Our Top Recommended Big Brake Upgrade Kits For Your Ford Focus RS Turbo
Focus RS has been three different cars since 2002. The Mk1 RS ran a 2.0 litre turbocharged Duratec, the Mk2 RS moved to a 2.5 litre five cylinder turbo, and the third generation, which HiSpec badge RS3, runs a 2.3 litre EcoBoost turbo with four wheel drive. Different engines on different platforms, sixteen years apart. The one thing every RS Ford has built shares is the turbo, and that is why this page groups them under one badge instead of three.
HiSpec keep separate listings for each generation even where the disc and caliper are identical: the 360mm Monster 6 kit appears three times on this page, once for the Mk1 RS, once for the Mk2, once for the RS3, all at a 360mm disc. The parts inside the box are the same. The mounting brackets are not, so the listing you order still needs to match the car you own. The full RS Turbo range is on the site if you want to browse it raw.
- Every kit on this page converts the front axle: calipers, two piece discs, brackets and fitting hardware specific to the generation of RS you own
- Three RS generations are covered here: the Mk1 (2002), the Mk2 (2009) and the RS3 (2016), all turbocharged
- HiSpec dominate this page with kits from 325mm to 380mm; Tarox has one genuine listing here, the 320mm Sport, complete with pads and hoses
- Nothing on this page needs more than 19 inch wheels, and most of the range clears 17 or 18 inch alloys
What is on this page
Two brands, two ways of building a brake kit
Both companies machine their own calipers from billet aluminium and build each kit for the specific car. The difference comes down to two things: what is in the box, and where the work is done.
Tarox
Made at the Tarox factory in northern Italy. Calipers CNC machined from European billet alloy and hand assembled, each one tested before dispatch. Every disc is heat treated, CNC faced and hand balanced. The Sport kit arrives complete with vehicle specific braided hoses and Corsa pads already fitted, and full ABS and ESP compatibility is stated.
HiSpec Motorsport
Machined from aerospace grade billet aluminium, calipers and pistons both. Every kit is made to order in up to 28 working days, with the calipers finished in your choice of black, red, blue, gold or silver. Pads and braided hoses are priced separately so you choose the compound for the way the car is used.
One external link worth bookmarking for Tarox: their wheel clearance template is the definitive check for spoke depth once you have the minimum diameter sorted.
The number that decides it: your wheel size
The RS Turbo range runs from 17 inch at the smallest kit to 19 inch at the top, and that top figure only applies to one kit. Every 360mm option on this page, which is most of the range across all three RS generations, clears an 18 inch wheel. HiSpec publish the wheel size for every kit from their own catalogue; the Tarox 320mm figure was looked up directly on tarox.co.uk for this listing.
| Kit | Disc | Smallest wheel |
|---|---|---|
| HiSpec 325mm Monster 4 | 325mm | 17 inch |
| Tarox 320mm Sport | 320mm | 17 inch |
| HiSpec 360mm Monster 4 | 360mm | 18 inch |
| HiSpec 360mm Monster 6 (Mk1 RS) | 360mm | 18 inch |
| HiSpec 360/32mm Monster 6 (Mk2 RS) | 360 x 32mm | 18 inch |
| HiSpec 360/28mm Monster 6 (RS3) | 360 x 28mm | 18 inch |
| HiSpec 360mm Mega Monster | 360mm | 18 inch |
| HiSpec 380mm Mega Monster | 380mm | 19 inch |
HiSpec 325mm Monster 4: the entry point for the Mk1 RS
If the car is on 17 inch wheels and staying there, this is the pick. The Monster 4 caliper carries a pad a third bigger than HiSpec’s standard Billet 4, which on a 2002 RS running a hard-working turbo engine matters more than it does on a lighter car. Four pistons, CNC machined from aerospace grade billet aluminium, with a two piece disc that sheds unsprung weight over the standard setup.
This listing is built for the Mk1 RS specifically. The same 325mm Monster 4 spec also exists as a separate listing named for a car HiSpec call the RS2, at an identical price. We have not found a Ford model by that name, and the two listings read as duplicate entries for the same Mk1 RS kit, not two different cars. We have used the correctly named RS listing here and flagged the duplicate to be tidied up.
- £1,596.00 inc VAT
- Clears 17 inch wheels
- 325mm two piece floating disc
- Pads and hoses priced separately; five caliper colours
- Made to order in up to 28 working days
HiSpec 360mm Monster 4: the value step to 18 inch
The same Monster 4 caliper as the 325mm kit, stepped up to a 360mm disc for £39 more. If the car is already on 18 inch wheels, or is going there, this is the more sensible order than the 325mm: same caliper, same colour choice, same lead time, more disc for very little extra outlay.
