At SEMA, we like to take a glance at where trends are headed, what products are coming out, and the general state of the aftermarket. This year didn't disappoint (it rarely does) and we made several observations. Here's what we came away with.

As if it wasn't obvious already, now it really is. Widebody is more than a trend at this point.

If wheels are considered art, you can name the current movement expressionism. There are so many brands, styles, and structures and it's not just about the wheel itself anymore. It's about how it fits, not just on the car itself, but how the car is modded.

Refinement. The trends that were getting popular the last few years really stood out as refined. No longer are people just experimenting and hoping others like it. Many builds are so on point that you have to respect it, even if it's not your style.

Airbags are playing a huge role in modifying. Although, I'm not sure what their ceiling is from a performance standpoint, they are definitely finding a comfortable spot in the style segment of the aftermarket culture.

The last point is a perfect segue into my final observation. I'll take the blame for not realizing this earlier but I've always been so focused on a car's function and performance that I've written off many artistic and stylish based builds. I always noticed and respected them but I never looked at it like something I cared too much about. I can say I've started at least climbing over that fence this year. You can't ignore the level of modification currently happening on the "form" portion of the aftermarket. It's no longer modifying a car. It's creating a second voice to tell people what they should know about you. It's about expressing yourself. And that's what makes the aftermarket so special to me in the first place. IT'S PERSONAL and everybody should respect that concept, regardless of what their personal taste is.

We hope you enjoy some coverage of this year's SEMA Show. If you enjoy this, check out more of our coverage from this year's SEMA event in our blog!

Cheers!

JP

Since 2009, we’ve been working hard to get high performance parts to people that can’t do without them. That’s what we do but how we do it is the best part. We truly care about the experience people have with their car and how they go about modifying it. Most importantly, we care about actually being a part of that experience and getting people QUALITY performance parts while providing the best service and technical assistance you can find along the way.

Sometimes, that’s not so easy. The aftermarket is full of talented people and awesome ideas and only some of them come to fruition, regardless of how talented the people that make the parts are. Being a retailer, we feel it’s our responsibility to make sure that great products get to the forefront of the market and to make sure the companies that make them get rewarded for their innovation and hard work.

Going back to my original statement, GrimmSpeed is one of those companies that makes our jobs so much easier. When Grimmspeed started back in 2006, they planted that seed when they dedicated themselves to innovation and service. Many consumers don’t think of it this way but we care about the service level of the manufacturers we work with too. When you deal with a company like Grimmspeed, it makes it easier to create a good experience with our customers, plain and simple. With their ability to make innovative products and serve us well, it allows us to serve our customers well and provide the parts we know should be on the online performance “shelves.”

Recently, I chatted with Matt Beenen of Grimmspeed to talk about what makes them who they are and give you guys some solid insight into why we like Grimmspeed so much and why their products are an excellent choice for anyone looking to modify their car with Grimmspeed performance parts.  Along with that, we got brand new, exclusive pictures of their new facility in Minneapolis, MN.  Enjoy!

Q: What is the main reason why GrimmSpeed was started?

A: GrimmSpeed was started in 2006 by a small group of local enthusiasts who were porting TGVs, intake manifolds and exhaust manifolds for themselves and then eventually for other local guys. That grew into a small business that was the seed of what GrimmSpeed is today. The single biggest reason that GrimmSpeed was started was to provide high quality, innovative products (and services, at the time) at a price point that was affordable to fellow enthusiasts. Today, that remains a core part of the mission at GrimmSpeed. Our focus is on making performance engineering, American manufacturing and unmatched customer service available to as many enthusiasts as possible.

Q: What do you like about Subarus the most?

A: This is going to sound cheesy but what we like about Subarus the most is the group of loyal and dedicated enthusiasts that are in the Subaru community. Unlike a lot of other enthusiast groups, "Subaru people" seem to really appreciate the engineering and testing that go into a product, as well as the high level of quality and craftsmanship that brands like GrimmSpeed provide. Of course, the merits of a Subaru vehicle are what often get people involved, whether it's the power, all wheel drive or the sound, but the community is often what seems to keep people involved.

Q: What is the coolest product you guys have come out with to date in your eyes?

