06GT

No sweat, guys. I'm used to being on some other forums where generally low-postcounters are complete idiots. I usually carry that mentality with me on other boards I go to as well --obviously this is an incorrect assumption sometimes in other places. But in general, I treat the internet as 95% armchair idiots and 5% knowledgeable people.
You definitely have to be able to distinguish good info from bad.

Anyways, I printed off all of the exploded part diagrams and torque specs, that plus the advice in this thread should make the install a snap!

Thanks again,

06GT

OK SS lines are in! (on the front anyways)

The Earls kit has round pieces that connect to the caliper instead of the factory edged pieces that prevent rotation when torquing. I managed to snap one of them off while torquing and holding the line w/ pliers

I didn't install on either side due to this in the rear.

The front SS lines were another story, went on very easy once we figured out that Earls installed the brackets UPSIDE DOWN and MISLABLED the right and left sides :ugh: Had to take the brackets apart and re-assemble. I'm not very pleased w/ the initial quality of this kit--I can't believe this thing had this sort of problems. THe braking feel is much improved, though.

Car stops on a dime now that I also installed EBC Yellowstuff R-compound pads

MontrealStang

I had the same issue with the brakets;that's why I examined the stock lines on the car before matching up the correct SS line with the correct braket position.

Glad to hear that you noticed a difference; I'm still trying to convince myself there is a difference; you also changed the pads ... that could be the main reason. I installed them more for a security measure since I do some track events. You do not want the stock rubber lines to burst while on the track due to the extreme heat

Let me know also how the Yellowstuff hold up. I'm looking for a better street pads than the Hawk HP+; the dust I can live with but the squeaking ... I can't stand that anymore

I've used them for years but there got to be a better pad out there that has the endurance of the HP+ without the disadvantages !

Does the Yellowstuff eat up the mags ? I've used some race pads for track events (with some dedicated mags & tires) but I made the mistake of keeping them on with my street mags ... the brake dust doesn't come off anymore !!

06GT

I'll let you know how they go--I haven't noticed any squeaking other than some very light squeak when they are cold for the first 2-3 brakings.
I did 3 runs from 40mph to 5mph then 60mph to 10mph to break them in, the pads rock so far.

I'll let you know about the dust--EBC says this is not a low-dust pad, but that could mean it's either normal or high dust, haha. It's an R-compound, so I'm guessing pretty dusty. Heading to Phoenix International Raceway next Saturday, so I'll have a report w/ pics afterwards.

Import-Slaya

I've been running the Yellows for a few track events now. I have nothing but great things to say about. They actually work just fine on the street, with minimal noise and they are easy on the rotors. On the track, using street tires, I have not experienced pad fade at all and I'm guessing I'll be able to get a total of 4 full track weekends out of them at a minimum. Not bad, considering they are half the price of the Carbotechs and the Hawks.

Regarding the dust--yes, the dust a lot more than the stock pads. But...the dust washes off *very* easily. You can just wipe it off, actually. Even after it gets wet in the rain and sits on your wheels for 3 weeks.

06GT

Good to know that I'm not the guinea pig on this one Just during the bed-in process and some normal street use, I can tell these stop MUCH better than than stock.

I'll be running my first HPDE w/ these pads next weekend...the stock pads lasted through 3 HPDEs before this one.

MontrealStang

Glad to hear that. Were you running the HP+ or higher in the past? For HPDE, HP+ would have not lasted for me especially that I run R-Compound tires. I'm not sure if the Yellowstuff would be adequate for my track events but definetly for the street and light track use.

Here is a couple of my runs at my last event to give you an idea:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-clO0vgFjI8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8ann0VDDOY

06GT

Sweet videos!
I'm hoping my pad wear will be similar to Import Slaya's since I'm running street tires during the HPDE. We shall see soon. Hitting Phoenix International Raceway w/ the Grand-Am Road Course setup this weekend for DE2

Import-Slaya

Looks like a great course! One thing the S197's are doing is, little by little, making people realize that Mustangs are no longer a straight-line car. With minimal mods (springs/struts/swaybars/camber), we can hold our own with some of the best cars out there (and demand point-by's, even on the stock tires).



I never tried stock pads or anything else on the track. Since I was able to fade my stock pads with only spirited back road driving, I went straight to the Yellows for the track.

When I was researching which pad to get, I found that EBC says they are good to 800-900 deg. C (1450-1650 deg. F). That is about equal to the Carbotech XP10 pad compound, which plenty of Mustangs use with R-compounds. Plenty of WRX's and STi's (similar power and weight to us) are using the Yellows as the compound of choice, too, even for full on racing.

