Centric Again Leads the Pack with the Widest Range of Brake Component Coverage for 2012

Centric Parts has always led the field in offering the widest range of brake products for the widest range of motor vehicle applications - and 2012 is no different. With the recent releases of the new 2012 Brake Systems Catalog and the Library Edition, Vol. 2, Centric has established the definitive listings of brake and clutch components, seals, wheel bearings and hubs. With more than 30,000 part numbers and thousands of vehicles covered between Centric's Power Slot, StopTech and Centric brands, it is extremely unlikely that Centric won't have the right part for your vehicle.

To ensure that this is always true, Centric is usually among the first to obtain OEM brake components for every new model released by the manufacturers - to carefully measure and document each and every change. That is why Centric has continually led the industry with more FMSI entries than any other company out there.

For 2012 we have added over 80 new vehicles to our catalog, and more than 4,800 part number listings overall. And when our catalogs hit the stands, you can rest assured that we have the parts in stock. Others claim availability practically as soon as they learn of a new vehicle being unveiled. Centric, on the other hand, only announces a new part when it is ready to go. That's our "Right Part, Right Place, Right Time, Right Price" philosophy in action. We were the first to market, for instance, with replacement parts for vehicles like the new Fiat 500, the new BMW F10 5 series, Nissan Leaf, Buick Verano, Chevy Sonic, 2012 Ford Focus, and many more.

Soon we will be adding several other new catalogs to complete the 2012 library of Centric Parts offerings. Watch for the new versions of our Medium Duty, Performance, Mexico and other catalogs in the coming months.

SEMA Day 3 Recap - Trophy Kits, Farewell to Booth Truck and more

The news of the day 3 at SEMA was the announcement that StopTech Trophy Sport Big Brake Kits, which were rolled out at SEMA 2009 for a limited number for applications, are now available for the over 700 platforms that StopTech’s traditional BBKs are available for. 

The Trophy Sport Big Brake Kit is a street-friendly version of the company’s race-winning, track-only Trophy Big Brake Kit.  Only a few modifications separate the StopTech Trophy Sport Big Brake Kit from the Trophy Big Brake Kit, which premiered at the start of the 2009 race season and has since helped drivers capture checkered flags and set records on tracks across the country.

StopTech’s Trophy Sport Big Brake Kits can perform under heavy track day conditions, but can still be driven as daily transportation without the increased maintenance requirements associated with dedicated racing components.

At the end of day 3, the StopTech crew had to say good-bye to the Speed Technologies Unlimited 2 class off road racing vehicle on that had been a resident of the booth all week.  This surprisingly wide vehicle is heading across town to be piloted by Jeff Ward in the next stop of the 2010 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series this weekend.  The truck sports StopTech Off-Road Big Brake Kits based on the Trophy Big Brake Kit design with additional features added for off-road use to deliver stopping performance in harsh off road environments.

The Identify This Car SEMA Challenge continued over at www.Facebook.com/StopTech.  Eliot E kept his firm grip on the lead while no clear candidate for runner up has emerged yet.  Players will be tasked with identifying the make and model of cars parked on the SEMA exhibit from a single close up photo.  Several rounds are planned for Day 4 so it might be a photo finish!

Day 2 at SEMA: Cool Brakes and Hot Cars plus Touring BBKs debut

Day 2 of SEMA 2010 brought the big news about a whole new line of Big Brake Kits from StopTech.  The company’s new Touring Big Brake Kits deliver StopTech performance and innovation at an entry level price.  You can read the full press release on the Centric Parts site.

These kits combine StopTech’s legendary, patented, colored ST-40 four piston with a one piece performance rotor enhanced with Power Alloy for improved stopping power and superior resistance to cracking in performance driving situations.  A set of StopTech street performance brake pads and other extras round out the package.  These kits are a perfect upgrade on a budget.

The Identify This Car SEMA Challenge continues with StopTech’s  Facebook fans racing to identify the make and model of varios cars from a close up photo of one vehicle detail.  Eliot E bolted ahead of the pack during the day, so we have added a present that will go to the runner up.  Jump in and have fun at www.facebook.com/stoptech.

Day 2 also saw many of the StopTech equipped vehicle on the exhibit floor grab some media attention.

The star of the show appears to be the new Honda CR-Z.  Motor Trend, Inside Line, Auto Guide and more stopped by the Honda booth to profile the CR-Zs there.  It so happens that StopTech’s Big Brake Kit for the CR-Z was just named Best Performance Product of 2010, so as expected a few cars at the Honda booth are sporting StopTech logos on the brakes.  Other have Honda’s HPD brakes on them.  We wonder who designed and engineered those?  ;-) 

Check out the links…

Auto Guide looks at CR-Z

Inside Line and the CR-Z

Three from Motor Trend... Post 1,  Post 2,  Post 3

Mazdaspeed used a slotted StopTech Stage 2 Kit with StopTech pads on its 16-in-wheel MX-5 and got the attention of Inside Line and Car and Driver.