Worth knowing before you order: HiSpec’s own copy for this listing describes the Monster caliper as suited to “medium to heavy weight cars or those with serious power,” which on a turbocharged hatch that has had any tuning work is a reasonable description of where the car sits. If the RS is standard and road only, the Monster 4 is still more caliper than most owners will use up.
- £1,635.00 inc VAT
- Clears 18 inch wheels
- 360mm two piece floating disc
- Pads and hoses priced separately; five caliper colours
- Made to order in up to 28 working days
Tarox 320mm Sport: the complete kit, and the only Tarox listing here
This is the only genuinely Focus RS Turbo Tarox kit on the site. A second Tarox listing sits in this category, but it is built for the Ford Escort RS Turbo, a completely different car from the 1980s, and it is not featured here. If you want a Tarox kit for your Focus RS, this 320mm Sport is the one.
Six piston caliper on a 320mm two piece disc, hand assembled in northern Italy and balanced to 0.05mm. Corsa pads and braided hoses come fitted, so the price on the page is the price to drive away on, with nothing to add before it goes on the car. Clears 17 inch wheels, the same as the entry HiSpec kit, at a bigger disc.
- £2,000.89 inc VAT, complete with pads and braided hoses fitted
- Clears 17 inch wheels
- 320mm two piece disc, balanced to 0.05mm
- Six piston billet caliper, hand assembled in Italy
- ABS and ESP compatibility stated
HiSpec 360mm Monster 6: one kit, three generations
This is the clearest example of the generation problem on this page. The Monster 6 on a 360mm disc is listed three separate times, once for the Mk1 RS, once for the Mk2 RS at 32mm thick, once for the RS3 at 28mm thick. The caliper is the same six piston Monster 6 in all three; the discs differ in thickness because the three cars carry different weight over the front axle, and the brackets are cut for three different hub designs.
Order by the car you actually have. The Mk2 and RS3 listings both run a few pounds under the Mk1 price, which tracks with the newer product entries HiSpec have added for those two cars. If you are not certain which generation your paperwork calls the car, ring us with the registration and Cameron will confirm before anything is built.
- Mk1 RS £1,863.00 inc VAT; Mk2 RS and RS3 both £1,854.30 inc VAT
- All three clear 18 inch wheels
- 360mm two piece discs, 32mm on the Mk2, 28mm on the RS3
- Six piston Monster 6 caliper on all three
- Pads and hoses priced separately; five caliper colours
HiSpec 360mm Mega Monster: the flagship caliper
The Mega Monster is HiSpec’s biggest caliper full stop: six pistons and a 152mm pad, around 70% more pad area than the Monster calipers on the picks above. It is built for disc sizes from 335mm to 400mm, and on the RS Turbo range it starts at 360mm, still clearing an 18 inch wheel. This is the kit for a car making real power or seeing serious track time, not a mild road upgrade.
This is genuinely the biggest step on the page in terms of stopping power, and the price reflects that. If your car is standard or lightly modified, the Monster 6 above will do everything most road driving asks of it for several hundred pounds less. Save the Mega Monster for a car that has outgrown the Monster range.
- £2,196.85 inc VAT
- Clears 18 inch wheels
- 360mm two piece curved vane disc
- Six piston Mega Monster caliper, 152mm pad
- Pads and hoses priced separately; five caliper colours
The 380mm flagship, and the matching rear
HiSpec also list the Mega Monster at 380mm for the Mk1 RS, the biggest disc on this page and the only kit here that needs a 19 inch wheel. It is priced at £2,159.69 inc VAT, which is genuinely less than the 360mm Mega Monster above at £2,196.85. That is the wrong way round for a bigger disc on the same caliper, and we are flagging it rather than quietly pointing you at whichever one happens to be cheaper. Ring us before ordering either and we will confirm the current pricing with HiSpec.
If you are matching the front to a rear upgrade, HiSpec also list a 328mm SVA Billet 4 rear kit for the RS2 badged car, at £1,145.50 inc VAT. It uses a two piece disc and does not include the handbrake calipers. Talk to us before ordering a rear kit on its own: we will check the brake bias works with whichever front kit you have chosen so the car is not left over-braked at one end.
