Brembos vs non
#101
Originally Posted by 99mstng
I find that I almost prefer the look of my brembo wheels with a little brake dust . . . kinda weird but I guess that's me wishing the rims didn't have so much gloss to them and were just a slight tint more black.
As for how long the rotors/pads hold up, at leat 1,300 miles! (so far)
As for how long the rotors/pads hold up, at leat 1,300 miles! (so far)
#102
Do you have or did you ever have a squeel/squeek during low speed stops? I find I can hear it sometimes in like a parking garage with my windows down but can't hear it when the windows are up. My thought is maybe it's just the brake compond/components. Either way not a big deal just wondering what others have experienced . . .
#103
Originally Posted by 99mstng
Do you have or did you ever have a squeel/squeek during low speed stops? I find I can hear it sometimes in like a parking garage with my windows down but can't hear it when the windows are up. My thought is maybe it's just the brake compond/components. Either way not a big deal just wondering what others have experienced . . .
#104
I have 16,500 daily driver (no track) miles on my Brembo package, and the rotors look pristine. Haven't measured thickness of the pads.
My brakes squeal frequently at low speeds. When I was a teenager 20 years ago, I drove my uncle's Porsche 928. I came home and reported to him the brakes were messed up because they were squealing. He replied, "Boy---in Germany, they don't care if the brakes squeal as long as they stop the car. In America, they don't care if brakes stop the car as long as they don't squeal." As such, the squealing makes me think of high performance brakes.
My brakes squeal frequently at low speeds. When I was a teenager 20 years ago, I drove my uncle's Porsche 928. I came home and reported to him the brakes were messed up because they were squealing. He replied, "Boy---in Germany, they don't care if the brakes squeal as long as they stop the car. In America, they don't care if brakes stop the car as long as they don't squeal." As such, the squealing makes me think of high performance brakes.
#105
Originally Posted by 99mstng
I find that I almost prefer the look of my brembo wheels with a little brake dust . . . kinda weird but I guess that's me wishing the rims didn't have so much gloss to them and were just a slight tint more black.
As for how long the rotors/pads hold up, at leat 1,300 miles! (so far)
As for how long the rotors/pads hold up, at leat 1,300 miles! (so far)
#106
I plan on getting some RTR's or something similar maybe next year.
#107
#110
Okay, now I'm confused. I looked at 2012's at a dealer yesterday, trying to get to the bottom of what is different b'twn Brembo and non-Brembo cars.
There were two 5.0 GT's side by side, both automatics (not my choice), coupes, and simlilarly equipped. One had the 19" premium nickel wheels, the other the stock 18's. The one with the 19" wheels had the GT strut tower brace, the other did not.
I looked under the rear at the sway bar and LCA's. They looked the same.
Then I looked at a Brembo convertible. The sway bar and LCA's looked identical to the other non-brembo cars. (Now that I think about it, the vert may have been a 2011.)
The salesman at this dealer, as well as two others have said that (to their knowledge) the BBP is just brakes/wheels/tires. Nothing else. Can't say that I believe them. . . .
And, $995 is alot to pay for just the 19" wheels. Maybe some other suspension tweaks are included ??
Anyone know ?
There were two 5.0 GT's side by side, both automatics (not my choice), coupes, and simlilarly equipped. One had the 19" premium nickel wheels, the other the stock 18's. The one with the 19" wheels had the GT strut tower brace, the other did not.
I looked under the rear at the sway bar and LCA's. They looked the same.
Then I looked at a Brembo convertible. The sway bar and LCA's looked identical to the other non-brembo cars. (Now that I think about it, the vert may have been a 2011.)
The salesman at this dealer, as well as two others have said that (to their knowledge) the BBP is just brakes/wheels/tires. Nothing else. Can't say that I believe them. . . .
And, $995 is alot to pay for just the 19" wheels. Maybe some other suspension tweaks are included ??
Anyone know ?
#112
Okay, now I'm confused. I looked at 2012's at a dealer yesterday, trying to get to the bottom of what is different b'twn Brembo and non-Brembo cars.
There were two 5.0 GT's side by side, both automatics (not my choice), coupes, and simlilarly equipped. One had the 19" premium nickel wheels, the other the stock 18's. The one with the 19" wheels had the GT strut tower brace, the other did not.
I looked under the rear at the sway bar and LCA's. They looked the same.
Then I looked at a Brembo convertible. The sway bar and LCA's looked identical to the other non-brembo cars. (Now that I think about it, the vert may have been a 2011.)
The salesman at this dealer, as well as two others have said that (to their knowledge) the BBP is just brakes/wheels/tires. Nothing else. Can't say that I believe them. . . .
And, $995 is alot to pay for just the 19" wheels. Maybe some other suspension tweaks are included ??
Anyone know ?
There were two 5.0 GT's side by side, both automatics (not my choice), coupes, and simlilarly equipped. One had the 19" premium nickel wheels, the other the stock 18's. The one with the 19" wheels had the GT strut tower brace, the other did not.
I looked under the rear at the sway bar and LCA's. They looked the same.
Then I looked at a Brembo convertible. The sway bar and LCA's looked identical to the other non-brembo cars. (Now that I think about it, the vert may have been a 2011.)