A: We're especially excited about our intercooler and intake product lines. Having released our first intercooler only a few years ago and our first intake last year, we're a little late to the game, but we think that the time we spent batting ideas around the office really helped us apply some new engineering techniques and technology to what is traditionally thought to be a simple product. Despite what many will claim, an intake can be so much more than a "filter on a stick" and an intercooler can be much more complex than "find a core that fits and weld on end tanks". There are some awesome thermodynamics and fluid dynamics at play and with some of the newer CAD packages and 3D scanning technology, small businesses like GrimmSpeed can really leverage that information into better performing products.  

Q: What’s the coolest product GrimmSpeed is currently working on that you’re allowed to tell us about?

We have a couple of really big announcements up our sleeve for 2016 that we're still being pretty tight-lipped about, but we're currently deep into one of the biggest projects that we've tackled to date - the 2015+ WRX Top Mount Intercooler Kit. Our other intercoolers are supporting over 700whp and are setting world records, which bodes very well for those that wait to see what we have to offer for the 2015+ platform, but they're also some big shoes to fill. We've been working hard and are taking all the time we need to ensure that we can offer the best possible solution at a fair price point. Our engineering and test methods are more advanced than ever and we can't wait to share what we've been cooking up.  But there's no replacement for real world testing. For that reason, we're building a big turbo kit specifically to test the upper limits of our TMIC on a shop car. If it works out as well as we're hoping, you just might see that as a product also!

Q: What is the biggest contributor to Grimmspeed’s success so far?

A: The biggest contributor to our success so far is our insistence on providing a GrimmSpeed experience that we're proud of. For our engineers, that means innovative features and industry-leading performance. For our manufacturing guys, that means perfect fitment and unmatched craftsmanship. For our customer service guys, that means going the extra mile or two to really make somebody happy. Everybody here understands our mission and does whatever it takes to make it a reality each day. If you were looking for some black magic secret potion formula, you've come to the wrong place - at GrimmSpeed, it's good old fashioned hard work that seems to do the trick!

Q: If there is one thing about GrimmSpeed that people might not know, what would it be?

A: That's a good question. There are probably a hundred different answers, but I think that what's most interesting for people to learn is who GrimmSpeed really is. Whether you meet us at an event, in our office, at a local meet or at the gas station, you might be surprised to learn that we're really just normal car guys (if such a thing exists). We're not a big corporate machine and we don't all sit in the conference room wearing polo shirts tucked into our khakis, contemplating pie charts. We're a group of car guys (14 right now) excited to come to work every day and make parts that make other enthusiasts, like ourselves, happy.

With GrimmSpeed in Minnesota and us being in Denver, CO, it doesn’t give either of us very many chances to be in front of a larger group of people like in Southern California or up in Tri-State or New England area. That’s why when the Rocky Mountain Subaru Festival’s inaugural show took place just a few weeks ago in Denver, it was a pleasure to meet the guys from GrimmSpeed and find out how true these statements from GrimmSpeed are.

We hope you enjoyed this little bit about what makes GrimmSpeed tick and we hope you explore a little bit more of their performance lineup through EdgeAutosport.com. We’re happy to have their parts on our shelves and be able to get them out on the road on your cars!! Cheers!

Want to see the new GrimmSpeed HQ?  Check it out right here.

Because even though it's a couch, red still makes it faster.

Nothing wrong with being proud of it!!

Where the innovation begins.

A group of GrimmSpeed Top Mount Intercoolers ready to be packaged up and sent out.

Several GrimmSpeed Up Pipes read to get sent to their respective owners and resellers.  Perfection!!

Lots of room for activities!

Some raw tubing freshly bent and cut, ready to accept the finishing touches and some nice powder coat.

Cranking out more smiles per gallon.  Someone's got to do it.

The proper display items.

Manly art.

Some beautiful downpipes ready for inspection and packaging.

Even the oil caps are precise.  This stuff isn't magic, it's well designed and manufactured.

Please feel free to leave a comment below or share!

Click here to view Grimmspeed's part lineup right here at EdgeAutosport.com.

Get in touch.

