03 BEAR Brake Swap..Help!

[toomanymustangs]

I just bought my dads 03 cobra. Garage kept never driven in the rain, bone stock, 11,000 miles. I have a 2001 GT that i am selling to get it. I bought the car with a Bear brake kit on it. I was wondering if anybody has changed the brakes on there 03'? Any ideas if the swap will work? Thanks

 

[TrueBlueGT]

what size are the gt brakes compared to the cobra's?

 

[Sweetlu60]

Which Baer Kit is it, the four piston calipers or the two, if it is the two, they are the same PBR brake calipers as on a stock cobra.

 

[toomanymustangs]

Not sure which one it is. Looks just like the cobra's brakes though. 13 inch rotors and all. I would think they would swap no problem but just wondering if anyone has done it.

 

[ShelbyGuy]

but if they're the same thing, why bother?

 

[toomanymustangs]

Because the Baer setup has drilled and slotted rotors. Plus they look better.

 

[ModsAway]

So just swap the rotors, 13 inches is 13 inches and should fit. The calipers are the same so don't bother swapping them.

 

[JoeNashville]

Yep, what he said. Also since they're drilled as well as slotted step up your inspection schedule from once every 2-3 years to once every 2-3 months...cross drilling rotors causes stress risers and that's a place where cracks can form. Cracked rotors can be a disaster.

 

[Fast Willy]

Get the brembo 14inch kit its amazing.

 

[toomanymustangs]

So you dont think its worth it to switch the calipers? It would be easier just to switch the rotors. Are the cross drilled rotors really that prone to craking? Never had any problem with them on my 01.

 

[Sweetlu60]

I have no direct experience with it, but I have been researching a lot of brakes for the BondoStang (Baer Calipers on front with 12" rotors) and everything I read is that the cross drilled/slotted rotors tend to eat the pads more. As for the cracking, most seem to indicate that the cross drilled do crack, and when you are talking $140 per rotor, this would seem to be expensive. As for using them for racing, I lean to not using the cross drilled, because I do not want to deal with a broken rotor, I am leaning towards a Wilwood two piece rotor for the front, but still researching, and will probably use the slotted rotors to help with out gasing.

 

[toomanymustangs]

I never race at a big track. Only short track SCCA and the drag strip. Mostly just street driving. You think the roors will be ok?

 

[ModsAway]

As warned above simply make sure you are expecting the rotors regularly and BEFORE/DURING/AFTER and track events.

For street use they are great bling and most likely will be no problems (from what I have read). Also stated before in these forums it makes quite the difference if the rotors were drilled after the casting process or not.

I chose slotted only for track use and I don't take them off for street use. Look and work great, no worries... they do eat pads though, or maybe thats me lol.