Mustang rotor upgrade?
Thread Starter
V6 Member
Joined: July 3, 2013
Posts: 86
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Mustang rotor upgrade?
Thinking about putting more stopping power into my car. What rotors would you guys recommend? Also would you recommend carbon fiber break pads. Found a whole package deal on eBay for around $160 with rotors and carbon break pads.
Inform me people!
Thank you and god bless.
Inform me people!
Thank you and god bless.
Legacy TMS Member
Joined: August 7, 2006
Posts: 16,113
Likes: 789
From: In Boredom
Well God Bless you too.
Please post a link to the ebay add. What is the car mainly used for? I run stock rotors with some Hawk pads and they work pretty well for your usual afternoon fun ride
Please post a link to the ebay add. What is the car mainly used for? I run stock rotors with some Hawk pads and they work pretty well for your usual afternoon fun ride
Legacy TMS Member
Joined: February 2, 2004
Posts: 7,648
Likes: 675
From: Insane
Do not, Do Not, DO NOT cheap out on the brakes. You want more stopping power, you're gonna want to spend more than $160 on the parts anyway.
More stopping power generally means a bigger diameter rotor and/or bigger brake pads. Both are better. And you want vented discs to help prevent fading as the brakes get hotter from use. And then a multi-piston, both sided piston caliper is also a better system than any one sided caliper system.
This is why a Brembo 6 piston setup is one of the top brake upgrades. The huge discs, brake pads and multiple pressure points help to transfer the friction and clamp down on the disc, stopping the car faster. There are others... Baer... Stoptech... Wilwood... etc... ad nausem... all are better than others and yet not, just depends, but all will help the stopping power.
But ALL THAT means nothing if you're not running good rubber on the wheels. If you're running a hard compound, or wore out tires, or skinny v6 type tires, all the car is going to do is lock 'em up, or ABS the hell out of things, and on a clear day? Worthless for extra stopping power. ABS is great in wet, but if it's going off on the dry, clear pavement, you're doing something wrong.
So you may need to also get bigger, or better, depending, tires to get all the stopping power to work in the first place. Which may also mean wheels. Brakes are useless without good rubber to transfer the stop.
And then you have weight transfer on top of all that... you'll want to try to minimize the dive of the car, so that the back wheels will stay planted, otherwise, they'll just slide about and maybe try to swap ends with your front.
All I'm saying is if you're here to learn about more stopping... it ain't just about the brakes. Nope.
More stopping power generally means a bigger diameter rotor and/or bigger brake pads. Both are better. And you want vented discs to help prevent fading as the brakes get hotter from use. And then a multi-piston, both sided piston caliper is also a better system than any one sided caliper system.
This is why a Brembo 6 piston setup is one of the top brake upgrades. The huge discs, brake pads and multiple pressure points help to transfer the friction and clamp down on the disc, stopping the car faster. There are others... Baer... Stoptech... Wilwood... etc... ad nausem... all are better than others and yet not, just depends, but all will help the stopping power.
But ALL THAT means nothing if you're not running good rubber on the wheels. If you're running a hard compound, or wore out tires, or skinny v6 type tires, all the car is going to do is lock 'em up, or ABS the hell out of things, and on a clear day? Worthless for extra stopping power. ABS is great in wet, but if it's going off on the dry, clear pavement, you're doing something wrong.
So you may need to also get bigger, or better, depending, tires to get all the stopping power to work in the first place. Which may also mean wheels. Brakes are useless without good rubber to transfer the stop.
And then you have weight transfer on top of all that... you'll want to try to minimize the dive of the car, so that the back wheels will stay planted, otherwise, they'll just slide about and maybe try to swap ends with your front.
All I'm saying is if you're here to learn about more stopping... it ain't just about the brakes. Nope.
Last edited by houtex; Jun 22, 2014 at 09:58 PM.
Thread Starter
V6 Member
Joined: July 3, 2013
Posts: 86
Likes: 0
Do not, Do Not, DO NOT cheap out on the brakes. You want more stopping power, you're gonna want to spend more than $160 on the parts anyway. More stopping power generally means a bigger diameter rotor and/or bigger brake pads. Both are better. And you want vented discs to help prevent fading as the brakes get hotter from use. And then a multi-piston, both sided piston caliper is also a better system than any one sided caliper system. This is why a Brembo 6 piston setup is one of the top brake upgrades. The huge discs, brake pads and multiple pressure points help to transfer the friction and clamp down on the disc, stopping the car faster. There are others... Baer... Stoptech... Wilwood... etc... ad nausem... all are better than others and yet not, just depends, but all will help the stopping power. But ALL THAT means nothing if you're not running good rubber on the wheels. If you're running a hard compound, or wore out tires, or skinny v6 type tires, all the car is going to do is lock 'em up, or ABS the hell out of things, and on a clear day? Worthless for extra stopping power. ABS is great in wet, but if it's going off on the dry, clear pavement, you're doing something wrong. So you may need to also get bigger, or better, depending, tires to get all the stopping power to work in the first place. Which may also mean wheels. Brakes are useless without good rubber to transfer the stop. And then you have weight transfer on top of all that... you'll want to try to minimize the dive of the car, so that the back wheels will stay planted, otherwise, they'll just slide about and maybe try to swap ends with your front. All I'm saying is if you're here to learn about more stopping... it ain't just about the brakes. Nope.