GrimmSpeed
650 Taft St NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
(612)-379-0000
or at
grimmspeed.com

Powertrain

• Cobb AccessPort v3
• Roush Intake System
• ATP Turbo Intercooler System
• Mountune Charge Pipes
• TR3 Catless Downpipe
• Roush 3″ Exhaust System with Black Powder Coated Tips
• Tial Q Blowoff Valve
• Breedt Intake Runner Spacer
• AEM Water Methanol Injection Kit
• Denso ITV22 Spark Plugs
• Moroso Oil Catch Can with Boomba Racing Check Valve
• Steeda Sound Symposer Delete with Boost Reference
• ATP Turbo GTX2867R with 0.64 A/R Turbine Housing

Drivetrain

• Boomba Racing Rear Engine Mount
• Turbo Tech Racing Upper Engine Mount
• Breedt Quick Shift Arm

Suspension

• Eibach Sportline Lowering Springs

Interior

• Cobb Shift Knob

Exterior

• Hexis Olympic Blue Vinyl Wrap
• 3M 1080 Gloss Black Vinyl Wrapped Roof
• Triple R Front Splitter
• Avant Garde m310 Wheels

Photos Courtesy of LAKfoto’s.

Because of our involvement in the aftermarket side of the turbocharging world, we want to educate those of you that are interested in upgrading your turbo to a higher flowing, higher performing version.  We get tons of questions surrounding this subject and I know this will help many of you that aren’t sure which direction to take or what the physical parts that are being changed are.  We’ll discuss more about aftermarket turbocharging in later parts but Part 1 will contain basic information about what parts of a turbocharger are important and why you need to consider all these details when selecting your turbo upgrade path.  As always, please email, message, or call us for any further questions on how to properly achieve your goals with your car!  We’re here to help you!!

Here is a list of the most important parts of a turbocharger and how they relate to your desired setup.  How to choose the right turbo setup is right around the corner with a little bit of reading!

Compressor Housing

The compressor housing of the turbocharger is the section that directs intake air in and out of the housing in a radial direction (almost all automotive turbos use this method), meaning the opposite direction of the axis of the wheel, and into the engine.  The compressor housing can often be called the “cold” side of the turbo.  The “hot” side is a common turbine housing reference which will be covered later.  This is because it is taking in fresh, cooler air from the atmosphere (although it is not cold air being sent to the engine, it’s still relatively hot after being compressed).  Simply put, the compressor housing houses the compressor wheel and directs the airflow in and out of the turbo.  The compressor inlet is where the air is pulled in and the compressor outlet is where the compressed air is then sent out.

Compressor Wheel

The compressor wheel is the device inside the compressor housing that is drawing air into the compressor housing and sending it to the engine.  Atmospheric “air” is made up of various gases, including mainly oxygen and can be compressed, meaning you can shove more air in the same volume than what was there before.  For a car’s engine, that means a turbo can create more air in a specific space than what is in the atmosphere and send it into the engine.  The more air an engine can take in and mix with fuel, the more power it has the ability to make.  It’s basically a highly engineered fan blade.  Many turbocharger wheels have the ability to spin well over 200,000 rpms!!

Turbine Housing

On the opposite side of the turbo’s compressor wheel, another “fan blade”, if you will, is connected to it and spins at the exact same speed because it is connected by a shaft in the middle.  The turbine housing is where the exhaust gases collect as they leave the engine and are guided to the turbine wheel, then sent out of the turbine housing.  It’s basically doing the same thing as the compressor housing as far as moving air, except it is doing it with exhaust gases.  And instead of pulling air in, the exhaust is being pushed through the housing to force the turbine wheel to spin.  The SIZE of the turbine housing has a lot to do with how the turbocharger performs, specifically how quickly it spools and how well it flows at higher RPMs.  Many of the same size turbos come with different size options for the turbine housing to manipulate how the turbo performs based on what type of racing or driving you are doing.  We’ll get more into this after Part 1.

Turbine Wheel

The turbine wheel is connected to the compressor wheel by a shaft.  The exhaust gases leaving the engine enter the turbine housing, where the turbine wheel is located inside of, and spins the wheel.  The exhaust gases carry much more heat energy and higher pressure which help drive the wheel to spin very quickly, ultimately spinning the other side of the turbo where it pulls in and compresses the air.

