Help me decide which Big brake to buy

[red351wcobra]

After years of open tracking my 03 Cobra I have decided to go with a Big Brake Kit. My current setup is stock Cobra brakes, Stop Tech slotted rotors, DTC70/60 pads, Motul fluid, Stainless steel lines, and brake cooling ducts. My car is the basic upper pulley only car, with suspension, and cooling mods. Tires are toyo R888 all the way around. I'm tired of having to replace rotors because they are cracked due to the heat. I think i'm lucky a rotor hasn't come apart on me and damaged the car or worse. So that's why I feel a 14" setup is the way to go for me. I track my car several times a year and I have needed more brake for along time. I know that I will have to step up to a 18" wheel and i'm prepared for that expense.

So after searching and searching for several months reading everything thread, web page that I can find. I have narrowed it down to three choices. From all of my research all three of these are fantastic brakes, so It probably will come down to personal preference. I would like to hear from people who have actually used these on a track at speed. And who has beat on them really hard, and what their experiences are. Note that whatever setup I go with I will use slotted or solid rotors. Not the cross drilled that's shown in the photo. obviously price plays a factor, but these are in my price range. I know the cost of replacement rotors varies between each system.

14" Front Pro+ Brake System $2,500
I like that these 6 pot calipers utilize C5 brake pads making pad choices plentiful.


StopTech Mustang 14" Front Big Brake Kit $2,700
Stop Tech is known to make fantastic brakes. This caliper is suppose to be one of the strongest out there. Only drawback is its a 4 Pot caliper if that is a drawback? But any input or experience is greatly appreciated.


Full Tilt Brembo SN-95 14" Front Brake Conversion Kit. 1B1.8001 $3,295.00
I know that all of FTL stuff is top notch and would work great, but currently out of stock.



Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

 

[wkornf]

how long are your sessions? I think you need to swap rotors most likely, try blanks.

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[red351wcobra]

15-20 min sessions. I’ve run stop techs, centic, Brembo, and several other brands. They all end up with big stress cracks. I always properly bed the brakes in every time too. I know I have maxed out my braking capacity because I never lock up the brakes no matter how hard I press. The car stops good really good. But I know there’s plent left on the table with a upgrade.

 

[wkornf]

if money is not an issue 14" rotors will be an upgrade, but if you can't lock up your current brakes something is wrong. your system sounds mostly stock but you could have a bad master cylinder.



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[red351wcobra]

Yes it’s a stock setup with dtc70/60 pads and Motul fluid. Before the Motul and brake ducts I could very easily boil the brakes every session, but that’s not the case now. Let me rephrase my statement. I can get the ABS to kick on if the car is upset, in a middle of the corner, or over some bumps. But flying down a straight into a hard corner I can put the peddle to the floor and the ABS will not kick on. Don’t get me wrong the car stops really good. I almost 100% positive that there isn’t anything wrong. The R888 are an very sticky tire on the track and the Cobra isn’t exactly a light wieght fighter.

 

[03 DSG Snake]

Stoptech in that case.

 

[Norm Peterson]

Just how bad are these cracks, and how soon do they develop? Heat-checking only, or can you catch a fingernail in them?

14" rotors and 4-piston calipers should be enough - that's what the S197 Boss/Laguna Seca (444 HP/280 ft*lbs) came with, and I'm sure that car weighs a good bit more than yours.

I would have thought that a DTC 70/60 combination wouldn't have had much trouble either putting you into ABS or locking up some tires. I'm wondering if you've subconsciously taught yourself to stay just below the point of ABS intervention.


Norm

 

[red351wcobra]

Stoptech in that case.

Could you elaborate on this a little?

This was from the Mid America Ford and Shelby Nationals last year. Two hard days at Hallett took their toll on the Rotors. Both Sides cracked the same way. This is the worst its ever been, cracking all the way thru. Mostly there's just a ton of hairline fractures. I have replaced Hubs, double checked caliper clearance to make sure nothing is binding up.


My buddy cracked his rotor at the same event. He is running the Y2K Brembo kit on his GT.


At the end of the day its time for an upgrade.

 

[red351wcobra]

Just how bad are these cracks, and how soon do they develop? Heat-checking only, or can you catch a fingernail in them?

14" rotors and 4-piston calipers should be enough - that's what the S197 Boss/Laguna Seca (444 HP/280 ft*lbs) came with, and I'm sure that car weighs a good bit more than yours.

I would have thought that a DTC 70/60 combination wouldn't have had much trouble either putting you into ABS or locking up some tires. I'm wondering if you've subconsciously taught yourself to stay just below the point of ABS intervention.


Norm

Maybe your right about driving at the ABS threshold. I started racing a long time ago in a 75 Nova, then a Miata, 1994 Cobra, as well as my 69 Boss, and Shelby. Learning to brake at the limit was a must.

 

[red351wcobra]

My current setup, pretty basic but quick. I use a transponder, 1:30 is my personal best in this car at Hallett, usually to much traffic to get a clean run. I have a couple buddies in there GT350's and they dip down to the 1:27-1:28s. At the end of the day they out brake me.

 

[RustyR58]

I have a 94 GT that has been upgraded extensively to Cobra parts, that I have been tracking for the last couple of years. When I bought it, it had drilled rotors with stock calipers & Hawk 70 pads. One of the rotors cracked when I was pulling in at the end of a session. I talked to some experienced SN95 track guys & was advised to go to 2000R Brembo calipers (bought a used set for $500 & rebuilt them-~$50) & Centric high carbon rotors ($68 each from TireRack-same specs as the Brembo rotors, which they don’t sell anymore). I installed them with Hawk 70 pads, it worked well, but the rotors had to be replaced after a couple of track weekends. I was told that Raybestos ST-43 pads were excellent, so I installed a set ($220 shipped from Porterfield Ent) & have never looked back-they work great, don’t fade & are easy on the rotors.


