5.M0NSTER

With the GT350 and the GT350R around the corner I wonder when we can expect a Ford Racing/Brembo 15" Carbon Ceramic brake upgrade for our cars similar to the setup on the Z28

It may still be a year or two out but I'm getting excited about this prospect already. Aircraft carrier stopping power with no fade is the stuff of legend in my mind.

It would be so awesome to slap on a light, carbon rotor with matching pads on a 6 piston setup and not have to worry about changing pads for the track. Plus brake fade would be nothing but a distant memory.

So what do you guys think? When can we expect such a setup? Any guesses on price? Can any vendors chime in with additional info on stuff that may be in the works?

MJJ

2 years and $8,000.

=HYPERDRIVE=

If they ever have such an option from Ford Performance, it will only be for the 2015 and beyond. I haven't looked into it, but I dont believe the brakes from the 2015 will fit over to the S197, I might be wrong ,so if anyone have some info on that let me know.

5.M0NSTER

That's close to what I was thinking too. Hoping for closer to $5k though.

I was under the impression that the 4piston Brembo brakes on S550 were the same as on current Brembo/Track Pack/Boss car, and the 6 piston Brembo setup on PP was the same a on the 2013-14 GT500. I could be wrong, but I hope not!

dmichaels

Already options out there... carbon ceramic BBK

Pricey but not astronomical.

=HYPERDRIVE=

I dont think they are same, if that would of been the case Ford Performance would not have to make new brake packages, and reuse the 4-pot and 6-pot Brembo kit from the 2011-2014 S197. Unless they are same and they are just splitting them so people dont "mix" up incompatible parts or hardware? who knows.

5.M0NSTER

Whoa, I had no idea. Thanks for the link!

Hmm, you may very well be right. Now I'm starting to wonder if the brakes have different mounting points due to re-designed suspension on the S550.

dmichaels

Price point isn't far off your $5k... when will these get installed on your car?

I'm sure adapters will come out for the S550 6-pot setups to retrofit back to S197's. Like the 13/14 GT500 rear caliper relocation bracket to adapt the rear 13.8" rotors.

5.M0NSTER

Yeah, pretty close! I'm pondering 2 options.

1) For $5-6K getting a carbon brake upgrade. If I go this route I want to wait till the GT350R Carbon brakes are available for the S197. I like Brembo a lot as a company, and I'd prefer to stick for Ford Racing/Brembo kit.

2) For ~$2.5k parts + install I'm tempted to get the Ford Racing/Brembo 2013 GT500 6 piston 15" kit for the front, with the 13.8 upgrade for the rear. Under $1800 is not bad at all.

http://www.latemodelrestoration.com/...05-14-M-2300-T


My goal for doing this is to get a track ready brake setup where I don't have to swap pads before/after my track days. I'm not sure if option 2 will give me ability to keep same pads, but I've read a few reviews saying it's possible. I know I can do it with option 1, but option 2 is far more affordable.

Either way, I will start saving now.

Stevedotmil

I'm sitting here trying to figure out why you want to spend that much money when you can spend so much less by getting race pads for track days, change them out yourself in less than an hour, be on your way to the track and still be fade free. You could even throw in a brake cooling kit in for good measure with some good DOT 4 fluid and get the same effect for far less money.

I'm in no way saying that I wouldn't spend the money on carbon brakes if I was convinced they would be THAT much better than the current set-ups out there but this is just how my brain works.

5.M0NSTER

Hey Steve,
The process you describe is exactly what I've been doing for the past 2 years. Changing out pads the weekend before, doing a pad bed-in process, driving on them for a week just to make sure everything is burnished properly (and dealing with the squealing noises). Then doing the event and so far with no fade thankfully. Then reversing the process the weekend after my track event.
Carbotech has really come through for me. Their racing pads have been awesome. I've been hitting the brakes at the 2 or 1 marker and they have yielded consistent, reliable braking power even from 140mph.