CHRA – Ball Bearing and Journal Bearing

CHRA is an acronym for Center Housing and Rotating Assembly.  This is the center section of the turbo that houses the bearings and center shaft.  It allows the compressor and turbine wheels to spin as freely as possible but keeping the center axle connecting the two wheels as stable as possible to prevent movement.  If you’ve ever felt what 20psi of air feels like, you know even that much has quite a punch to it when released, let alone 30 or 40psi.  If you thought that was a lot, the exhaust side, especially if it’s heavily restricted, is seeing much higher pressure than that, something triple or quadruple the amount.  All the while, the wheel is spinning 100,000 rpms or more.  If anything moves or goes wrong while the wheels are spinning at that speed, you can count on a catastrophic turbo failure, sometimes even damaging other parts as it sends shrapnel through the intake and/or exhaust system.  During the turbo’s operation, there is oil and coolant flowing through this CHRA section in order to lubricate the bearings and cool the center of the turbo since it operates in extreme heat and high spinning revolutions.

Journal Bearing CHRA

A journal bearing CHRA features a plain style bearing where the shaft that joins the compressor and turbine wheels together spins inside of a sleeve.  The sleeve has holes in it at multiple points to allow oil in and create a lubrication barrier for the shaft to spin inside of.  There is also a thrust bearing that prevents movement from side to side during heavy load operation while the turbine wheel is forcing its way back towards the turbo under high boost.  It also helps stabilize the compressor wheel to not only prevent movement but also keep the turbo mechanically efficient which means flowing as much air as possible.  Journal bearings typically require a much greater amount of oil since they are more reliant on it for cooling and the larger contact area of the bearing to the shaft.  It also helps absorb much of the force being applied to the shaft during operation, sort of like a cushion.

Ball Bearing CHRA

A ball bearing CHRA is a newer style (although not new, in general).  This style uses balls located inside of bearing cages that spin and move along with the shaft.  They are not physically connected to the shaft so they move on their own but they provide much less surface area to move on as they spin and move inside of the bearing cage.  This allows much less friction as the center shaft spins which ultimately means less drag as the shaft spins.  This has helped turbo manufacturers create turbos with faster all around response including initial spool going from no boost to full boost and transient response which happens during gear shifts, partial throttle to full throttle, etc.

In later parts, we’ll not only revisit the benefits of some of these turbocharger components but we’ll extend further into basic principles of selecting a turbocharger.  We’ll talk about wastegates, boost controllers, blowoff/bypass valves, flange options and dimensions, and intercoolers.

Spark Plugs

Depending on the condition of your spark plugs, this can be a huge part of helping a car run better.  Over time, spark plugs have the tendency to extend their gap, become fouled, lose some of their energy potential, or worse case scenario, they can break inside the cylinder.  If any of those things happen, chances are that your engine is losing power and efficiency.  You can typically hear or feel a misfire, especially if it exists in more than one cylinder.  Replacing spark plugs can help give an old engine a little bit of new life.  It’s important that all the fuel in the cylinder gets burned not only to make power but also to help the efficiency of the motor.  We carry NGK and Denso spark plugs which are used highly in both OEM applications and racing applications.  Of course, changing the spark plugs on a Subaru boxer engine is another story…

Spark plugs come in well under $150 for a set of 4.

Shifter Bushings

Subaru might have given you a healthy dose of power in the turbo Subaru you bought but they also made sure it was comfortable.  Bushings around the entire chassis play a huge role in that.  The suspension, engine, and transmission are all mounted to the chassis using bushings.  The bushings not only support the external components bolted to the chassis but they also absorb NVH (noise, vibration, harshness).  This makes the car comfortable but also compromises some of the performance.  Installing bushings in the shifter assembly is relatively easy and is done from underneath the car.  This allows less movement in the entire shifter assembly as you’re going through the gears, helping you feel more confident selecting each gear and moving through them quicker and easier.  This has to be one of the best “bang for the buck” modifications you can make to your Subaru.

Subaru shifter bushings also come in well under $100 and are available from many manufacturers in many colors including Cobb Tuning, Kartboy, Perrin, Beatrush, Torque Solution, and Cusco.

