Brake upgrade

[maoun]

hawk hps plus pads are awesome

i run hps plus on front (squeaky, but nice)
and hps regular on rear (the plus gives a drone on the rear)

m.

 

[GordsFord]

toofast4u, why do you not like the Hawk brake pads? I bought some HPS pads and was just going to change to them. We had very good experience with them on my wifes 5.0 GT.

I used up my stock front pads in 125 miles of hard open track driving at Portland last month. There are 4 more events coming in the next few weeks so I was going to install the Hawk pads, Braided stainless steel lines and some brake cooling ducts.



Does anybody have any suggestions re a brake duct kit, other than the super expensive (but good quality) $365 kit from Sean Hyland Motorsports??

Re the pads, the Autozone lifetime guarantee sounds real good if I continue to use a set of pads per event!! Either that or I'll have to slow down a bit sooner!!

Gord

 

[SStupid]

Originally posted by Bingo13
street bling bling...have the track bling bling around here somewhere... really you just need to upgrade the pads, lines, and fluid first. :thumbsup:

Eradispeed?

 

[KHsonic03]

Oh no---never, never, never drilled rotors at the track. Slotted only- if that. Those are street only. I am thinking about picking up some slotted rotors for the track however.

You can switch the fronts to the back, but it is a much more detailed process than one would think. You need to achieve the proper brake bias, you would have no parking brake, and you would have to get a custom mount. Steeda does this with their high end Q 400's, but I don't believe they sell a kit to do it yourself. As far as I know, no one makes a kit for the rear unless you are willing to give up your e-brake.

 

[Bingo13]

Originally posted by Lomancobra
I agree that the pads, lines, and fluid will improve the smoking situation, but what if I want better response and stoping distance? I'm thinking of moving the front brakes to the back and then putting a 4 or 6 piston setup up front.

The pads, lines, and fluid will greatly improve the response and drop your stopping distances by at least 5% compared to stock. It is the best upgrade you can do for the money on this car. I would do this first before switching to new rotors and calipers. The PBR units on our cars are actually very good along with the Brembo rotors. They just need the proper upgrades to work correctly.

 

[Bingo13]

Originally posted by SStupid
Eradispeed?

Yes, Grand Touring Plus Claw system for the street and the Pro Plus Select system for the track.

 

[Bingo13]

Originally posted by GordsFord
toofast4u, why do you not like the Hawk brake pads? I bought some HPS pads and was just going to change to them. We had very good experience with them on my wifes 5.0 GT.


Does anybody have any suggestions re a brake duct kit, other than the super expensive (but good quality) $365 kit from Sean Hyland Motorsports??


Gord

The Hawk HPS series have never been rotor friendly for me. I find the Porterfield R4-S to be a much better street/light track pad. If you are doing a lot of events then I would invest in some track rotors (maybe calipers) and race pads (Hawk Blues, Porterfield R4, SBS Track or Race).

My brake duct kit consists of home depot 3" dryer ducting and tie wraps along with clamps attached to the front vents next to the fog lights.

Ghetto system but it works. :thumbsup:

 

[Cobra-R]

Originally posted by GordsFord
toofast4u, why do you not like the Hawk brake pads? I bought some HPS pads and was just going to change to them. We had very good experience with them on my wifes 5.0 GT.

I used up my stock front pads in 125 miles of hard open track driving at Portland last month. There are 4 more events coming in the next few weeks so I was going to install the Hawk pads, Braided stainless steel lines and some brake cooling ducts.



Does anybody have any suggestions re a brake duct kit, other than the super expensive (but good quality) $365 kit from Sean Hyland Motorsports??

Re the pads, the Autozone lifetime guarantee sounds real good if I continue to use a set of pads per event!! Either that or I'll have to slow down a bit sooner!!

Gord

Not sure what Too fast is specifically referring to with the Hawk pads, maybe it is the squeeking that the Plus's give?

In my expierience (on the track) I have tried a number of brands and compounds and I have to say that I seem to always come back to the Hawk Blue's. I am not saying they are the best, but in my expierience they have great feel along with good wear. Some people complain about excessive rotor wear with the blues, but I think that has alot to do with people driving without enough heat in the brakes. (Blues need heat to work decent)

Brian

I just ordered some HT10's last night to see what kind of difference they make over the blues, won't be hitting the track for a few weeks though.