The salesman at this dealer, as well as two others have said that (to their knowledge) the BBP is just brakes/wheels/tires. Nothing else. Can't say that I believe them. . . .
And, $995 is alot to pay for just the 19" wheels. Maybe some other suspension tweaks are included ??
Anyone know ?
I believe under close scrutiny it was also discovered that the springs are different part #s, although I don't think anyone's mentioned a large difference in ride/handling between the springs.
#113
Okay, now I'm confused. I looked at 2012's at a dealer yesterday, trying to get to the bottom of what is different b'twn Brembo and non-Brembo cars.
There were two 5.0 GT's side by side, both automatics (not my choice), coupes, and simlilarly equipped. One had the 19" premium nickel wheels, the other the stock 18's. The one with the 19" wheels had the GT strut tower brace, the other did not.
I looked under the rear at the sway bar and LCA's. They looked the same.
Then I looked at a Brembo convertible. The sway bar and LCA's looked identical to the other non-brembo cars. (Now that I think about it, the vert may have been a 2011.)
The salesman at this dealer, as well as two others have said that (to their knowledge) the BBP is just brakes/wheels/tires. Nothing else. Can't say that I believe them. . . .
And, $995 is alot to pay for just the 19" wheels. Maybe some other suspension tweaks are included ??
Anyone know ?
There were two 5.0 GT's side by side, both automatics (not my choice), coupes, and simlilarly equipped. One had the 19" premium nickel wheels, the other the stock 18's. The one with the 19" wheels had the GT strut tower brace, the other did not.
I looked under the rear at the sway bar and LCA's. They looked the same.
Then I looked at a Brembo convertible. The sway bar and LCA's looked identical to the other non-brembo cars. (Now that I think about it, the vert may have been a 2011.)
The salesman at this dealer, as well as two others have said that (to their knowledge) the BBP is just brakes/wheels/tires. Nothing else. Can't say that I believe them. . . .
And, $995 is alot to pay for just the 19" wheels. Maybe some other suspension tweaks are included ??
Anyone know ?
The Brembo Brake Package is an even better deal, because in addition to the brakes, it improves the suspension a bit, gives you wider wheels and sticky summer tires. I only wish Ford had charged $1995 for it and added rear Brembos too.
#114
From what I hear, it is because of the solid axle. It makes it difficult to put a fixed rotor on a fixed axle. A floating rotor is much less expensive, and in all honesty, a dual piston caliper is not needed.
#115
I realize that the front brakes do most of the work, but having the nice, big 14" front Brembos contrast with the tiny 11.8" rears, especially with the 19" Brembo Brake Package wheels, which seem to have a thinner rim compared to the 19" luster nickels, looks incongruous, to say the least.
Last edited by justindo; 8/17/11 at 06:16 PM.
#118
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#119
- not one single dealer, salesperson, or other "informed" dealer personel say that there's anything to the BBP other than the brakes/tires/wheel and electronic tuning. All state that there are no suspension part tweaks/upgrades.
- I had a parts guys run part#'s for the rear lower control arm. Turns out there are three: One for the Auto and Convertible (V6 and 5.0), a second for the GT 5.0 coupe manual trans, Shelby, and V6 performance pack, and a third for the Boss. The BBP and non-BBP cars get the same treatment.
- I looked at the rear LCA's for a GT base, a GT premium with 19" premium wheels, a GT premium BBP car, and two Shelbys (all manuals, coupes). The BBP car and the Shelbys were silver (painted, -- there were magnetic), and the others were black. Can't explain this, as they are all supposed to be the same part number.
- Cars with 19" wheels, BBP or not, come with the strut tower brace. That explains why it's on BBP cars (whereas, I thought it was a suspension "tune" part with the BBP pack - not). Shelbys don't have the brace.
- I did some research of my own on two GT 5.0 manual coupe VIN's, one BBP and one not, and indeed, there don't seem to be differences in physical suspension parts.
- The rear sway bars on the cars listed above are all the same part, and 24 mm in diameter. They had part tags hanging from them and I mic'd the diameter.
Conclusion, right or wrong: Brembo is a brake/wheel/tire package. The "suspension tuning" referring to on the Ford build and price site must be limited to electronic (ESC and maybe the EPS too ?)
I test drove a base GT 5.0 (18" wheels) and a Base GT BBP car back to back, both manual coupes. Granted, these were 20 min drives, but enough to detect differences. Any benefit from the Brembo brakes is irrelevent in a test drive. Both cars handled very well. The BBP car transferred more road conditions to the driver, and a bit more noise too. I'd expect that from the 40 series tires. I'd say the shock response was the same (and the cars should have the same shocks/struts..according to my info..) Under test drive conditions, I couldn't push either car to limits. And, I suspect, the BBP car would do better at the limits, with the wider wheels and tires, and .... tuning (ESC).
So, for a daily driver, I'd agree with others, the BBP is just extra $$$, unless of course, you can't live without the wheels.
Hope this helps anyone out there.
TS
#120
As an owner of a BBP equipped car w/3.73 I can emphatically state, this is not a long road trip car - much more than 400 miles will leave one's kidneys like jell-o... That said, I like the look of the wheels and calipers over the stockers.