Brake Pads

As long as you can machine your rotors, commonly known as “turning” your rotors, you can get new brake pads by themselves and use them with the machined rotors or a new set of rotors.  Worst case scenario, you’ll need rotors as well which would ultimately put you over $150 but as an upgrade alone, a nice set of brake pads will have a substantial impact on how your car performs under braking, especially at the track or during autocross events.  I won’t go into too much detail about how different brake pads perform and the advantages and disadvantages.  We have a great article on that right here on our site.  But a nice set of street/track mixed use brake pads are generally much better at reeling in your car from high speeds and many of them can even drastically reduce the amount of dark brake dust that makes its way on your wheels.

Some racing pads will cost more than $150 per axle but almost all street pads and direct OE replacement style pads will be less than $150.

License Plate Relocator

This one is about as easy as it gets!! There are a few kits out there but none do it quite like the Grimmspeed license plate relocation kit.  It offers a slim, simple design and gives you the ability to mount the plate in multiple places on the tow hook mount to position it in the location you want.  This is one of those mods that totally changes the front look of a street car with little work and it keeps you legal!  Many people just take their front plate off to clean up the front end and keep solid airflow to the radiator and intercooler (if upgraded) but that might interfere with local laws.  This gives you the best of both worlds.

Pitch Stop Mount

The Subaru pitch stop mount upgrade is a great way to upgrade the performance and feel of the car for a small out of pocket cost.  The Torque Solution pitch stop mount, shown above, is easily under $100.  They replace the factory version that features rubber inserts for the bushings.  Most aftermarket performance pitch stop versions feature urethane bushings which are much more solid and will move much less.  As the engine puts out power, it leverages itself against the chassis which is what motor mounts are for, aside from holding the engine in the car.  The pitch stop mount is easy to install and helps prevent movement of the motor which helps the car direct its power to the ground better and gives the driver a better, more direct feel.

There are many others available including those from Beatrush, Kartboy, and Perrin.

 Turbo Heat Shield or Blanket

Naturally, since a turbo operates off of the exhaust stream, it gets extremely hot, especially under high performance situations where the turbo is constantly working hard.  Because the turbo sits in the engine bay, it can heat up that space pretty quickly which raises intake air temperatures, reduces rubber and silicone hose life, and ultimately hurts performance, among other things.  Putting a barrier around or on your turbo like the Cobb Tuning turbo heat shield or a DEI turbo blanket, both shown here, will greatly reduce under hood temperatures.  Keeping heat energy in the turbo and exhaust system also helps the exhaust flow better and the turbo to spool faster.  Thermal barrier products are also available from PTP Turbo Blankets, Grimmspeed, Perrin, and others.

Short Throw Shifter

A Subaru short throw shifter is perfect for anyone that thinks the length that the shifter has to travel to shift gears is too much (which is almost anyone reading this).  Picture being able to get in to gear with about 50% of the effort you use now.  Awesome, huh?  That’s what these do.  Many of them, including the Go Fast Bits short throw shifter and the Cobb Tuning short throw shifter, shown above, are actually adjustable, too.  The user has the ability to change the amount of throw they experience, although even the most conservative setting is shorter than stock.  This is huge because when you’re driving the car, no matter how far or how often, you must shift.  This ends up being a highly used modification that rewards you over and over.

Shift Knob

Most of the time, a shift knob isn’t going to make a massive difference in feel, unless it’s a weighted knob.  However, for a very low cost, you can pick up a nicely made shift knob that feels better in your hand as your shifting and lets everyone who sits in the car, including yourself, know that you pay attention to the details!  There are many shift knobs out there in many styles and colors.  Take your pick and it’s as easy as unscrewing the old and threading on the new!  Make sure you get the right knob for either a 5 speed or 6 speed!  The 5 speed knob has a shift boot retainer as shown in the Cobb Knob pictured above.

Stainless Steel Braided Brake Lines

A set of stainless steel braided brake lines on your Subi will provide a GREAT feeling brake pedal.  The factory rubber lines flex outward when under pressure.  That translates into a “spongy” feeling in the brake pedal and instead of the pressure being applied to the caliper and the pad, it is slightly relieved and not applied.  This is where stainless lines come into play.  They provide a much more solid feel for the driver and inspires much more confidence during braking by sending that pressure to the caliper and pad instead of against the walls of the hose.  While especially useful at the track, make no mistake, they are just as useful on the street.

