They also have an office in North Carolina and Vorshlag has worked with this company since they first came to America. We tested their brake kits on our own cars before we felt confident to sell them - now we use Powerbrake on all of our street and race car, so we trust and vouch for the brand.


    Powerbrake X-Line X6EL big brake kit with 6-piston calipers and 350mm rotors

    When you invest in a Powerbrake race brake system, you are investing in engineering that has won GT Challenge Championships, A-Class Production Car Championships, National Rally Championships and finished on the podium at the infamous Dakar Rally many times.



    Powerbrake components are not intended as a cosmetic enhancement. They are designed from the ground up to improve the braking performance of your vehicle. The Powerbrake brand is fast earning a reputation around the world for offering unbeatable performance and durability for the money invested.

    Brake Technology Born On The Race Track

    Powerbrake is a brake technology company that was started in South Africa in 2004 by a small team of engineers with extensive prior experience in the braking industry.



    South Africa has a strong motorsport heritage with competitive national championships in circuit, rally and off-road racing. Powerbrake was formed to develop a range of high-performance and race brake products that offer race teams and enthusiasts a line of high-end brake components that deliver exceptional brake performance at a competitive price. From the outset, the focus was on racing. Powerbrake's very first brake system design (the X-Line PB44L 330x32mm big brake kit) was supplied to the factory-backed BMW team
    competing in the National Production Car Championship. Significant gains were achieved in brake performance and durability with this system and the BMW team continues to use Powerbrake to this day. They have over the years achieved countless race wins running Powerbrake big brake kits and won the 2014 National Championship.



    In 2008 Powerbrake designed a complete front and rear brake system to replace the factory-fitted (CCM) discs and OEM calipers on a number of Ferrari F430 Challenge race cars competing in the GT Challenge Championship. The system included our then new X-Line PB62E 6-piston race calipers and 356x35mm 2-piece cast-iron disc assemblies. Significant improvements in brake performance and durability were achieved as well as reduced running costs. Based on the performance of this brake system, many other teams racing Porsches, Nobles and other cars in the series moved to Powerbrake. Over time the PB62E caliper became one of the most successful race calipers in our range. Our new S-Line caliper shares much of the PB62E caliper's DNA.

    In 2009 Nissan Motorsport, after running Powerbrake on their factory Nissan 350Z Super Production race cars, approached Powerbrake to develop a 6-piston off-road race caliper for their Dakar Rally program. This project resulted in the development of our now top-selling off-road race caliper, the PB62I. This caliper was an instant success, performing extremely well in the infamous Dakar Rally which is widely regarded as one of the toughest motorsport events on the planet.



    Shortly thereafter, the factory Toyota Motorsport team also moved to Powerbrake PB62I calipers for their Rally Raid / FIA Cross-Country program world-wide. Our calipers have achieved numerous FIA Cross Country World Cup race wins as well as four podium finishes at the Dakar in the last 5 years. A liquid cooled version of the PB62I 6-piston race caliper was also developed, which achieved podium finishes at the 2015 and 2016 Dakar Rallies and won the 2016 FIA Cross-Country World Championship.


    Powerbrake Water Cooled PB62IW 6-piston off-road race calipers

    From freezing snow covered forest stages in Russia, to rough gravel stages in Morocco, to big desert dune stages in South America, Powerbrake PB62I and PB62IW 6-piston off-road race calipers are being used by many of the leading off-road race teams around the world.

    continued below
    Last edited by Fair!; 01-25-2017, 12:12 PM.
    Terry Fair - www.vorshlag.com
    2018 GT / S550 Dev + 2013 FR-S / 86 Dev + 2011 GT / S197 Dev + C4 Corvette Dev
    EVO X Dev + 2007 Z06 / C6 Dev + BMW E46 Dev + C5 Corvette Dev

  • #2
    Re: Powerbrake Big Brake Upgrade Kits from Vorshlag



    Powerbrake X-Line calipers are true race calipers that can also be used in long-term street and track day applications as a result of a number of additional design features that have been incorporated into the caliper designs. The X-Line big brake kit concept is to supply customers with a crossover product line that (when fitted with the appropriate pad compound for the intended application) can be used over a wide range of enthusiast and race applications including fast-road, track day and full race.

    Powerbrake X-Line Calipers

    To be clear - Powerbrake X-Line calipers are true race products. Machined from solid billet aerospace grade aluminum, these calipers feature ultra-rigid FEA enhanced designs, scalloped stainless steel pistons and type-3 mil-spec hard anodized finish typically only found in high-level works race calipers.



