Brake upgrades

Hey all I need some braking upgrades when getting in it hard to slow this thing down once it’s in motion.

It’s just a street car but when I want to push the pedal wana be able to stop better. Don’t think I need a full setup or anything but any rotor/pad upgrade combo that would help?

Car is a 11 PP

I tried to search but didn’t see anything on this.


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Brake pads and flush the line if you have not done so already. I run Hawk HPS and there is very little dust with them.

All you really need is better brake pads, I have the Hawk HPS as well and they're good.

Cool thanks. What if I ended up wanting better rotors? Stoptechs ok? Was gonna do cross drilled/slotted for looks to since the look cool


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Not knowing how many miles are on your '11, start with the rear first:

Here's a simple bracket kit to install 13/14 rear rotors:
11/12 are 11.8"
13/14 are 13.8"

But I got them thru eBay:

05-14 Mustang 14" Rear Brake Rotor Adapter Brackets GT Boss 302 GT500 V6 | eBay

I risked it & bought these brackets since every other kit out there required disassembling the rear end and "pulling" the half-shafts out to install their brackets... the eBay brackets are installed without disconnecting anything, simply bolt-on re-using the OEM bracket.

Then I went with StopTech's drilled/slotted CRYO rotors [L/R] for a 13/14 GT500 [13.8"] and using Summit as a parts reference:

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sph-127-61089cr/overview/

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sph-127-61089cl

I wanted a "harder/stronger" rotor because I was initially going with EBC's RED pads [rear] BUT I had PLENTY of life on the SVTPP rear pads. So the EBC's are on the shelf for now...

............................................................................................................................................

But I've read here on past posts that everyone is [or were] swapping out the FRONT brake pads for AutoZone's Duralast GOLD pads which improved the front brakes by having a greater bite "cold" and there was less "brake dust" than the OE Brembo pad.
Unfortunately, when I went to buy a set- they were discontinued. So I got a set of their "GT" Performance version.

https://www.autozone.com/brakes-and...2805?fromString=searchdone&make=&model=&year=

And I went with Baer EradiSpeed two-piece drilled/slotted rotors and again using Summit as a reference:

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/bae-2261031

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I haven't installed the front yet, trying to put some miles on my '12 with the upgraded rear rotors to break them in and to see how much actual improvement there is with the 13.8" rotors....
Then on to the fronts...

Later, after all my car-parts bills have been paid, plan on getting a set of Stiffler's Front/Rear Stainless-Steel Brake Line Kit

Stainless Steel Brake Hose Kit, Shelby GT500 2007-2014 (Front & Rear)

Obvious upgrade for ‘07-12 owners is the ‘13-14 braking system.
SS lines and good pads go along way as mentioned above.
-J

biminiLX said:

Obvious upgrade for ‘07-12 owners is the ‘13-14 braking system.
-J

Click to expand...

Well I wouldn't call it an upgrade, you do get some benefits but IMO I don't think its worth it for street driving and both system will probably feel the same.
Brake pads are the most significant upgrade, even for the 13/14.

I have an '09 with probably the highest mileage on this site I would venture to guess. I am not sure if the '11 would benefit from the Boss 302 lines, but I had a leaky stock rear line. I wasn't sure how much life I had left in the front and rear pads either, but I replaced them as well as flushed the fluid and between all three of those factors, (Boss lines, new pads and the flush) there is a BIG difference in the way she stops now. Very much improved.

Black Cobra '99 said:

Well I wouldn't call it an upgrade, you do get some benefits but IMO I don't think its worth it for street driving and both system will probably feel the same.
Brake pads are the most significant upgrade, even for the 13/14.

Click to expand...

Going up on rotor sizes front and rear and larger front calipers, yet not an upgrade? I wonder why SVT did it then. And yes it’s more noticeable on track but you’ll still definitely notice it on the street.
Some guys want OEM engineered so,unions, so I mentioned it’s the obvious upgrade.
-J

4rd Toys said:

Not knowing how many miles are on your '11, start with the rear first:

Here's a simple bracket kit to install 13/14 rear rotors:
11/12 are 11.8"
13/14 are 13.8"

But I got them thru eBay:

05-14 Mustang 14" Rear Brake Rotor Adapter Brackets GT Boss 302 GT500 V6 | eBay

I risked it & bought these brackets since every other kit out there required disassembling the rear end and "pulling" the half-shafts out to install their brackets... the eBay brackets are installed without disconnecting anything, simply bolt-on re-using the OEM bracket.