Our favorites are from Goodridge, Stoptech, and Techna-fit.

Engine Shrouds

A nicer looking engine shroud or cover isn’t a life changing experience like putting on a rotated turbo kit.  However, it’s right in front of you when you open your hood and if positioned correctly along with a good color scheme, even if that color scheme is black, it can make the engine bay look so much better.  On top, every driver feels different driving down the road with something better on their car, even if they can’t feel it.  Out of sight, out of mind does NOT apply to enthusiasts and their cars!

Many radiator and alternator covers like these shown here from Perrin Performance are under $100.

HAVE QUESTIONS OR NEED TO GET A HOLD OF US?  CALL, EMAIL, OR CHAT WITH US ONLINE! 
http://www.edgeautosport.com
PHONE: 303-268-2140
EMAIL: sales@edgeautosport.com

Need some eye candy?  Here you go.  We have to say, on top of being some of the best performing turbos out there, they are probably the best looking too.

Just so you know what level of performance a Precision turbo can give you, consider the cars that are currently running Precision turbochargers.

Hennessey Venom GT
Troy Coughlin’s NHRA Pro Modified Championship Cars
Bruno Massel’s NHRA Comp Eliminator Chevy Cobalt (7.20 @ 190.64mph)
James Kempf’s Outlaw SFWD Honda Civic (7.91 @ 196mph)
Johnny Bohmer’s Fastest Standing Mile Record Holder Ford GT (283.232mph)

Check out what these things are capable of right here.

Hennessey Venom GT 270+ MPH

Troy Coughlin’s Pro Mod GTO

Johnny Bohmer’s Fastest Standing Mile Record Holder 283+ MPH

ETS and Lucas Racing’s Mitsubishi EVO

Along with the big boys there are many street, drift, drag, time attack, and other types of cars with completely functional setups running both bigger and smaller Precision turbos making awesome power and doing it very efficiently.  From Subaru WRXs and Mitsubishi EVOs to Chevy Camaros and Ford Mustangs, Precision is a solid choice to turn your car into the beast you want it to be.

Precision Turbochargers feature many unique designs and developments including:

• Machined From Solid (MFS) Compressor Wheels
• Competition Engineered Aerodynamics (CEA) Turbine Wheels
• Competition Engineered Aerodynamics (CEA) Compressor Wheels
• Built-in Boost Ports in the Compressor Housings
• Journal Bearing and Ball Bearing Versions of Many Popular Turbos
• Optional Stainless Steel Turbine Housings
• Huge Turbine Housing Size and Flange Selection
• Much More

Please don’t hesitate to contact us to find out what Precision turbo setup is perfect for you.  We have many years of combined experience helping customers find the right parts for their application and helping them make the best experience possible from their high performance vehicles.

Here are some links to some of the most popular Precision Turbo and Engine turbochargers.

Precision 5558 CEA, Precision 5858 CEA, Precision 6262 CEA, Precision 6266 CEA, or click here to see all Precision Turbo products.

Wondering what the numbers mean?  Here is a basic guide.

The first 2 numbers in the set of 4 suggest the inducer diameter of the compressor wheel (small part).  The last 2 numbers in the set of 4 suggests the inducer diameter of the turbine wheel (large part).  Both numbers are measured in millimeters (mm).

Find us at edgeautosport.com, email us at a href="mailto:sales@edgeautosport.com">sales@edgeautosport.com, or call us at 303-268-2140.  We’d love to hear from you!

The first few questions you need to ask yourself are as follows.

• What kind of car is the brake pad being used on?
• What kind of driving are you doing?
• What is your budget?

The budget question can be answered right away.  If you are looking for the absolute cheapest brake pad, a ceramic pad is not the best option.  Due to the technology and materials behind a ceramic brake pad, it simply costs more to make and to produce.  However, depending on if it’s a good fit for the car, it is typically worth the extra cost.  We’ll get more into why you might or might now want a ceramic brake pad setup a little further in.