    The addition of internal wiper seals and all stainless steel hardware (bleed screws, tube nuts, pad retaining pins, abutment plates etc) further enhances the long term durability and service life of our X-Line calipers under every day street driving conditions.



    The result is one of the most versatile big brake kit ranges on the world market. Powerbrake X-Line = Works-level race calipers that can also be used for long-term street and track day applications (when fitted with appropriate pads).



    Staggered diameter stainless steel pistons - which ensure maximum durability and significantly reduce heat transfer to seals and brake fluid - are scalloped to allow super-heated air to escape resulting in reduced operating temps and hand polished to a mirror finish on the outside diameter to assist in achieving maximum seal life. Ultra-high temperature pressure seals and internal wiper seals ensure maximum durability and service life.



    High-tensile steel caliper cross-bolts provide significantly more caliper rigidity at high temperatures than cast calipers. All other caliper hardware (bleed screws, tube nuts, pad retaining pins and pad abutment plates) are stainless steel for maximum corrosion resistance. All logos and serial numbers are laser-etched onto the calipers which makes them impervious to damage from brake cleaners and solvents.

    Powerbrake X-Line Rotors

    The disc friction rings used in Powerbrake X-Line assemblies are cast from a proprietary high-carbon iron alloy, cast in Europe, that provides excellent durability and stability under the high thermal loads experienced during race, track day & fast road driving.



    The discs feature curved, directional, staggered cooling vane design that increases cooling vane surface area for optimal cooling. The included 5 color Maximum Temperature Recording (MTR) rotor paint provides a permanent record of the peak operating temperatures reached by the rotors during use.



    The rotor paint colors equate to:
    • Blue paint – turns light brown at 527 deg F
    • Green paint – turns white at 860 deg F
    • Orange paint – turns yellow at 1022 deg F
    • Red / Pink paint – turns white at 1166 deg F
    • Wide Red paint strip – various shades from 219 – 2318 deg F


    continued below
    Last edited by Fair!; 01-25-2017, 12:22 PM.
    Terry Fair - www.vorshlag.com
    2018 GT / S550 Dev + 2013 FR-S / 86 Dev + 2011 GT / S197 Dev + C4 Corvette Dev
    EVO X Dev + 2007 Z06 / C6 Dev + BMW E46 Dev + C5 Corvette Dev

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Powerbrake Big Brake Upgrade Kits from Vorshlag

      Different Options Within Powerbrake X-Line

      There are three families of Powerbrake calipers used in the X-Line sports car brake upgrade kits. These share the same design philosophies but are sized to fit the weight and capabilities of a given car model. Some cars have multiple X-line caliper/rotor options depending on power and capability, or classing rules that might restrict a car to a 4 piston caliper.



      The smallest X-Line "Big Brake" kits offered by Powerbrake uses the X4ES 4-piston caliper. This kit is made to work as a front brake upgrade for compact and lightweight cars and includes rotor discs ranging from 325 to 332mm diameter and 28-32mm thickness. These are also packaged in some kits as the rear caliper.



      This is the kit we used on our 2013 Scion FR-S to fit within the factory 17" wheels (with a 5mm spacer), as shown above. You can read more about the install on our shop FR-S starting here. This prevents the customer from having to change to 18" wheels when they are doing their brake upgrade - and when you have multiple wheel and tire sets that you race on, this is important. Over-sizing the rotor and even caliper is a common mistake made when doing brake upgrades, so talk to Vorshlag about your car's needs if there are multiple Powerbrake BBK options for your given car model.



      The smaller (but still much larger than the OEM calipers) X-Line "Big Brake" kits offered by Powerbrake use the X4ES 4-piston caliper. These kits are made to work as a front brake upgrade for "compact" sized vehicles like Miatas, BRZ, and the like. These kits include include rotor discs ranging from 325-332mm diameter and 28-32mm thickness. These X4ES calipers are also packaged as the rear caliper in some kits.



