[BlkGS]

A few thoughts...

It sounds like it's in rough shape..why bother?you're likely better off taking the insurance money and buying a replacement one with all the issues yours has.

I redid my front brakes with the powerstop z36 kit. It stops really well. Big brake kits don't improve stopping distances in many cases, they improve stopping repeat performance. You'll get a little extra leverage from a larger rotor and caliper, but mainly you're gaining the ability to stop hard over and over again without thermal fade.


Rear airbags... I fought to keep .one for a long time, but after going through the motions with repeatedly breaking height sensors I but the bullet and bought coil springs. It was a great choice, and rides better, corners better, and just is better than the air springs were.
Everything else is just general maintenance.

 

[BlkGS]

You're not gonna stop any faster with a baer kit than you will with fresh calipers and a performance pad. I've got powerstop z36 pads and it drops anchor. Never measured it, but it's massively better.

 

[BlkGS]

Baer brakes on the awd shortened my stopping distance from 60-0 in 95ft. Original brake set-up from 60-0 took over 130ft. I find there is more of a fade difference in the pads and rotors than anything to do with the calipers. Stock pads have decent initial bite but poor fade, whereas the racing pads give up some initial bite for increased fade resistance. And then bigger rotors, of course, can dissipate more heat.

What you have noticed is totally wrong. Brake fade is a component of fluid, size, and materials. Pads will have a decent effect, but it's more of a "what temperature range to these work at" sort of deal. Race pads for example don't work well until heated to 150-250 degrees F, they suck on the street because they operate solely in friction mode vs stiction. Once you've picked your pads out appropriately for your temperature range, run a fresh and decent brake fluid, and made sure your soft lines aren't too soft.... Then up sizing the rotors and calipers to have a higher thermal capacity byaking them bigger is what you do.

The benefit of a baer kit is they look cool. That's really the big upgrade in reality.

 

[BlkGS]

Yes, they do look bitchin'! But, pad construction/material/quality being equal, the Baer kit is totally going to stop faster than any pad you're putting in factory calipers. When I mentioned "race pads" earlier, I meant street/racing pads. Full-on racing pads do have higher initial operating temps as you mentioned.
Maybe with 345mm width front tires I could pull endos, Or maybe after I convert to hydroboost!
The only reason to not put this kit on one's TBSS is the cost.

With the same pad, yes, the baer kit will stop SLIGHTLY shorter due to increased leverage, and a stiffer caliper. But we are talking inches shorter, not feet. If you want to stop shorter, it comes down to pads and tires. Even if you added 8 piston massive calipers it wouldn't matter, you're only generating so much hydraulic force and thus so much clamping force.

But yeah, they look cool. My biggest issue with them is the rotors are still crazy thin. Unfortunately the way the TBSS offsets worked out, there simply isn't room for a decently thick rotor and a caliper with a significant piston count without spacing the wheel out. Then, because we have our silly oddball wheel bolt pattern, you need custom expensive ass rotors, or you drill out other rotors to add our bolt pattern that compromises their integrity.

My take... Clean your own calipers up, get some good performing pads, fresh fluids and hoses, it'll stop just fine, even with 7000 pounds behind it.