If you have a truck, SUV, or something hauling heavier loads on a regular basis, or even a heavier vehicle in general, ceramic is typically not a good choice.  Ceramic brake pads are not meant for heavy duty use like the semi-metallic brake pads are.  Braking performance becomes very important for heavy duty use, almost as much as it does a for high performance race car.  This means pad selection is important for heavier duty vehicles too.  For the sake of this article, we will stick to high performance cars only.

The type of driving you will be doing is the main factor in choosing the correct brake pad.  Like mentioned before, we’ll be focusing on high performance vehicle braking only with this article.  We’ll start with a basic understanding of the advantages and disadvantages to each type of brake pad material.

Ceramic brake pads are known to be the best overall pad you can buy for most normal driving circumstances.  They have a large range of temperatures that they are still effective in.  They offer good wear properties and have low noise and dust which is the main reason why consumers have demanded more ceramics to be put out on the market.  Although they are a great overall pad for the street, they do have their limits in the overall peak ability to perform well for longer periods of time in high performance driving situations.  If you never see a track, ceramic pads are a great way to increase braking power, reduce dust and noise, and still offer great performance.

Semi-Metallic brake pads are the go to brake pad for anybody demanding that their brakes take them to the next level of high performance.  They don’t have great bite until they’ve been heated up to a certain point but most of them are still fine under normal circumstances, even when somewhat cold.  The concept behind a semi-metallic pad is to use materials that will withstand higher temperatures and still continue to “bite” the rotor and maintain a high level of friction.  Although this means that more dust is created, more noise can occur, and it eats away at the rotor faster, performance is not compromised.  At the end of the day, when you need them to perform having more dust or a faster wearing pad and rotor is what has to be compromised for going faster (or stopping faster).

Organic brake pads are known to be the standard pad that any given car will typically come with if high performance is not the most important consideration.  They are inexpensive, they have good braking performance under normal circumstances, and they’re a good all around brake pad for daily use.  They will get the job done for any car going to work, running errands, getting the family around, and occasionally needing to stomp on the brakes.

After showing you the basic advantages and disadvantages of each type of pad material, now we’ll go into what we recommend you select, based on your intended use.  There are a handful of situations that any given enthusiast chooses to participate in.  Most people will fall into any one of these categories but if you don’t, choose as close to a similar situation as possible.  We’ll also give examples of certain pads you can use that are available through our store.

If you are the type that uses your car to run to the grocery store, go out for a casual weekend cruise, or put your car on display and nothing else, organic brake pads or ceramic brake pads are a good choice.  Ceramic is a great choice for the cleanliness and low noise but if you don’t car to spend the extra money for better pad characteristics, an organic pad will work just fine.

A ceramic brake pad compound is probably best for this scenario.  Although we never advise it, going fast is just something you eventually do if you have a fast car (safely, of course).  On the street, unpredictable circumstances, for example, 90 year old grandparents in their Cadillac slamming on the brakes or merging negligently, cause quick and unexpected use of your brakes.  You need to be able to reel in the car quickly with street use.  Meanwhile, ceramic pads still have a good operating range so they can still brake hard after heating them up on a quick deceleration from higher speeds.  Meanwhile, they’re nice to your rotors and wear slowly.

Depending on what type of track use, a performance ceramic pad might still do the trick.  If you do quick autocross sessions, a ceramic pad will still provide excellent braking ability and get you home feeling just fine if you need to use the brakes more than normal.  If you want to do longer track sessions with higher speed decelerations, you’ll definitely want a semi-metallic brake pad.  Even 2-3 laps around a high speed track can develop a significant amount of heat in the pad.  Ceramic will eventually reach its limit of providing good friction levels.

The bottom line is that repeated use of the brakes during high speed scenarios will get your brakes hot and keep them there.  You absolutely cannot compromise brake pad ability if this is the situation you are in.  Bad brakes will not only compromise how fast you can go around the track but also your safety if they are not able to perform.  The last thing you want is to go off the track or run straight into another car on the track because your pads don’t bite.  That’s a decision based error on what equipment is on your car.  The higher powered and faster the vehicle is, the more important it is to choose an aggressive pad.  The amount of friction taking place at high speed makes it necessary to have something that works over and over again.

To shop for your own brake pad application, click on the following links.

