Are big brake kits worth the price, and do these stop the vibrating the stock Brembo brakes make when braking?

[JanjiStinger92]

Hello,

I have a 2019 Kia stinger GTS with 43k miles on it, and daily drive it. I and have done just about everything you can think off to stop brake pulsating/vibrating issue. I have upgraded to 3 different types of pads, including a ceramic brake pad. I have taken the vehicle under warranty, and they have replaced the rotors completely twice, I just gave up and did not bother anymore with this option as they will just replace it again and in a few weeks the vibration comes back. And lastly, I upgraded to a two-piece rotor with ceramic pads combination and that did not fix the problem. At this point I'm considering a big brake kit to resolve the issue, but I need feedback if anyone has done it since these kits are not cheap.

I have been looking into big brake kits for a while now but there seems to be very little to no reviews about these kits. How they work on long term use, 10k plus miles? Is it worth upgrading to a big brake kit? Do the big brake kits completely erase the brake vibrating problem? Etc.

Please let me know if anyone has upgraded to one of the big brake kits, and what has their experience been with them.

Thanks.

 

[Thomby]

The general consensus on brake vibration is that the stock pads are overly soft for NVH reasons, and easily leave deposits on the rotors which cause the steering wheel shimmy.

You can likely verify this by doing a few aggressive brakes, say 80% of threshold from something like 70-80 mph down to 10-20, followed by easy driving to let the pads/rotors cool down (ie don't sit at a light holding the brakes).

If new pads still have the vibration, doing the above should scrape the deposits off and give you smooth braking. If you replace your rotors, it should also go away, but stock pads will let it come back.

But if you've both swapped the rotors, and installed non-stock brake pads, that's odd you would experience the same issue, unless you're getting the brakes very hot and then sitting with the pads pressed against them. How long did it take to reoccur after swapping both?

 

[JanjiStinger92]

The general consensus on brake vibration is that the stock pads are overly soft for NVH reasons, and easily leave deposits on the rotors which cause the steering wheel shimmy.

You can likely verify this by doing a few aggressive brakes, say 80% of threshold from something like 70-80 mph down to 10-20, followed by easy driving to let the pads/rotors cool down (ie don't sit at a light holding the brakes).

If new pads still have the vibration, doing the above should scrape the deposits off and give you smooth braking. If you replace your rotors, it should also go away, but stock pads will let it come back.

But if you've both swapped the rotors, and installed non-stock brake pads, that's odd you would experience the same issue, unless you're getting the brakes very hot and then sitting with the pads pressed against them. How long did it take to reoccur after swapping both?

Thanks for the reply.

My weeks consist of at least 230 miles. Mostly highways and then some main street driving. The car gets a lot from both sides but for the most part I have tried different ways of braking, soft, then hard braking. The speeds you mentioned are about the same that I experience the vibration. Low and high-speed braking. It still vibrates and the harshest feeling is from 80 to 40 mph. It does not matter if I'm braking softly or hard, it still vibrates for me unfortunately.

To answer your question, the vibrating would be immediate when I switch to similar quality brake pads. 1) girodisc brake pads back when they used to sell it at Khartunerz. 2) O'reilly's ceramic brake pads for the Kia stinger GT. 3) K8SS Elite Sport Ceramic Brake Pads from K8stinger store. Only a few weeks in it will start vibrating again. I swapped the K8SS and the 2-piece rotors at the same time, it took about 3 weeks and then it started again.

 

[Snicklefritz]

And bedding the brakes like @Thomby suggested doesn't smooth out the braking feel? If done properly, the rotors will get scrubbed clean of deposits and at first braking should be smooth. If you've got rotors that have been heated up then the iron could have varying hardness, which will attract pad deposits unevenly, creating cementite buildup, and then you have a circular worsening problem. If your rotors are trashed - have hard areas from overheating them - you cannot have them resurfaced, it won't work. You have to replace them. Bedding brakes also won't work on rotors with hard areas on them. Bedding does not remove cementite buildup.

 

[Volfy]

Did you do all these installs? Or you had the same shop do them?

 

[7Andrei7]

I once had a similar problem with a VW Golf. Went through about 3 sets of new rotors and pads. Whatever combination I made, it would be fine for 600-1000 miles and then the vibrations (exclusively under braking) would reappear. It turned out to be a bent wheel. It was slightly bent laterally, somehow. In any case, replacing the wheel fixed the problems.
Have you tried a test with another set of wheels?

 

[JanjiStinger92]

And bedding the brakes like @Thomby suggested doesn't smooth out the braking feel? If done properly, the rotors will get scrubbed clean of deposits and at first braking should be smooth. If you've got rotors that have been heated up then the iron could have varying hardness, which will attract pad deposits unevenly, creating cementite buildup, and then you have a circular worsening problem. If your rotors are trashed - have hard areas from overheating them - you cannot have them resurfaced, it won't work. You have to replace them. Bedding brakes also won't work on rotors with hard areas on them. Bedding does not remove cementite buildup.