But I know I'm close to the limit of my setup based on pad deposits on the rotors after my events, and some "whoo! whoo! whoo! whoo!" sounds mid day at the track. I go 8 to 9/10ths on my brake zones. But I know I could be on throttle till brake zone marker 1 before stabbing the brake. But I also know that would lead to fade, or worse.

And it may take an hour to change the pads themselves, but then there is the brake cleaner, meticulous inspection of all components, and bed-in procedure etc. 3 hours all-in-all. And this year my wife and I are expecting. So the days of spending Saturday afternoon in the garage are drawing to an end. But track days are not. SO...

So why would I spend my money? Because I'm willing to pay for the convenience of not having to change pads, and being able to go to marker 1 before hitting the brakes, and getting earth stopping braking power. Similar to the video below . I'm looking for the sentiment Randy expresses @11:45. Hope that helps explain my motivation

dmichaels

How about ceramic rotors and associated pads with the stock brembo calipers? I can't imagine there is anything special about the calipers that go with the ceramic rotor and pad setup... If you could source just the rotors and pads you might be able to ge the setup cheaper

And congrats on the baby!!

laserred38

This, exactly what I was thinking.

dmichaels

So this thread sparked my interest.... A little searching online and i've found the following:

Not much info on these, but maybe worth contacting
Fusion Brakes rotors

Filter the below page by 14" rotors and C/SiC for material. If you sourced a set of rotor hats, the 1.25" width rings would fit perfectly inside the OEM Brembo calipers...
Wilwood replacement rotors

Stevedotmil

Makes sense now that you enlightened the thought process. Trust me, I know all too well what time you have when kids are part of everyday living. I have four sons. Congrats on the new tiny human to be.

TommyV

Do ceramic rotors require special pads?

todcp

"My goal for doing this is to get a track ready brake setup where I don't have to swap pads before/after my track days."

Already available with Carbotech. Just use their street compound front Bobcat pads with XP 12 rears and XP24 front for track. Leave the rear XP12 on all the time and just switch over the fronts. No need to change rotors as the compound is same family of material. Confirmed by Tech at Carbotech and confirmed by using this exact setup with stock Brembo setup rotors, Motul 600 fluid, JLT brake cooling ducts and Nitto NT01 tires. Powerful stops and zero fade.

5.M0NSTER

Thank you, and now we're talking. I looked at the links you posted. Great stuff! Looks like it's still early in the game, but this option appears the be 1/2 the price of a full setup. Good thinking. I don't see why the calipers would need to be any different either. Wonder what temp rage CSis get to... and if the stock caliper seals can take the heat.

Thank you! I'm finding out how much resources a tiny human requires these days. Craziness! And 4 sons is impressive. Well done sir.

Good question! I need to look into this. I would imagine so since the pad material is no longer grinding against a metallic surface. But I don't have enough knowledge to answer this question yet.

That sounds like a HELL of a brake setup, and I've already been using Carbotech pads so far with very good results. But the issues is I'm looking for a setup where I can avoid swapping front pads, so what you're suggesting is the exact opposite of what I'm looking for. I love my XP10s up front, but can'd deal with the noise for daily driving. Plus Carbotech themselves don't recommend it due to rotor wear and noise issues.

I really like the idea of using Carbon-Ceramic rotors with matching pads up front, and using something like Carbotech AX6 pads for daily and track use on the rear. I need to do more research though, and get more educated on Carbon ceramic technology. Great stuff. Thank you all for great contributions so far!

dmichaels

Just wondering, on the swapping front pads, when you're at the track, there is usually quite a bit of down time in between sessions and while the instructor group goes out in the morning (typically first as you know). Do you have an electric impact gun that you could use to pop off the front wheels, swap pads, and replace front wheels quickly? If I needed to, I think I could do a front pad swap in a grand total of about 10 minutes using the impact gun, and then another 10-15 minutes at the end of the day or once I'm home to get back to the street pads.

Just food for thought - a top notch impact gun is a whole lot cheaper than carbon-ceramic rotors (although far less cool too)

5.M0NSTER

Yeah, good point about the impact driver. I need one, all I have is a torque wrench right now.