All brake pads!
EBC Brake Pads
Hawk Performance Brake Pads
StopTech Brake Pads

From Revvolution themselves, “It won’t be a tame build either as we are going the turbocharged route along with a custom wide-body. We want to push the performance levels of the FA20 engine, and exploit the advantages of an air suspension setup for performance applications that still want some form with their function.” 

I think that’s enough said.  As with any of the very few current turbo Subaru BRZ builds, you’ll want to keep an eye out for this build, there’s much more to come.

The best way to check out what’s going on with their build is to visit their site for full articles, pictures, content, commentary, etc. on the car.  We’ve never seen such in depth testing, information, and reflection on what the car is, how it behaves, what they are doing and why they are doing it. 

We are extremely proud to be a partner on this build and we’re excited to learn about the car for ourselves, as well, through their efforts.  We’ll continue to update you on what is being done to the BRZ but if you want to the most in depth and recent news, check them out here. 

And this is only the first Revvolution build to date…

For more info on this awesome build, head over to Revvolution.com.

We named the build “Project Juvenile” for what the car is and what it represents to us.  Let’s face it, 4 cylinder turbocharged hatchbacks aren’t at the top of the automotive food chain.  To us, they represent a more youthful car.  They are super useful for just about anyone but at the same time, you can be young and rebellious with it.  Besides, if any hatchback could turn you into a delinquent, this is it.  So here it is.

Project Juvenile in its infancy, like a kid on a playground…

But what fun is a car if you don’t modify it?  Project Juvenile Part 2 is coming soon….

For our 2013 Focus ST project, we really want to push the car to a new level of performance, style, and handling for a street car.  Our goals are to expose what can be done with the products that are available in our store without hardly any custom work at all, if any.  Everybody loves to look up to the wide-body, huge turbo, caged track car examples of what they have.  Although many are incredible, it’s extremely difficult to attain those goals and maintain the ability to use the car on a daily basis or for basic purposes.  Plus, money output is a huge priority for any given customer.  Our goal is to show you what you can reasonably do to the car in terms of the wallet and the reliability.  Keep your eye out for more on Project Juvenile.  We’ll be adding a full lineup of parts including exhaust, downpipe, intake, a new front mount intercooler, and more.  This is just the beginning.

This year, Edge Autosport is giving back.  We’ve had an incredible year and we’d like to show our appreciation during the Thanksgiving holiday by giving back to our customers.  We are going to be having some incredible deals that we don’t have at any other point throughout the year.  This is a great chance to pick up something you’ve been mulling over for a while or waiting for the perfect deal on.

Deals will apply to tons of parts from intakes to turbo kits and everything in between.  Coilovers, springs, turbos, exhausts, downpipes, shift knobs, blowoff valves, engine components, clutches, intercoolers, and more…it’s all on sale!

We will be having deals on several brands including but not limited to:

• ARK Performance
• DBA (Disc Brakes Australia)
• CP-E
• Cobb Tuning
• Autotech
• Clutchmasters
• ETS
• Deatschwerks
• Injector Dynamics
• StopTech
• GrimmSpeed
• H&R
• HKS
• Cusco
• Go Fast Bits
• MBRP
• KSport
• Devil’s Own
• Spec Clutch
• Mishimoto
• Process West
• KW Suspension
• K1 Technologies

And MORE…..There are too many to put in one blog!

In order to find out our deals, sign up for our newsletter by visiting EdgeAutosport.com and on any page, scroll down and enter your name and email in the “Newsletter” section.  Next week, we’ll email you all of our deals and how to take advantage.  It will be uber-simple!  Some of the prices are so low, that we won’t be able to advertise them all due to manufacturer policies.  We’ll share as much as we can, but to get EVERY deal, you must be on our mailing list.

As always, you can also use the opportunity to open up or use your existing PayPal BillMeLater account to help pay for anything you choose and you can pay it back over a period of up to 6 months without paying any interest or fees.  The entire checkout process is extremely simple.  You select “PayPal” as your method of payment at checkout, select payment through your BillMeLater account, and continue checking out through EdgeAutosport.com.  It’s as simple as Pumpkin Pie.

Please don’t hesitate to ask us any questions.  We’ll be glad to help, as we always are at Edge Autosport.

Happy Holidays everyone, and Happy Modding!!!