 

[JoeAsheville]

Does anybody have any real world experience with the PowrPads? (Yellow Carbon/Kevlar)

 

[j card]

Originally posted by Lomancobra
I agree that the pads, lines, and fluid will improve the smoking situation, but what if I want better response and stoping distance? I'm thinking of moving the front brakes to the back and then putting a 4 or 6 piston setup up front.

I was also thinking of putting the stock front calipers in the back until I realized that they have no provision for the parking/emergency brake mechanism. The front calipers are probably overkilll for the rear anyway. The better you make the fronts work, the less weight on the rear and the less critical the rears are.

John

 

[KHsonic03]

Well, not only that, but if you do not have the proper bias, your rears can lock up before your fronts, causing a catastrophic spin and/or accident. The fronts should be doing at least 80% of the braking. In the case of the mustang, the rear Varga caliper is a pretty effective caliper for the amount of braking it will be doing. The fronts are much more important.

 

[Cobra-R]

Originally posted by j card
I was also thinking of putting the stock front calipers in the back until I realized that they have no provision for the parking/emergency brake mechanism. The front calipers are probably overkilll for the rear anyway. The better you make the fronts work, the less weight on the rear and the less critical the rears are.

John

On the street, the Cobra brakes will be more than the tires can handle (ie: into the abs) with a pad upgrade alone.

Guys, the brakes on the Cobra are absolutely fine for anything but the most severe track duty!! If you want to upgrade for the "looks" thats fine, but don't throw out bogus reasons for the need for an upgrade. (this is not said twards you Jcard)

Brian

 

[tommygun]

I know of some people with stock rotors that have warped due to hard stops from high speed runs. I was thinking of getting some aftermarket rotors for this reason alone.

 

[Cobra-R]

Originally posted by tommygun
I know of some people with stock rotors that have warped due to hard stops from high speed runs. I was thinking of getting some aftermarket rotors for this reason alone.

If they are doing that to the stock Brembo rotors, it isn't the rotors fault.

 

[redaddiction]

Where can we get the better ss brake lines ?

 

[toofast4u]

Originally posted by redaddiction
Where can we get the better ss brake lines ?

I am going to be getting the ones that stoptech are making for Maximum Motorsports when they come out. They have a fluid-resistant clear urethane covering which protect the braid from wear and chemicals. I find it really ironic that stainless steel braid is perceived as indestructible, but in reality it is very fragile. The urethane covering should protect it from its inherent weaknesses.

 

[Lomancobra]

Originally posted by j card
I was also thinking of putting the stock front calipers in the back until I realized that they have no provision for the parking/emergency brake mechanism. The front calipers are probably overkilll for the rear anyway. The better you make the fronts work, the less weight on the rear and the less critical the rears are.

John

Good point

 

[Bingo13]

Originally posted by Cobra-R
On the street, the Cobra brakes will be more than the tires can handle (ie: into the abs) with a pad upgrade alone.

Guys, the brakes on the Cobra are absolutely fine for anything but the most severe track duty!! If you want to upgrade for the "looks" thats fine, but don't throw out bogus reasons for the need for an upgrade. (this is not said twards you Jcard)

Brian

I have said it three times in this post, pads, ss lines, and good fluid. Hope that comment was not directed towards me although I like my bling bling (although I did get the 13.5" to make up for the lost surface area with the cross-drilling on the street rotors, track rotors are vented/slotted only).
:beer:

 

[Cobra-R]

Originally posted by Bingo13
I have said it three times in this post, pads, ss lines, and good fluid. Hope that comment was not directed towards me although I like my bling bling (although I did get the 13.5" to make up for the lost surface area with the cross-drilling on the street rotors, track rotors are vented/slotted only).
:beer:

Nope, not at you at all. You are absolutely right!!
I get ticked when people say that they need a brake upgrade on the cobra for street use. You told us the reason you did it, and I don't blame you one ounce. Hell, I upgraded to Brembo's for the ease of changing pads and so that all my cars take the same pads. We all have our reasons, just want people to do it for the right reason and make an informed decision.

Brian

 

[GordsFord]

Great information from everyone! Thank you all!

Bingo13 did you secure the ducts to the inner dust shields ( with holes in the shields) or just blw straight onto the back , or front and remove the shields?

Gord