Someone on another forum was using the Yellows and R-compounds at Road Atlanta (very high speeds) and although they were getting toasty by the end of the several weekends, they did the trick for him (he eventually went to Carbotech XP12 front/XP10 rear). For me at my local track (Summit) where top speeds for me on the straight are ~130mph, and there are two hard braking zones separated by only about 20-30 seconds, I'm guessing the Yellows will be fine even with stickier tires.

Everyone is different with brakes, though, and different driving styles and track layouts can require vastly different pads...

Import-Slaya

Have fun, be safe, and keep the rubber side down!

06GT

Agreed on that...ran 2 DEs at Phoenix International w/ no problems on the stock brakes, then ran a 3rd a few months later at Firebird International Main Course and boiled the fluid during the 3rd session of the day The pads were pretty much toast after that as well

Different tracks definitely have different demands for the brakes.

MontrealStang

.... and the shiny side up !


I see in your signature that you made several modifications suspension wise. Apart from the Tokicos & Springs (since I already have them), what made the biggest improvement ? The swaybars, LCAs or panhard bar ?

When I am on the track, I always tune the shocks to the stiffest since most transitions are smooth, what difference would the swaybars bring ? This was the next mod I was planning.

The car still understeers too much. Since I do not have any camber adjustment, I have had the car aligned with a -2.0 deg as a compromise between street & track. I'm waiting for Maximum Motorsports to lower their price on theirs or that another company comes with one. I've had camber & caster plates before on my SN95s and they are great when you can adjust the camber from the top; I used to have a mark @ -1.5 deg for street and one @-3.0 deg for the track.

Import-Slaya

Other than the springs/Tokicos, the biggest improvement for handling was definitely the sway bars. With the Eibachs and Tokicos, there was still a little more push than I like at the limit (very noticable in autocrosses). With tire pressures and the Tokicos I could dial it out somewhat (for autocross I would lock the rears down to full hard, and then run the fronts at 3 turns out), but I felt like I could tune it a bit more.

The swaybars have gotten me just about there, and they accomplished exactly what I was hoping for. With the front in the middle setting, the car is dead neutral. At the limit of the stock tires, there is just a hint of understeer, which makes for a much more enjoyable trip around the track (i.e. less pucker factor when you cook a turn... ).

Regarding the other parts, the rear LCA's gave a noticable change in the way the car launches, and also added some perceptible stability to the rear end. Nothing dramatic like shocks/struts/sways, but still noticable and worth the money. I have the poly/spherical version and they did add some noticable cabin noise. This is a sacrifice I'm willing to accept, since I don't want the bind induced by the poly/poly versions. We need all the articulation we can get with our rear suspension.

Can't say the panhard bar or the A-arm brace made a noticable difference, but the car does feel much more solid than it did when stock. These would definitely rank below sways and LCA's in the priority, though.

By the way, I'm running -2.3 camber up front using the Steeda billet camber adjusters. +1 on the Maximum Motorsports plates--they are next up on my purchase list, but I don't want to rush and put them in just before the last event of the season (2nd week in October--I've still got to find time to install my tow rings). It'll be my winter project to get my street/track settings dialed in with these plates.

We should start a thread in November for all the track hounds to compare notes and summarize what worked and what didn't work on the track (the kind with turns ) and for autocross (wheels, tires, tire psi's, suspension settings, suspensions upgrades, brakes, etc...).

MontrealStang

Good info. I've autocrossed the last 7 years but I decided to concentrate on HPDE schools and lapping as they give me a larger smile on my face . In Quebec, the track layouts that are used for autocross are too tight for cars like Mustangs; they are made for civics, miatas, Type-R, etc. I could never compete on those layouts.

Ditto for that track thread; I'm in !

BTW, I use Toyo RA1 as track tires as they are the best compromise on performance/price/durability. They were ok for autocross but great for the track. The optimum tire pressure I've experience with the RA1 is around 38-40 psi HOT which was around 28-29psi COLD depending on the weather.

RRRoamer

Mine were not MARKED incorrectly, but they were ASSEMBLED incorrectly. Basically, the bracket that holds the line to the car was installed backwards on both front lines. I tried both sides and finally realized that the only way it would go on was if the line was removed from the bracket and then reinstalled backwards. It was simple to do because the bracket was held on by a circle clip.

It still ****ed me off though. I expected better from Earls.

06GT

Ditto--I had the same problem. It was quite dissapointing. Fortunately I was able to disassemble the bracket and put it back on correctly--but this is not how a quality product should be delivered.

06GT

Ran the DE today, 4 sessions, zero brake fade, just smooth, effective braking.
The EBC product page wasn't kidding when they said the Yellowstuff is not a low-dust pad...the black painted-inserts on my GT500 wheels are now GRAY. haha.
Will wash tomorrow after overnight cool-down

Import-Slaya

Great! Luckily the dust comes off very easily.