Cobra R Member
Joined: February 6, 2014
Posts: 1,564
Likes: 41
From: Motor City
Go price out some OEM rotors. Keep that price in mind when "upgrading". If it doesn't cost at least that much, there is a 99% chance that they aren't as good.
You also never mentioned what vehicle you have.
The OEM rotors really aren't bad. Upgrading rotors will ultimately mean larger diameter rotors, which means different caliper brackets and possibly different calipers. Your best bet for better braking power is to upgrade just the pads. Get some good semi-metallic pads that are suitable for street use. If you want to track the car then get some pads that are suitable for track use (and put your street pads back in when not on the track).
There are trade offs with everything, and brakes are not cheap to upgrade. Make sure you do your research and buy QUALITY parts, otherwise you are just spending your money on a downgrade in braking performance. Slotted and drilled rotors do not offer more performance 99% of the time, and this is especially true for budget rotors. They WILL fail prematurely, and they WON'T offer any increase in braking performance. Good rotors are rather expensive.
You also never mentioned what vehicle you have.
The OEM rotors really aren't bad. Upgrading rotors will ultimately mean larger diameter rotors, which means different caliper brackets and possibly different calipers. Your best bet for better braking power is to upgrade just the pads. Get some good semi-metallic pads that are suitable for street use. If you want to track the car then get some pads that are suitable for track use (and put your street pads back in when not on the track).
There are trade offs with everything, and brakes are not cheap to upgrade. Make sure you do your research and buy QUALITY parts, otherwise you are just spending your money on a downgrade in braking performance. Slotted and drilled rotors do not offer more performance 99% of the time, and this is especially true for budget rotors. They WILL fail prematurely, and they WON'T offer any increase in braking performance. Good rotors are rather expensive.
Cobra Member
Joined: April 7, 2014
Posts: 1,470
Likes: 26
Do not, Do Not, DO NOT cheap out on the brakes. You want more stopping power, you're gonna want to spend more than $160 on the parts anyway.
More stopping power generally means a bigger diameter rotor and/or bigger brake pads. Both are better. And you want vented discs to help prevent fading as the brakes get hotter from use. And then a multi-piston, both sided piston caliper is also a better system than any one sided caliper system.
This is why a Brembo 6 piston setup is one of the top brake upgrades. The huge discs, brake pads and multiple pressure points help to transfer the friction and clamp down on the disc, stopping the car faster. There are others... Baer... Stoptech... Wilwood... etc... ad nausem... all are better than others and yet not, just depends, but all will help the stopping power.
But ALL THAT means nothing if you're not running good rubber on the wheels. If you're running a hard compound, or wore out tires, or skinny v6 type tires, all the car is going to do is lock 'em up, or ABS the hell out of things, and on a clear day? Worthless for extra stopping power. ABS is great in wet, but if it's going off on the dry, clear pavement, you're doing something wrong.
So you may need to also get bigger, or better, depending, tires to get all the stopping power to work in the first place. Which may also mean wheels. Brakes are useless without good rubber to transfer the stop.
And then you have weight transfer on top of all that... you'll want to try to minimize the dive of the car, so that the back wheels will stay planted, otherwise, they'll just slide about and maybe try to swap ends with your front.
All I'm saying is if you're here to learn about more stopping... it ain't just
about the brakes. Nope.
More stopping power generally means a bigger diameter rotor and/or bigger brake pads. Both are better. And you want vented discs to help prevent fading as the brakes get hotter from use. And then a multi-piston, both sided piston caliper is also a better system than any one sided caliper system.
This is why a Brembo 6 piston setup is one of the top brake upgrades. The huge discs, brake pads and multiple pressure points help to transfer the friction and clamp down on the disc, stopping the car faster. There are others... Baer... Stoptech... Wilwood... etc... ad nausem... all are better than others and yet not, just depends, but all will help the stopping power.
But ALL THAT means nothing if you're not running good rubber on the wheels. If you're running a hard compound, or wore out tires, or skinny v6 type tires, all the car is going to do is lock 'em up, or ABS the hell out of things, and on a clear day? Worthless for extra stopping power. ABS is great in wet, but if it's going off on the dry, clear pavement, you're doing something wrong.
So you may need to also get bigger, or better, depending, tires to get all the stopping power to work in the first place. Which may also mean wheels. Brakes are useless without good rubber to transfer the stop.
And then you have weight transfer on top of all that... you'll want to try to minimize the dive of the car, so that the back wheels will stay planted, otherwise, they'll just slide about and maybe try to swap ends with your front.
All I'm saying is if you're here to learn about more stopping... it ain't just
about the brakes. Nope.
Never cheap on Brakes.
I have been using R1 Brakes for years. I have them on all of my cars and even my suburban. By there top of the line and get the best pads you can get. There warranty is the best. Watch there web sight or look at there Ebay sight for 20% discounts. R1 is StopTech components.
