'07 GT500 - lost my brakes at Watkins Glen

[SHELBY1962]

I was running two days of open track at Watkins Glen With the Shelby club convention. I'm running over 12lbs. of boost and was hitting 140+ on the back straight. On the last lap the brake pedal went to the floor and had almost no brakes. I know I'll be getting brake ducts but not sure on the pads or the fluid to run. At the track I talked to a rep from Ford Racing, Shelby and a couple new BOSS 302 guys, they all gave a different thought on what to use. It's still a occasional street and drag car but I need to keep the brakes working. Better gripping pads and fluid will help but no idea what to get.

 

[///m3]

I just put the 14" front brakes from a GT500 onto my 03 Cobra. I didn't like Hawk pads, so I switched to Carbotech pads and never looked back. My wife and I are both instructor level drivers and ran back-to-back sessions with them for 2 days at Sebring without a hint of brake fade. Good brake ducts, Carbotech pads and Ate fluid are all you should need.

 

[gcassidy]

Good fluid and cooling ducts is mostly the key. ATE is a good fluid, as are some others. Mostly, make sure it's fresh. You didn't say what caused the falure (were your pads OK or gone afterwards?). Most likely you boiled your fluid.

You'll get 50 answers from 50 people as to the best pads. Most of the ones recommended will work well, though many find ones they like better for personal reasons. Are you willing to switch pads for the track, or do you want street/track pads?

 

[SHELBY1962]

The brakes seem OK today but a bit soft, might be I'm analyzing them too much. I'd rather use one set and not switch back and forth. The car has 5,000 miles and the pads are down to about 1/4" left. The rotors are not cracked or warped so I think it was just the fluid from driving hard and not enough grip on the stock pads.
Going to Vegas at the end of the month and stopping at Shelby to get the ducts.
One more thing I noticed when cleaning the car this morning is that the right rear rim is covered in gear oil, looks like I blew an axle seal.

 

[MFE]

There's no such thing as a pad that'll work well on the street and the track when the car in question is 4000+ lbs being hauled down from 140 mph. So let's just get that out of your head once and for all, before you waste a lot of time, money and bodywork learning it the hard way.

If your pedal went to the floor it's because you boiled the fluid, and you have no choice but to flush it now. There's hardly a better fluid for the money than Motul 600, and I say that because it's about $17 a pint, and it has just about the highest wet boiling point of them all, meaning you can be confident it'll work for you even if you don't change it out after every track day so it isn't always out-of-the-bottle fresh.

Get some cooling ducts on it.

Get some real pads on it for track days, at least on the fronts. I'm a big fan of Carbotech and for that application I'd run XP10's or XP12's, but I'd also consider Pagid's higher-performance applications.

 

[David Hester]

Your stock pads gripped fine. ANY pad will lock the wheels once or twice in a row. What more can you ask of them? That is as grippy as it gets. You want one that will do it when hot. That is a compromise.
As was mentioned, everyone has a favorite pad. I've used Hawks since 1991 on everything from daily driver, autocross, track day and SCCA road racing from their HPS to DTC-70's.
You have to be honest, as well as realistic, and decide what you drive most. There are pads that work well at 600 degrees F (street pad) to 1200-1500 (Road Race). Spending more money won't buy you better brakes, if you choose the wrong type or range of pad. That said, I use Hawk HPS on my daily driver, with a spare set of HP+ for more spirited driving, Neither would be a good dedicated track pad, but Black or better suck on the street.

 

[gmsux]

I have the 14" brakes on my Cobra as well and have two sets of rotors/pads for street/track. On the track, my idea is that I don't want to compromise safety then performance. I run a Hawk HP+ on the rear all the time with 13" rotor. The front I'm currently using a Hawk Black and have been happy with it on the track. It will get hot and still work fine. The track rotors have small heat fissures in the surface even with cooling ducts, I believe the track brakes are doing well in high heat situations. The other thing that can improve brakes is using them less and more aggressively. JMO.

 

[gcassidy]

The other thing that can improve brakes is using them less and more aggressively. JMO.

Compress your brake zone. #3 on Dan's list of 5 skills to work on in advanced class. :thumbsup:

 

[SHELBY1962]

Compress your brake zone. #3 on Dan's list of 5 skills to work on in advanced class. :thumbsup:

I was braking late and hard, that was one of the things that was brought up in an earlier driving school.
Just ordered the brake duct kit from Shelby, so it should be an easy install compared to a universal type. Going to flush the stock fluid for now and then decide what to get. Still on the fence whether to just buy another car to make a dedicated track car or try to compromise with this and do both.:??:

 

[Sirl]

^^^ And so it goes.....

I've always used the Motul 600, never boiled my fluid.

Changing pads and rotors really isnt a big deal, AND, thats the time that you give the brakes, lines, tires, a good inspection.

I would say that if you plan on doing more the 4-5 events a year, you might want to keep your eyes out for a good track car. IMHO.