This Mazda3 sedan from SEMA 2009 was shown again, as well as Tri-Point’s Redline Time Attack Mazda3, featuring StopTech brakes. Motor Trend was all over it with this post plus this post.

Auto Guide also took a look at this cool Lexus CT200h with StopTech brakes repainted as F-Sport by the builder.

Stay tuned for another update tomorrow, featuring the third and final announcement from Centric Parts and StopTech for SEMA 2010.

Getting packed for Vegas...

Centric Parts is heading out to Las Vegas next week for Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week 2010. The company will be exhibiting Centric, StopTech and Power Slot innovations at both SEMA in the Las Vegas Convention Center (booth #22761) and AAPEX at the Sands Convention Center (booth #9220)

There will be three big announcements next week from Centric and its divisions - one a day starting Tuesday when the exhibit floors open.

For those who can't make it, there will be plenty of coverage, and some fun extras too, across all of the Centric Parts and StopTech social media channels including The StopTech Blog, The Brake Room, StopTech's Twitter and Facebook pages, plus the Centric Parts YouTube channel.

Facebook and Twitter in particular will play host to a special SEMA edition of Identify This Car. For those who have not been following along, players are tasked with being the first to name the make and model of a car based on an extreme close up picture of a single vehicle feature.

All week long the game will be played featuring cars from the trade show floor, and their will even be a special gift for the winner at the end. So hop on board now by "liking" or "following" StopTech.

For those who are feeling nostalgic for prior SEMA's, here are a StopTech's recap videos from the last two years. Last year featured StopTech's own Howard Hsia as a host, who has since moved his talents behind the camera as the producer of StopTech's popular Brake Decisions videos.

StopTech's New Professional Off-Road Racing Brakes: A Legacy of Dirt

This week StopTech took the cover off of their latest braking endeavor:  off-road racing!  The official press release about the built-for-dirt kits based on StopTech Trophy technology mentions the victory in the desert for Centric Parts CEO Dino Crescentini at a prior Baja 1000.  It's worth noting that dirt runs in the veins of other members of the Centric Parts family too.

Hats off to Chris Kemp for his achievement in the desert. Kemp, a partner and founder of Centric Parts whose team oversees Southern California, finished first in Class 1500, second overall, at the 2010 "Best In The Desert" Vegas to Reno race.

His ride was a 1500 class car from Speed Technologies that ran a solid race from start to finish, which happens to be 500 miles away across brutal and unforgiving terrain. What you call a big pothole on your drive to work wouldn't even make Kemp's radar compared to the pounding craters that assault car and driver on these races.

It took him 9 hours and 20 minutes to claw his way through the desert from his 20th position start to his one-two finish. Here's an interview from the finish line...

Way to go Chris!


Photo Credit: Art Eugenio

New Free Video Series from StopTech Answers Common Brake Upgrade Questions

A new free video series from StopTech answers common brake upgrade questions.  You can read about them here, jump on over to the YouTube Channel where they live, or catch the first three right here...

Video Recap of SEMA and AAPEX

With Christmas around the corner and parts of the country buried under snow, perhaps this video look back at the week in the hot Las Vegas desert that was SEMA and AAPEX 2009...

Centric Parts stars in Kohlweiss Commercial

While Centric Parts didn't go all Hollywood and get a dressing room with its name on the door, it is the star of a Kohlweiss Auto Parts television commerial in Redwood City, California.



Not nearly enough motorists ask for replacement brakes by name, so it's great to see Centric Parts get a tip of the hat.

Now get our agent on the phone.

Kudos for Centric Parts website at AAPEX

Calling it "truly a fine, fine work of art," the Auto International Association (AIA) today handed Centric Parts a Best Website 2009 award at AAPEX in Las Vegas. You can read the press release for the details.

Not bad for the first day of the show. The Centric Parts family has now earned each of the major awards given away over the years. Technically, Centric Parts had a perfect record this year, as Dan Lelchuk revealed to The Brake Room after the ceremony that this was the only award Centric Parts put an entry in for. With all the effort that went into making the site a reality this year, it was a safe bet the site would come out on top at AAPEX.

Centric Celebrates Dual Award Wins

Posted by The Brake Room staff

Centric Parts has picked up a pair of accolades in the past few weeks – from their customers. Automotive Parts Associates and Monro Muffler Brake both singled out Centric Parts for their efforts and successes during recent annual gatherings

Centric Parts was named 2008 Branded Vendor of the Year by Automotive Parts Associates (APA), a leading member-owned cooperative representing over a billion dollars of purchasing power annually, during an award ceremony in Phoenix. APA became a member-owned cooperative in 1994 and has since grown from under 10 warehouses to approaching 200 warehouse locations with more than 350 company owned stores.