Last edited by Jazzman442; Jun 22, 2014 at 11:05 PM.
Thread Starter
V6 Member
Joined: July 3, 2013
Posts: 86
Likes: 0
Go price out some OEM rotors. Keep that price in mind when "upgrading". If it doesn't cost at least that much, there is a 99% chance that they aren't as good. You also never mentioned what vehicle you have. The OEM rotors really aren't bad. Upgrading rotors will ultimately mean larger diameter rotors, which means different caliper brackets and possibly different calipers. Your best bet for better braking power is to upgrade just the pads. Get some good semi-metallic pads that are suitable for street use. If you want to track the car then get some pads that are suitable for track use (and put your street pads back in when not on the track). There are trade offs with everything, and brakes are not cheap to upgrade. Make sure you do your research and buy QUALITY parts, otherwise you are just spending your money on a downgrade in braking performance. Slotted and drilled rotors do not offer more performance 99% of the time, and this is especially true for budget rotors. They WILL fail prematurely, and they WON'T offer any increase in braking performance. Good rotors are rather expensive.
Cobra R Member
Joined: February 6, 2014
Posts: 1,564
Likes: 41
From: Motor City
Larger rotors do offer a benefit, just make sure you get all the ancillary parts to make it work. I know on the newer Mustangs the V6 and GT calipers are the same (but GT rotors are larger), but that might not be true for your model year.
Just Plain Rude!
Joined: February 1, 2004
Posts: 3,393
Likes: 18
From: Denton, TX
I'd go with the take offs for $120 over the eBay brakes. Just fix some quick researchin' for ya...
That's almost 2 inches bigger on the front rotors (11.5in. on a 2006 V6 vs 13.2in. on a 2011 GT). Just make sure that it comes with the caliper brackets, or be prepared to buy them also. I think they go for $60-$70 each (new).
Another thing to consider is your wheels. You'll most likely need 18in. to clear the bigger rotors.
That's almost 2 inches bigger on the front rotors (11.5in. on a 2006 V6 vs 13.2in. on a 2011 GT). Just make sure that it comes with the caliper brackets, or be prepared to buy them also. I think they go for $60-$70 each (new).
Another thing to consider is your wheels. You'll most likely need 18in. to clear the bigger rotors.
Legacy TMS Member
Joined: February 2, 2004
Posts: 7,648
Likes: 675
From: Insane
I dove into your post history, so now I know you have a 2006 Mustang V6. I'm guessing you either have the 16" wheels, or the 17" ones. If you have the 17" ones, you can safely upgrade to the '05-'10 front rotors and brake caliper brackets. That's not negotiable, they must be done together. Your calipers for all four corners are the same for V6 or GT in stock forms, so just throwing the '05-'10 rotors and brackets would be a bit of an improvement.
If you have the 16" wheels, though, you're not moving up until you get 17" or bigger wheels.
Just some info for ya, in terms of the rotor diameters on the two styles:
V6: 11.5" front. GT: 12.4" front. Rear, both, 11.8", but narrower than the fronts.
As far as upgrading to the still larger 13.2" 2011 GT front rotors? Same deal, rotors and caliper brackets, but now? 18" wheels to clear it all, as Stupidgenius said.
Even then... it's debateable if it's a huge improvement in braking... I mean... it's still stock, just bigger...
Good luck to ya, man.
If you have the 16" wheels, though, you're not moving up until you get 17" or bigger wheels.
Just some info for ya, in terms of the rotor diameters on the two styles:
V6: 11.5" front. GT: 12.4" front. Rear, both, 11.8", but narrower than the fronts.
As far as upgrading to the still larger 13.2" 2011 GT front rotors? Same deal, rotors and caliper brackets, but now? 18" wheels to clear it all, as Stupidgenius said.
Even then... it's debateable if it's a huge improvement in braking... I mean... it's still stock, just bigger...
Good luck to ya, man.
Last edited by houtex; Jun 23, 2014 at 09:30 PM.
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I Have No Life
Joined: January 30, 2004
Posts: 10,446
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From: Canada
The rotorpro's I have I went with the same stock size
Cross drilled/slotted.
No need for a larger wheel. Didn't change anything but the pads/rotors.
Cross drilled/slotted.
No need for a larger wheel. Didn't change anything but the pads/rotors.
Last edited by Boomer; Jun 25, 2014 at 12:42 PM.
Bullitt Member
Joined: April 12, 2007
Posts: 283
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DBA makes very good rotors, that have a unique veining system for increased cooling. They are available in stock rotor sizes.
http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/brake...tor&cat=Rotors
http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/brake...tor&cat=Rotors
Legacy TMS Member
Joined: June 24, 2006
Posts: 2,501
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Well I read other forums (I know that's a no-no). A pretty FAIR driver that races a stock motor all suspension Mustang used a pretty cheap but good rotor.
http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/brake...oModClar=Coupe
He wins his FAIR share of autocross and Road Races with these.
http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/brake...oModClar=Coupe
He wins his FAIR share of autocross and Road Races with these.