Question, are the Brembo 14" brakes a waste of money for a street driven daily driver that will never see a road coarse or track event?

I'm thinking of purchasing the Ford Racing 14" Brembo brake kit (note: Not referring to the factory Brembo Brake Package), but I think the biggest improvement I'll feel is from the Goodridge braided lines, right? Yes, I know the Brembo's look better, but that aside, I really would rather invest $1200 on other parts.

My driving style could mimic road coarse driving at times, but for shorter durations compared to continuous lapping. I usually warp and hot spot the factory 13" rotors within 15k to 20k miles, with factory pads used up my 25k to 30k miles.

So the real question is, are the 14" discs going to withstand overheating, or be more durable, than the 13" stock brakes, or can I improve braking feel enough on the 13" stock brakes simply by replacing the stock rubber lines with some Goodridge lines?

 

It's definitely worth it. You get a lot more than just brakes with the brembo package. I'll post the details once I get to work. No time right now.

 

Not talking about the Brembo package, but installing the Ford Racing Brembo brake kit on a normal GT.

 

Better brakes are always beneficial, unless you drive like grandma, the added stopping power is very useful when people cut you off or pull out in front of you, etc.
If you have the money they are a very useful investment.

 

Yes, waste of money unless you take it roadcourse racing regularly

 

Oh I see. Well I'd go with no then. You're in DFW and those roads and speeds don't really require it. If you lived in the mountains or some curvy roads then better brakes with the ability to cool quicker would be more helpful. There's better things in which to invest.

 

Better brakes could save you from a wreck. If you drove on the roads i drive on everyday in east Tennessee they would be worth it. I may up grade to better brakes someday. Just saying............

 

If you decide to go with the Brembos, look for a set of take-offs as they can be picked up for about 1/2 of the price you posted. Think I paid $530 shipped for mine. Yes, they are probably overkill for cars like mine and will also limit which wheels you can run... but they do look good

 

They're not worth it unless you race. Everything about them is more expensive. Pads, rotors, wheels...just not worth it.

 

So maybe just some ss lines and better pads is all I would need? I'm not hearing that I will get better life or durability from the brembo 14" rotors, just higher cost. Right?

 

Probably a waste. People will tell you added stopping power could save your butt but its just not true. The tires are the limiting factor for stopping distances. The base brakes can lock up the wheels or invoke the ABS so no matter what brakes you put on, your best POSSIBLE stopping distance will be the same. But possible and actual are two different things.

Better brakes give better feel which means its easier to stay on the threshold of lock up which could make for shorter stopping distances. BUT unless you can practice on the exact piece of road in the exact current conditions, below 80 MPH you are statistically more likely to initially underbrake and take longer to stop than if you just let the ABS do its thing. Setting aside fade, the reason Brembos and other upgraded brakes are better on the track is that you quickly learn the approximate braking limit for each part of the track and that lets you use that better feel to stay right on the limits without lock up or ABS.

In the real world, if you have to stop as short as possible, you will NOT have practiced on that exact stretch of road under those exact conditions as you would have on a track. The better brake feel becomes irrelevant because your binary search for that optimal pedal pressure takes more time than is lost by using the ABS. Throw in the random spot of oil or gravel or bump or other variable and the ABS is even better unless your car has a separate pedal for each wheel and you have enough feet and brains to use them.

That doesn't mean the better brake feel won't be noticeable on the street and therefore may be worth spending the money on. Its a personal preference. But threshold braking is statistically a loser to ABS when it comes to shortest stopping distances in variable conditions
.
You should be able to feel the difference from better lines in a positive way.

As for bigger disks for less fade (overheating), cooling ducts would help more than bigger disks on heavy braking tracks so should be done first. Brembos without ducts would lose to base brakes with ducts on such a track.

 

I bought my car used but if I did it again I would have used the money for recaros

a few things annoy me about the mustang brembos

I pay over 1000 dollars for them and they arent even painted...

and I don't even get a set for the rear!

 

I love my Brembos.

 

Well said and worth repeating! Tires/surface traction are definitely the limiting factor in braking distance on modern disk brake cars for single panic stops.

I doubt I'll truly use my Brembos to the fullest of their capabilities but they still look cool......

 

I have a 2011 GT, and for the street the stock brakes are very good. These were upgraded by FoMoCo from 2010, both front and rear, for the 2011 mid-cycle-refresh of the GT, to cope with the added power of the new engine. If your car will not see a track, spend your money elsewhere. I do track my car several times per year, and I learned quickly that the stock brakes could not hold up at the track. So I did purchase the Ford Racing SVT brake kit you are talking about (14" rotors, Brembo calipers, SVT pads front & rear, and steel lines). I complimented this with DOT 4 fluid. The set-up is excellent for mild track duty. For extreme racing, even more is needed.

 

HoosierDaddy is giving good advice. If your just street driving this car a mild Pad upgrade, stainless braided lines and High temp fluid swap is what I would go with. Wont cost too much and should give you everything performance wise your looking for.

 

Honestly, if you think Brembo brakes are over kill then most certainly SS brake lines are also overkill for a DD, are you really going to run a DD with excessive brake times on the road?? If anything, I would rather have the Brembos than SS lines, more brake pad = more stopping power.

 

No no, never said overkill, asked it there really is much to gain from Brembo's other than improved braking feel and increased part cost. I take it that you feel the Brembo's do offer improved braking and improved durability in regards to warping?

 

As I have phrased it before:
Brakes slow your car, but the tires are what stops it.

 

Say what??