      This 4-piston caliper uses the FMSI D592 pad profile, which is shown in the image above at right. Powerbrake offers a number of pad options or you can use a brake pad brand you already know and trust by using this FMSI number or looking at the list of brake pad part numbers in the drawing.

      continued below
      Last edited by Fair!; 01-25-2017, 04:08 PM.
      Terry Fair - www.vorshlag.com
      2018 GT / S550 Dev + 2013 FR-S / 86 Dev + 2011 GT / S197 Dev + C4 Corvette Dev
      EVO X Dev + 2007 Z06 / C6 Dev + BMW E46 Dev + C5 Corvette Dev

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Powerbrake Big Brake Upgrade Kits from Vorshlag



        The mid-sized X-Line "Big Brake" kits offered by Powerbrake use the larger X4EM 4-piston caliper. These kits are made to work as a front brake upgrade for "medium" sized vehicles like BMW 3 series, 350Z, and other sporty/sports cars that are bigger than the "Miata classes" cars.



        These kits include rotor discs ranging from 330 - 356mm diameter and 32-34mm thickness. These X4EM calipers are also packaged as the rear caliper to go along with the Powerbrake 6-piston front upgrade kits.



        This X4EM caliper is very similar to the Powerbrake front brake kit we used on our 2001 BMW 330Ci race car, which still fit under a Forgestar 17x10" race wheel, as shown above. You can read more about the install on our shop E46 330 starting here. Not all 17" wheels will fit over the X4EM caliper and associated rotors, but it is possible - we have the wheel fitment template for the X4EM caliper/rotor for many cars. Once again, Powerbrake recommends caliper and rotor sizes that fit the car's weight, speed, and classing needs.



        These more larger X4EM 4-piston calipers are have even more thermal mass to deal with significant track abuse on heavier cars. We have beaten the absolute piss our of our E46 330 at NASA race weekends, often with dual drivers taking the car out back-to-back for nearly endurance racing levels of abuse. Driving this car at 10/10ths qualifying pace on every lap, using Powerbrake's track oriented pads, we have never been able to fade them.



        The images above show the X4EM Powerbrake caliper and X-Line rotors next to the OEM front discs and calipers from the E46 330. The larger 4-piston X4EM caliper is a massive upgrade over the stock bits yet were still lighter than the original parts.



        This 4-piston X4EM caliper uses the FMSI D810/D968 pad profile, which is shown in the image above at right. Powerbrake offers a number of pad options or you can use a brake pad brand you already know and trust by using this FMSI number or looking at the list of brake pad part numbers in the drawing.
        Last edited by Fair!; 02-01-2017, 03:41 PM.
        Terry Fair - www.vorshlag.com
        2018 GT / S550 Dev + 2013 FR-S / 86 Dev + 2011 GT / S197 Dev + C4 Corvette Dev
        EVO X Dev + 2007 Z06 / C6 Dev + BMW E46 Dev + C5 Corvette Dev

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Powerbrake Big Brake Upgrade Kits from Vorshlag



          The largest X-Line "Big Brake" kits offered by Powerbrake use the biggest X6EL 6-piston caliper. These kits are made to work as a front brake upgrade for "larger" and/or faster vehicles like BMW M3s, Corvettes, Mustang/Camaro, and the AWD turbo rally cars.



          These kits include rotor discs ranging from 350 - 380mm diameter and 34mm thickness. The X6EL is Powerbrake's top X-Line caliper suited for street, road racing, and even endurance racing applications.



          We first used the Powerbrake X6EL caliper and rotor upgrade on this 2013 Mustang GT built for NASA ST2 road racing. Due to the size, weight, and speed potential of this car, Powerbrake recommended the X6EL for front braking needs.



          This 350 x 34mm front rotor fit inside these 18x11" Forgestar wheels easily and their largest 380mm diameter rotors will fit under most 18" wheels - check with Vorshlag to get the wheel fit templates for the X6EL kit for your car.



          These massive X6EL 6-piston calipers are have the most thermal mass to deal with road racing abuse on heavier cars. We have have track tested the X6EL brakes on this ST2 classed Mustang at NASA race weekends with excellent results.



          This 6-piston X6EL caliper uses the FMSI D1116 pad profile, which is shown in the image above at right. Powerbrake offers a number of pad options or you can use a brake pad brand you already know and trust by using this FMSI number or looking at the list of brake pad part numbers in the drawing.
          Last edited by Fair!; 01-25-2017, 02:58 PM.
          Terry Fair - www.vorshlag.com
          2018 GT / S550 Dev + 2013 FR-S / 86 Dev + 2011 GT / S197 Dev + C4 Corvette Dev
          EVO X Dev + 2007 Z06 / C6 Dev + BMW E46 Dev + C5 Corvette Dev

          Comment

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