Armoured Brake KitsAce Armour Products are proud to be the Middle East Agents for StopTech, Bilstein & Eibach

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Ace Armour Products are proud to be the Middle East Agents for StopTech. StopTech is the high performance and racing brand from Centric Parts – a leading innovator of world class brake components and systems for production-based race cars and high performance vehicles on the street and track. We at Ace Armour are pleased to announce that Stop Tech now designs, manufactures a wide range of heavy duty brake components for military, armoured and other speciality vehicle applications.

The added weight means these vehicles will require much higher thermal capacity in the braking system.

To meet the unique challenges these vehicles present, StopTech incorporates specific design aspects to manage the heat generated.  StopTech rotors, with their patented AeroVane internal vane design can flow air up to 61 percent better than stock brake rotors. Better airflow means better cooling, and better cooling means less brake fade. Having brakes perform well every single time is critical no matter the type of vehicle driven, especially in this vehicle segment.

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Larger calipers with optimized piston sizing are another carefully engineered aspect of StopTech Specialty Brake Kits. StopTech’s 2-piece calipers resist yaw with StopTech’s patented bridge and high carbon steel bolts making them stiffer than even some monobloc calipers on the market.

The goal of StopTech engineers is to as closely as possible simulate the same driving experience found in the base vehicles. Even though vehicle weight may have doubled over the standard vehicle, brake pedal feel, vehicle stability, stopping power and durability need to match or exceed the factory system. Drivers should be able to pilot these vehicles in the same manner as they would a stock truck or SUV, with similar stopping distances, pedal feel and fade resistance.

Vehicle Testing


ST-HD Brake System Testing on Toyota LC200 Platform

The data and content of this report has been pulled from two locations or testing sources.


StopTech, Compton California
Test vehicle was a 2012 Lexus LX 570

  • Simulated light armor configuration with 1420 lb of ballast in addition to passenger and driver, with each axle at its factory rated gross axle weight (3595 lb front, 4300 lb rear, Manufactures max GVW). Weight was distributed on the floorboards of the vehicle, 60 percent behind the driver/passenger seat and 40 percent behind the second row of seats.

United Arab Emirates
Test vehicles was a 2012 LC – 200

  • Armored protected vehicle B6 with a loaded weight of 11,000 pounds

Stop Tech Testing
Two brake configurations were tested, each with freshly-installed, new components:

    • OE-equivalent Centric Premium rotors and original equipment Toyota pads with OEM calipers.
      • Front Rotors: 340 x 32mm, straight-vane
      • Rear Rotors: 345 x 18mm, straight-vane
  • ST-HD six-piston and four-piston calipers, directional vane rotors and performance pads
    • Front Rotors: 354 x 34mm, AeroVane
    • Front Calipers: ST-HD six-piston
    • Rear Rotors: 354 x 28mm, AeroVane
    • Rear Calipers: ST-HD four-piston

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  • Stopping tests were conducted from 40-0, 60-0, 80-0 and 100-0 mph with both brake configurations. ABS was activated on all stops performed.
  • OEM-Equivalent Components:
    • Testing from 60-0 mph was interrupted after 10 stops due to brake fade.
    • Brake fade was experienced on 40-0 stops 11 and 12, 60-0 stops 9 and 10, 80-0 stop 4.
    • Average 60-0 mph stopping distance before fade: 143 ft (43.5m)
    • Average 80-0 mph stopping distance before fade: 249 ft (75.9m)
  • StopTech STHD Components:
    • Completed 16 successful 60-0 stops with no noticeable brake fade.
    • No noticeable brake fade experienced during all testing.
    • Average 60-0 mph stopping distance: 134 ft (40.8m)
    • Average 80-0 mph stopping distance: 241 ft (73.5m)

Details

  • Analysis of hydraulic pressure measurements indicates that the original equipment brake system suffers substantially from rear-led fade – the small rotor and pad overheat and lose friction capacity steadily, finally resulting in the front system being overheated and stopping distance increasing dramatically.
  • StopTech’s ST-HD caliper system substantially increases rear-axle thermal capacity and pad volume, preventing this runaway condition. Furthermore, pressure measurements show that useful brake capacity reserve is available on the rear axle to support additional armor and payload weight increase.
  • Measurements before and after testing show the actual consumption of friction material mass was reduced by 46 percent front and 18 percent rear, even though the total braking work done by the ST-HD system was 34 percent greater over the course of the testing that was completed. Combined with increases of 86 percent front and 36 percent rear in friction material loaded, the miles between brake services may be doubled.

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  • The Land Cruiser equipped with the ST-HD system achieved a consistent stopping distance of 90-100 feet, with complete control and stability in all stops.
  • The Land Cruiser equipped with original equipment brakes exhibited directional instability, tremendously limiting driver confidence and control, and a stopping distance of 140-145 feet, increasing with each further stop by 2-4 further feet as the brakes overheated and faded.

United Arab Emirates Testing

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The above photo shows the physical separation of the lead vehicle with OE brakes compared to an identical LC 200 with the ST-HD brake system, stopping from 60mph.

  • Testing was conducted in the field between two armored Land Cruisers, at approximately 11,000 lbs loaded. Both vehicles were armored to B6 levels, and testing was conducted on a smooth tarmac road surface with air temperatures at 30 Centigrade.
    • 5 stops from 100-0 km/h were conducted with each vehicle/system

The ST – HD system consistently stopped 40-50 feet shorter than the OE equipped vehicle.

  • The Land Cruiser equipped with the ST-HD system achieved a consistent stopping distance of 90-100 feet, with complete control and stability in all stops.

The Land Cruiser equipped with original equipment brakes exhibited directional instability, tremendously limiting driver confidence and control, and a stopping distance of 140-145 feet, increasing with each further stop by 2-4 further feet as the brakes overheated and faded.

United Arab Emirates Test Summary

Though time and equipment did not allow measurements with the precision of those obtained by StopTech’s engineering group, the tests indicated dramatic improvements from the first stop and directionally as much as 50 percent reduction in braking distance with the ST-HD brake system after several stops. The results achieved in the UAE were performed on 2 – B6 armored LC200s’, the results achieved in the USA were on a stock LX570 with 1420lb of ballast added. This creates some differences obviously in the numbers, but not in the overall direction of the results.

In summary the ST-HD system provides a significant performance increase, extended service life, and increase vehicle stability/safety during hard braking. The prototype systems are now being updated and converted to production parts.

They are designed to be used in conjunction with 17” X 7J, 17’ X 8J, and all 18/19” wheels.

Production systems are available ex Stock California, from July 2012 onwards.

Further testing on vehicles is being done, and the results will be updated to reflect this.

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