I will try bedding it. I only did that when I got everything installed on the first day. I will try it again. I will also have to look if the rotors have hard areas. Never knew that the rotors won't be able to be resurfaced if this is the case.

Thank you.

 

[JanjiStinger92]

Did you do all these installs? Or you had the same shop do them?

Yes, I did the installation myself.

 

[JanjiStinger92]

I once had a similar problem with a VW Golf. Went through about 3 sets of new rotors and pads. Whatever combination I made, it would be fine for 600-1000 miles and then the vibrations (exclusively under braking) would reappear. It turned out to be a bent wheel. It was slightly bent laterally, somehow. In any case, replacing the wheel fixed the problems.
Have you tried a test with another set of wheels?

That is not what I would like to hear since I have been on the fence about buying a nice set of wheels lol. I have been on stock for almost 5 years now. But that is interesting to be aware of that. The wheels look solid. Nothing outstanding jumps out when I look at the wheels for any bennds.

 

[BilltheCat]

Hello,

I have a 19 GTS AWD with 48K miles and the same experience. After two sets of front rotors and pads, the vibration is still there.

With < 15 minutes driving - no vibration during low speed braking, no to lite vibration during high speed braking
With > 15 minutes driving - lite vibration for low speed, strong vibration for high speed

Applying gradual braking over longer distance lessens the vibration some - Not great if in real need of quick braking.

The run-out is good for the rotors and wheel hubs. The balance is good for the stock wheels and tires. The wheels and suspension are good.

At this point, I am also seriously considering the BBK rather than just 2-piece / floating rotors. Some members (need to search for them) went Fella Racing with good results; not sure about long term experience yet so gathering info as well.

NO affiliation to either sellers - Go matching rotor sizes 350mm/340mm or go full 380mm

k8stingerstore.com ... /products/fella-big-brake-kit?variant=42370950365443
partscombined.com ... /product/bbk-front-6p-monoblock-rear-4p-2-piece-for-kia-18-19-20-21-22-stinger-/823

Hope the information is helpful

 

[K8 Stinger Store]

Hello,

I have a 2019 Kia stinger GTS with 43k miles on it, and daily drive it. I and have done just about everything you can think off to stop brake pulsating/vibrating issue. I have upgraded to 3 different types of pads, including a ceramic brake pad. I have taken the vehicle under warranty, and they have replaced the rotors completely twice, I just gave up and did not bother anymore with this option as they will just replace it again and in a few weeks the vibration comes back. And lastly, I upgraded to a two-piece rotor with ceramic pads combination and that did not fix the problem. At this point I'm considering a big brake kit to resolve the issue, but I need feedback if anyone has done it since these kits are not cheap.

I have been looking into big brake kits for a while now but there seems to be very little to no reviews about these kits. How they work on long term use, 10k plus miles? Is it worth upgrading to a big brake kit? Do the big brake kits completely erase the brake vibrating problem? Etc.

Please let me know if anyone has upgraded to one of the big brake kits, and what has their experience been with them.

Thanks.

Yes, 100%, it will stop that.

Kia Stinger - Fella Big Brake Kit - K8 Stinger Store

 

[Snowwhite]

I replaced my stock pads at 12k with power stop z26 pads as a preemptive move since I was getting some really mild shaking already. I’m at 29k now and I’ve never had any pulsing since. Still original rotors.

Perhaps it is tied to braking habits somewhat.

 

[JanjiStinger92]

Hello,

I have a 19 GTS AWD with 48K miles and the same experience. After two sets of front rotors and pads, the vibration is still there.

With < 15 minutes driving - no vibration during low speed braking, no to lite vibration during high speed braking
With > 15 minutes driving - lite vibration for low speed, strong vibration for high speed

Applying gradual braking over longer distance lessens the vibration some - Not great if in real need of quick braking.

The run-out is good for the rotors and wheel hubs. The balance is good for the stock wheels and tires. The wheels and suspension are good.

At this point, I am also seriously considering the BBK rather than just 2-piece / floating rotors. Some members (need to search for them) went Fella Racing with good results; not sure about long term experience yet so gathering info as well.

NO affiliation to either sellers - Go matching rotor sizes 350mm/340mm or go full 380mm

k8stingerstore.com ... /products/fella-big-brake-kit?variant=42370950365443
partscombined.com ... /product/bbk-front-6p-monoblock-rear-4p-2-piece-for-kia-18-19-20-21-22-stinger-/823

Hope the information is helpful

Thanks. It does help a bit to know that I'm not the only one that is having this issue. I have seen the Fella big brake kit and looks like it even comes with the stainless steel brake lines witch it's pretty sweet. I also have been keeping my eyes on another big brake kit.

Khgartunerz - Neotech Kia stinger big brake kit

Will be making a decision here pretty soon.