Then I went with StopTech's drilled/slotted CRYO rotors [L/R] for a 13/14 GT500 [13.8"] and using Summit as a parts reference:

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sph-127-61089cr/overview/

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sph-127-61089cl

I wanted a "harder/stronger" rotor because I was initially going with EBC's RED pads [rear] BUT I had PLENTY of life on the SVTPP rear pads. So the EBC's are on the shelf for now...

............................................................................................................................................

But I've read here on past posts that everyone is [or were] swapping out the FRONT brake pads for AutoZone's Duralast GOLD pads which improved the front brakes by having a greater bite "cold" and there was less "brake dust" than the OE Brembo pad.
Unfortunately, when I went to buy a set- they were discontinued. So I got a set of their "GT" Performance version.

https://www.autozone.com/brakes-and...2805?fromString=searchdone&make=&model=&year=

And I went with Baer EradiSpeed two-piece drilled/slotted rotors and again using Summit as a reference:

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/bae-2261031

.............................................................................................................................................

I haven't installed the front yet, trying to put some miles on my '12 with the upgraded rear rotors to break them in and to see how much actual improvement there is with the 13.8" rotors....
Then on to the fronts...

Later, after all my car-parts bills have been paid, plan on getting a set of Stiffler's Front/Rear Stainless-Steel Brake Line Kit

Stainless Steel Brake Hose Kit, Shelby GT500 2007-2014 (Front & Rear)

Click to expand...

Have any install pics of the bracket adapter on

Brake upgrade for the street are a tricky topic because there is a perception vs reality phenomena going on. Most upgrade you hear or read about don't do much for normal street driving.

For example, you will not get any 'feel' difference by upgrading to FRPP lines...They will take heat better, but that is not a 'street' driving issue. Also, larger rear rotors look better and have more surface area for heat dissipation, but on the street (especially with 80% of the stopping power up front), not much of a real difference on the Sunday cruise. Rotors style is also a big upgrade target. Cross drilled look great IMHO, but they offer no advantage in the 'stopping quick' department and they will typically crack before blanks or slotted rotors since the holes create a weak points. Again, for street driving, they look great, but over time will need replaced sooner than other choices and will not decrease your stopping distances. 2-piece rotors have less weight and distribute heat better, but again, on the street, it's really not much of an advantage either (great for the track).

My advice after experimenting with many options discussed in the thread:
- Flush your brake fluid at least once per year. It gets contaminated quick. Plus, any air left in the systems will cause the brakes to feel weak and squishy. A Motive pressure bleeder or caliper Speed Bleeder kit make this a very simple job.
- New or 'turned' rotors do help with feel (remember, only blanks can be 'turned' in most cases). Style choice is up to you, but new, fresh rotors will provide a nice, consistent pedal that we want on the street.
- Pads are your biggest upgrade target. An Autocross pad will be more aggressive on the street, but will dust and may make noise. But you will stop quicker. Willing to deal with the trade off? There are some good dual-use pads, but they are pretty expensive. BTW, more aggressive pads usually need heat built up before they work well, so stay away from 'race' pads on the street.
- Stainless steel lines will make the pedal 'feel' firmer in most cases, but they wont make you stop faster. Worth the price on the street?? Maybe.
- I separated the mixed brake and clutch fluid for HPDE use, but it had an unexpected effect. The brake fluid stays much cleaner. Not a huge difference in feel, but does isolate fluid contamination with the clutch system.
- Your tire choice has a lot to do with braking. Whole different topic, but it may be impacting your actual stopping distance.

The stock 4-piston kit on the '11 is actually really solid. I've spent a lot of time and money on different products and mods over of the past 8+ years and it boils down to a few minor upgrades and considerations to help braking on the street. When you start looking at HPDE brake upgrades, the conversation gets much more complex and your wallet can take a big hit.

Good luck and let us know which direction you go.

TT/MW said:

Have any install pics of the bracket adapter on

Click to expand...

The billet aluminum bracket on the top right...Purchased it off a forum member a few years back.

biminiLX said:

Going up on rotor sizes front and rear and larger front calipers, yet not an upgrade? I wonder why SVT did it then. And yes it’s more noticeable on track but you’ll still definitely notice it on the street.
Some guys want OEM engineered so,unions, so I mentioned it’s the obvious upgrade.
-J

Click to expand...