This is the second time Centric Parts has earned the honor, having also claimed the title in 2006. APA gives out this award annually to the company with the highest-quality sales force, efficient order fill process, great cataloging and quality products. In particular, Centric Parts was recognized for high order fills, quick turnaround times, being first to market with late model applications, providing and supporting innovative new products, low rate of warranty claims, and exceptional sales and technical support.

Centric Parts also earned a 2008 Vendor Excellence Award from Monro Muffler Brake, Inc., a leading provider of automotive undercar repair and tire services with over 700 locations across the eastern United States. The awards are given out annually to high-performing companies that are reactive to Monro’s needs with a two-way approach to working together to build business.

Monro Brake Muffler has been working with Centric Parts to provide quality replacement brake rotors and drums, brake pads and shoes and hydraulic cylinders to motorists through their over 700 locations. The two companies continue to explore other opportunities to work together such as opening a pipeline for performance brakes products from StopTech, the ultra-performance division of Centric Parts.

The Centric Story

posted by The Brake Room staff

As the presenters of The Brake Room blog, it seems fitting to take a closer look at Centric Parts.

Centric Parts, which includes the StopTech and Power Slot divisions, is a leading manufacturer and supplier of aftermarket brake components and systems for everyday cars, performance duty vehicles and ultra performance vehicles. Centric continually innovates significant improvements to brake technology for the street and track, having earned four patents along the way. Centric’s brake pads, such as the PosiQuiet line of premium Metallic, Ceramic and Extended Wear formulas, provide superior performance, quality and value.

The company was founded in 2000 in Southern California and has enjoyed solid growth every year since. Today the company operates multiple warehouse and manufacturing facilities totaling 438,000 square feet and exceeding 500 employees.

Centric’s executives bring with them extensive experience and insight. Dino Crescentini, CEO of Centric Parts has several successful aftermarket companies under his belt as founder and senior executive, including Autospecialty and StopTech and has been a race car driver for the last three decades. He currently races as part of the SCCA SPEED World Challenge Championships on the Global Motorsports Group team. He will be a regular contributor to The Brake Room during the racing season.

Dan Lelchuk, president of Centric Parts, started in high school with a job at a small auto parts store and has been part of the auto aftermarket business ever since, holding positions with several import parts suppliers including Beck Arnley and Brembo as well as also having worked with Crescentini at Autospecialty. Dan will also post to this blog from time to time to offer a Centric view of the industry plus share some news about the company activities.

Stephen Ruiz, Centric Parts’ Director of Engineering and a recognized industry expert, comes with over 20 years of brake and friction materials experience as well as race car design, engineering, and manufacturing. Steve will begin a regular "Science of Stopping" collumn on this blog starting later today.

The company is rounded out with skilled and seasoned experts from across the industry. This encompassing knowledge of the industry brought by the executive team is further expanded on through Centric’s dedication to research and development. The company has one of the industry’s best programs for tracking and cataloging original equipment, and devising quality aftermarket and OE parts for consumers, mechanics and car makers.

Centric’s catalogs, a practical standard in the industry, now boast over 40,000 braking system parts supporting nearly every make and model from passenger cars to medium duty trucks manufactured since 1937. In the process, the company has earned a string of braking technology patents, has been repeatedly awarded by the Friction Materials Standards Institute for catalog and program excellence, and has earned the highly coveted TÜV approval on several big brake kits.

Originally focusing on replacement parts for everyday use, Centric parts has aggressively expanded into the performance market by acquiring StopTech as the ultra-performance division in 2006 and Power Slot in 2007 as the performance division.

Centric Muscles Past 40,000 Parts

Posted by The Brake Room staff

As first reported in Aftermarket News, Centric Parts has cruised to the 40,000 parts milestone with the release of big brake kits for the SRT-8 and R/T versions of the 2009 Dodge Challenger. This is a fitting product to cross the line with, considering the company's recent focus on muscle cars including kits for the Charger and projects with Roush and SMS.

Many notable product releases from Centric Parts throughout 2008 fueled the company’s march to the 40,000 parts achievement. These included StopTech’s track-only Trophy BBKs for serious racing performance (click here for video preview of Trophy BBK) as well as Power Slot’s award-winning Power Alloy rotors which feature superior performance and durability in an entry-level, single-piece design.

Centric Parts’ expansive catalog now boasts over 40,000 braking system parts supporting nearly every make and model from passenger cars to medium duty trucks manufactured since 1937.

View the original story.