 

[Audible Silence]

swwapped front pads, stock rotors (recieved wrong rotors in the correct box lol) back is still fully stock.

when i go on car rallies, i will get teh vibrating but this is very spirited driving, and i feel it through the car, not so much the wheel, so i feel its the rear pads that are causing the issue... daily driving, i have no issues.

I have front rotors sitting in the garage now, going to to order somerear compenents soon and get everything installed when it isnt 100 degrees out.

 

[Bbrownjohnd]

I'm having similar issues. Had front rotors replaced along with pads and rears resurfaced with new pads. Swapted pads to yellow stuff all around. Great for a week, then vibration started. Then replaced front OEM rotors with power stop z23s. Couple week later vibrating. Just ordered OEM rears and z23s, hopefully this set up front and rear will fix it. 2020 GT1 AWD. If this doesn't work, may go BBk, but as much as I like the look of the bbks out there, it's a lot of money

 

[K8 Stinger Store]

I'm having similar issues. Had front rotors replaced along with pads and rears resurfaced with new pads. Swapted pads to yellow stuff all around. Great for a week, then vibration started. Then replaced front OEM rotors with power stop z23s. Couple week later vibrating. Just ordered OEM rears and z23s, hopefully this set up front and rear will fix it. 2020 GT1 AWD. If this doesn't work, may go BBk, but as much as I like the look of the bbks out there, it's a lot of money

When the problem returns again, reach out, and we’d be happy to assist you with ordering a big brake kit with a discount.

 

[jinthadell]

Hello,

I have a 19 GTS AWD with 48K miles and the same experience. After two sets of front rotors and pads, the vibration is still there.

With < 15 minutes driving - no vibration during low speed braking, no to lite vibration during high speed braking
With > 15 minutes driving - lite vibration for low speed, strong vibration for high speed

Applying gradual braking over longer distance lessens the vibration some - Not great if in real need of quick braking.

The run-out is good for the rotors and wheel hubs. The balance is good for the stock wheels and tires. The wheels and suspension are good.

At this point, I am also seriously considering the BBK rather than just 2-piece / floating rotors. Some members (need to search for them) went Fella Racing with good results; not sure about long term experience yet so gathering info as well.

NO affiliation to either sellers - Go matching rotor sizes 350mm/340mm or go full 380mm

k8stingerstore.com ... /products/fella-big-brake-kit?variant=42370950365443
partscombined.com ... /product/bbk-front-6p-monoblock-rear-4p-2-piece-for-kia-18-19-20-21-22-stinger-/823

Hope the information is helpful

Did you ever resolve your vibration issue? I’m having the same symptoms. But I’ve already replaced the rotors w R1 concept cross drilled and slotted. And not on stock wheels. Wondering if I got a bent rim

 

[Thomby]

But I’ve already replaced the rotors w R1 concept cross drilled and slotted. And not on stock wheels. Wondering if I got a bent rim

A bent wheel rim should have fairly constant vibration, tied to a particular speed and maybe a little more noticeable when you brake enough to put more weight on it, but brake vibration should be pretty distinctly tied to braking.

When you swapped rotors did you stay on stock pads? If you do a few hard brake sessions (70-80% threshold, say from 60-70 down to 10-15), does it reduce/remove the vibration for a while?

If so, probably worth trying one of the aftermarket pads recommended in these threads as solving the issue. And for anyone doing this, it would seem sensible to do several hard braking sessions on your old/OEM pads first, to clean up the rotors as much as you can, then swap pads and bed them as recommended.

 

[BilltheCat]

@jinthadell and members .... I fully went down the rabbit hole with a ton of reading and research, almost buying the latest greatest Neotech EVO all 380mm BBK (big $$$), but have yet to fully resolve the vibration issue.

My current setup is all DBA up front, slotted rotors with green pads, and OEM Brembo rear with K8SS/DFC pads; and bedded. I also considered the wheels but no longer on stock 19s, just wider and lighter, 245/35 8.5 +30 and 285/30 9.5 +40. The vibration is still there on initial braking at high speed but less pronounced, then lessens to minimal / nothing during deceleration. Balance and alignment are spot on, no steering wheel vibration or drift beyond 3 digits (tested safely on a very clear, level, straight stretch).

There are so many combinations that fix one car or another. It is an unfortunately trial and error process for some. For my car, the next phase will be a matched set of rotors and pads. They will mostly likely be 2-piece floating in the front to address thermal expansion/contraction and semi-metallic pads.

Herein is an example with EBC Blue NDX that some have good experience with. The solid rear is not an issue. The setup retains OEM calipers and brake bias/balance, and is more cost effective than $3500 to $5700 BBKs. Open to all suggestions and feedback.

 

[Alpinesting]

Replaced the stock rotors with the Stoptech/Centric rotors and pads on the front end that

you can purchase on the web. These got rid of the pulsing for us and I'm happy with these

front brakes, but depending how you drive will determine the outcome. We don't drive it

hard around the track so as they say "Your mileage may vary". Everyday driving, they are

flawless. Hope you find the right combo!