What is actually in each box
The headline prices sit further apart than the finished builds do once you spec them level. Add pads and braided hoses to the HiSpec side and the gap with the Tarox kit narrows. Compare finished builds, not the headline numbers.
| In the box | HiSpec | Tarox |
|---|---|---|
| Calipers | Monster or Mega Monster, billet aluminium | Sport 6pot, billet alloy, hand assembled in Italy |
| Discs | Two piece floating, curved vane on the Mega Monster | Two piece floating, balanced to 0.05mm |
| Brackets and hardware | Included | Included |
| Braided hoses | Priced separately | Included |
| Pads | Priced separately, your choice of compound | Corsa pads, fitted |
| Caliper finish | Black, red, blue, gold or silver | Black, red, blue, green or gold anodised |
| Built in | UK, up to 28 working days | Northern Italy |
Every kit on this page compared
| Kit | Disc | Caliper | Smallest wheel | Pads and hoses | Price inc VAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HiSpec 325mm Monster 4 (Mk1 RS) | 325mm | 4 piston | 17in | Extra | £1,596.00 |
| Tarox 320mm Sport | 320mm | 6 piston | 17in | Included | £2,000.89 |
| HiSpec 360mm Monster 4 (Mk1 RS) | 360mm | 4 piston | 18in | Extra | £1,635.00 |
| HiSpec 360mm Monster 6 (Mk1 RS) | 360mm | 6 piston | 18in | Extra | £1,863.00 |
| HiSpec 360/32mm Monster 6 (Mk2 RS) | 360mm | 6 piston | 18in | Extra | £1,854.30 |
| HiSpec 360/28mm Monster 6 (RS3) | 360mm | 6 piston | 18in | Extra | £1,854.30 |
| HiSpec 360mm Mega Monster (Mk1 RS) | 360mm | 6 piston | 18in | Extra | £2,196.85 |
| HiSpec 380mm Mega Monster (Mk1 RS) | 380mm | 6 piston | 19in | Extra | £2,159.69 |
Prices include VAT and were correct on 16 August 2026. The 380mm Mega Monster listing above is priced below the smaller 360mm Mega Monster; see the note above the table for why we are not recommending one over the other on price alone.
Common questions
Which Focus RS generation do I have, and does it matter?
Yes, and it is the single most important thing to get right before ordering. HiSpec cut different mounting brackets for the Mk1 RS (2002), the Mk2 RS (2009) and the RS3 (2016), even where the disc and caliper are identical, so the listing has to match the car. If your paperwork or the badge on the boot does not make it obvious, ring us on 0115 9893488 with the registration and we will confirm the generation before anything is built.
What is the difference between the Monster 4 and Monster 6 calipers?
Piston count and pad area. The Monster 6 uses six pistons against the Monster 4's four, with up to 63% more piston area on the same size pad, which HiSpec's own copy describes as giving more feel through the pedal. Disc sizes range the same on both, from 310mm to 360mm. For most road RS Turbos the Monster 4 is enough; the Monster 6 earns its place on a car that sees track days or carries more power than standard.
Why are pads and hoses extra on the HiSpec kits?
HiSpec price their kits without pads or hoses so you choose the compound. A street pad and a track pad behave very differently, and the right choice depends on how the car is used. Both can be added when you order, and we will put the finished build price together so you are comparing like for like against the Tarox kit, which arrives with Corsa pads and hoses fitted.
Can I fit the matching rear kit?
HiSpec list a 328mm SVA Billet 4 rear kit for the RS Turbo range, using a two piece disc, at £1,145.50 inc VAT. It does not include handbrake calipers. Talk to us before ordering a rear kit on its own: we will check the brake bias works with the specific front kit you have chosen so the car is not left over-braked at one end.
Will these kits work with ABS and ESP?
Tarox state full ABS and ESP compatibility on the 320mm Sport kit. HiSpec's kits fit to the front hub and do not touch the ABS sensor or reluctor ring, so compatibility on a standard RS should be fine. If your car has had any non-standard ABS modifications, tell us when you order and we will check with HiSpec before the kit goes to build.
What we would actually fit
Get the generation right first: Mk1 RS, Mk2 RS or RS3, because that decides which listing you order before disc size even comes into it. On a Mk1 RS staying on 17 inch wheels, the 325mm Monster 4 is the sensible entry point. Moving to 18s, Garreth’s money goes on the 360mm Monster 4: same caliper, more disc, barely any more outlay.
For a car that sees track time, the 360mm Monster 6 in the listing that matches your generation is the pick, and it is the one place on this page where a Mk2 or RS3 owner gets exactly the same treatment as the Mk1 car. The Mega Monster is held back for a car making genuine power or spending real time on the brakes, and if you want the whole job in one delivery with nothing left to add, the Tarox 320mm Sport is that kit.
Ring us on 0115 9893488 with the generation, the current wheel size and what the car does at weekends. Checking spoke clearance on a specific wheel is Cameron’s side of the business, and most calls like this are done inside five minutes.