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[Talleywacker]

I just bought my uncles cobra which was a dedicated track car. He has the 13" stoptech kit up front and the wilwood no ebrake kit in the rear. He went from stock brakes and quickly went to the 2000R brembo setup. The R setup he would eat through rotors each weekend of racing he did which also ended up eating up the bearings. In 10k miles he went through 3 sets of bearings on each wheel. He moved to the stoptech/wilwood setup and he had zero issues and said it delayed his braking by almost 100' into the turns. He mainly raced at road america, indianapolis, gingerman and watkins glen. No first hand experience but he is very experienced.

 

[03 DSG Snake]

I just bought my uncles cobra which was a dedicated track car. He has the 13" stoptech kit up front and the wilwood no ebrake kit in the rear. He went from stock brakes and quickly went to the 2000R brembo setup. The R setup he would eat through rotors each weekend of racing he did which also ended up eating up the bearings. In 10k miles he went through 3 sets of bearings on each wheel. He moved to the stoptech/wilwood setup and he had zero issues and said it delayed his braking by almost 100' into the turns. He mainly raced at road america, indianapolis, gingerman and watkins glen. No first hand experience but he is very experienced.

2 piece rotors with aluminum hats will keep heat out of the bearings unlike the solid iron Brembo discs in the R setup.

Additionally, proper cooling is necessary.

 

[03 DSG Snake]

Could you elaborate on this a little?

This was from the Mid America Ford and Shelby Nationals last year. Two hard days at Hallett took their toll on the Rotors. Both Sides cracked the same way. This is the worst its ever been, cracking all the way thru. Mostly there's just a ton of hairline fractures. I have replaced Hubs, double checked caliper clearance to make sure nothing is binding up.
View attachment 1562303 View attachment 1562304

My buddy cracked his rotor at the same event. He is running the Y2K Brembo kit on his GT.
View attachment 1562306

At the end of the day its time for an upgrade.

I’m not the biggest Baer fan. A lot of Shelby guys were having issues with leaks at the bleeder screws due to poor seals on the original Super Snake brake kits.

Brembo for the money I believe the 00R kit is below a proper Stoptech 14” kit unless you spend close to $3k for a Brembo GT kit.

 

[98 svt]

Where does the Wilwood 6 piston/14" kit fall in with the Stoptechs, Brembos etc.

 

[xblitzkriegx]

Regardless of what you do, if you're tracking often you need to get it in your head that rotors are an expendible item.

If you don't have fade now, I'd look at airflow options for what you have now and just buy decent quality basic rotors and replace them after each session if cracks form.

 

[Talleywacker]

Regardless of what you do, if you're tracking often you need to get it in your head that rotors are an expendible item.

If you don't have fade now, I'd look at airflow options for what you have now and just buy decent quality basic rotors and replace them after each session if cracks form.

Bingo.

My uncle used the holes next to the fog lights for cooling ducts for the rotors. He always had issues and he even told me straight up... warned me... with huge emphasis that when I open track his car to bring 2 sets of extra pads and a spare set of rotors and enough motul for 2 complete changes. He wouldn't hesitate to replace the fluid after each day of track use. He also used nothing but amsoil in the trans/IRS/engine and changed those out before the weekend of racing and immediately changed again after the weekend was over. Seemed excessive but he took the used fluid to a local farmer who used it in his equipment lol...

 

[red351wcobra]

Regardless of what you do, if you're tracking often you need to get it in your head that rotors are an expendible item.

If you don't have fade now, I'd look at airflow options for what you have now and just buy decent quality basic rotors and replace them after each session if cracks form.

That's the whole reason i'm upgrading to a 14" setup. Rotors are like pads, expendable items. I do have a proper brake cooling setup that utilizes the other hole next to the fog light into a 3" hose to a duct that funnels the air to the center of the rotor. I have never had any brake fade since adding the ducts and changing to motul fluid.

I’m not the biggest Baer fan. A lot of Shelby guys were having issues with leaks at the bleeder screws due to poor seals on the original Super Snake brake kits.

Brembo for the money I believe the 00R kit is below a proper Stoptech 14” kit unless you spend close to $3k for a Brembo GT kit.

I haven't heard of any issues with the Baers leaking. I know a several guys with Super Snakes that have never mentioned any issues. I do agree that the Stoptech 14" is above the 00R KIT.

 

[red351wcobra]

It looks like the Stoptech has a slightly bigger contact patch. And the Baer pad spreads the load over a bigger surface area. I wonder how this plays out in performance?

Stoptech




Baer c5-c6 pad

 

[03 DSG Snake]

That's the whole reason i'm upgrading to a 14" setup. Rotors are like pads, expendable items. I do have a proper brake cooling setup that utilizes the other hole next to the fog light into a 3" hose to a duct that funnels the air to the center of the rotor. I have never had any brake fade since adding the ducts and changing to motul fluid.





I haven't heard of any issues with the Baers leaking. I know a several guys with Super Snakes that have never mentioned any issues. I do agree that the Stoptech 14" is above the 00R KIT.

Few replies down:
Baer/Shelby calipers

SuperSnakes switched to Wilwood a few years down the line. Not sure what the current GT based ones use.