Description
MPP is proud to have been the first to offer an OEM caliper big brake upgrade for Tesla vehicles with our Model 3 365mm BBK. We are looking forward to offering a similarly high value, high capability upgrade for your Tesla Model S Plaid brakes, as well as all 2021+ Model S vehicles. Much has been made of the poor brakes that came factory equipped on the 1000+ horsepower, 5000lb Model S Plaid. While investigating the brake system, we found that the OEM caliper wasn’t so much the issue as was the shrouded OEM rotor that had no active air pumping vanes.
Any brake system can remove heat only through the rotor or external ducting. No matter how large the caliper and pads you put on your car – the ultimate limit comes from the thermal equilibrium – how much heat you put into the brakes versus how much heat the brakes are able to shed. With a low-drag, 1000hp car, you can imagine that there’s a LOT of energy that can be put into these brakes.
Our rotors use curved vanes which turn the rotor into an air pump – the faster the wheel rotates, the more cool air is sucked from the inside of the rotor and pumped outwards through the vanes – which increases the cooling capacity of the rotor far above what a standard vane rotor would have. All motorsport and racing rotors use directional curved vanes, and that is the critical difference between the OEM rotors that allow this kit to shed so much more heat.
We wanted to come up with a solution that was cost-effective, that just about any Plaid owner could upgrade to, achieving the brakes that the car should have come with factory. Our elegant solution allows you to keep your OEM calipers, makes installation straightforward and easy, and allows for a much larger, visually appealing rotor. While these brakes might not be able to last a 3-hour endurance race, the good news is that with the right pad there is enough capacity to be able to enjoy laps on the track without worrying. If you’re driving on the street or drag racing, you can rest easy knowing that these brakes will shed the heat you put into them and be ready for your next heavy brake application.
The difference between 400mm and the OEM 380mm really makes a stunning visual impact with 20″ wheels, and these brakes finally do not look undersized for the car. In addition, the added diameter gives a little bit more front brake bias which we’ve discovered is very much needed with higher grip tires on this platform – it had too much rear brake bias to begin with.
Unlike some 2pc rotors, these rotors will never make any noise or disc rattle, and by using an aluminum hat we are able to shed a significant amount of zero value weight while looking incredible. It’s win-win. In addition, these rotors have the OEM pad annulus (pad height) so you are not restricted to one pad supplier. Any aftermarket pads will be compatible with our discs.
Our big brake kit installs in less than one hour and is fully reversible. The factory caliper’s brake line does not need to be disconnected – the caliper is simply removed, the new rotor installed, and the caliper spacers inserted prior to bolting the new caliper up. Suddenly you have brakes in line with what should have been equipped from the factory.