The 13/14 calipers has smaller pistons, which means its hydraulically less powerful to balance the larger rotor. So, if you do the calculations its the same stopping power. As barspen mentioned for street driving this is not an upgrade. On the street, the benefits I see are longer life for consumables and looks.

Here's the numbers on the different calipers.

Piston Diameters (in)
07-12 GT500: 1.73, 1.57
13-14 GT500: 1.50, 1.34, 1.18
Piston Area (per side of caliper)
07-12 GT500: 4.30 in^2
13-14 GT500: 4.26 in^2

So you can see the clamping force of the caliper is pretty much the same between the two. But big brakes look sexy so who am I to argue that upgrading is not worth it LOL.

Biggest improvement of the 13/14 over the earlier models is the larger rotor diameters. If you only upgrade the rear, improvement will be marginal, as most of the stopping power comes from the front.

merkyworks said:

Here's the numbers on the different calipers.

Piston Diameters (in)
07-12 GT500: 1.73, 1.57
13-14 GT500: 1.50, 1.34, 1.18
Piston Area (per side of caliper)
07-12 GT500: 4.30 in^2
13-14 GT500: 4.26 in^2

So you can see the clamping force of the caliper is pretty much the same between the two. But big brakes look sexy so who am I to argue that upgrading is not worth it LOL.

Click to expand...

It comes out to a %6.15 more effective torque on the tire. Is that an upgrade for the street? you be the judge, IMO its not.
OP or anyone seeing this thread, If you're looking for form over function then by all means. The question was regarding better brakes, and I believe it has been answered.

Motor Trend's 60 to 0 stopping distances were 103 ft. for a 2012 and 101 ft. for a 2013, which isn't what I'd consider negligible, unless that's your maximum operating speed. I would expect those distances to grow further apart at higher speeds. The list of production cars that can stop under 100 ft. from 60 mph are somewhat sparse. More competition oriented pads would likely make a bigger difference in either application, but it will come at a cost of greater wear on the rotors, poor cold stopping performance and greater amounts of brake dust.

Seens to me that in order to stop shorter, one should get get stickier tires. If they are so sticky that you can't get ABS to engage, then you can make use of more braking power.

Worn out struts also affect stopping distance while we are at it.

Speaking from personal experience, I don't recommend putting larger rotors only on the rear, unless you're going to also add a brake proportioning valve or do something to adjust brake balance. I have rotors from Full Tilt Boogie Racing. I opted for the larger rear rotors. I didn't think/consider that the larger rears would throw off the balance as much as they do. When I get on the brakes at high speeds, the rear end will get squirrelly on initial bite. And that's with a 13.1" rear rotor. A 13.8" will be worse. That's nearly the same size as the front rotor. The rear end hasn't actually come around on me [yet], thank goodness.

Pads; I have the Duramax Gold pads front and rear. They're very good at not producing a lot of dust, and they stop pretty well WHEN THEY GET WARM. Cold stopping is not good with these pads. I almost rear ended somebody trying to come to a stop on a cold day from 25MPH. I went for the normal amount of pedal force and nothing was happening! I had to stab the pedal to the ABS threshold. That was a real eyeopener with ceramic pads. They work better when they're hotter. You'll notice that, if you ride the brake pedal, the stopping force increases as the pads heat up. They'd probably do pretty well on a track. During cool/cold seasons on the street, you need to keep it in the back of your head that initial stopping power isn't going to be very good. That said, they seem to be very long lasting. I think I have 20K miles on these pads, and they appear to only be about 50% used up, if that.

Brake lines; adding a set of braided stainless steel lines will help with pedal feel (harder pedal, quicker initial bite), but they don't make you stop any better. That is a function of your pads, tires, and suspension. (and rotating mass and overall weight...)

Rotors; there's not much reason to change from the stock rotors, unless you're going for larger and/or lighter rotors. Like I mentioned, I have rotors from FTBR, and I love them. They're lighter than stock, even the larger rear rotors. They're 2-piece slotted rotors with aluminum hats, and the rotors are replaceable. Thankfully, after probably 30K miles, I have zero problems with them. No warping, no pad deposits (that I know of), no cracks, no pits or rusting out. Which is a good thing because those bad boys were not cheap! (I'd like to see FTBR make some lightweight rotors for the GT350/GT350R. @ac427cobra )