Brake setup recommendation for beginner track event

[7Lemons]

I am new to the forum but have been researching and modding for some time. I am finally going to get out on the track for the first time in May for an SCCA track night event (road course). It's not my DD but I drive it mostly on the street. My brembo GT (see sig for mods) needs brake pads all around, and I thought I'd get a brake kit, rotors and all. I want some extra stopping power and resistance to fade for the track. I wasn't necessarily looking for drilled/slotted, but ran across the Z26 PS kit which can be had for just under $400 shipped from Rockauto:

http://www.americanmuscle.com/powerstop-streetwarrior-brake-kit-1114gtbrembo.html

There is also the PS "Track Day Kit":
http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=7469664&cc=1503807&jsn=477

Or would I be better off with a set of Stoptech or EBC Ultimax rotors and some Hawk HPS 5.0 pads? I don't want to break the bank and I just want better stopping power and resistance to fade. What would you guys recommend for a brembo GT on a road course (for a beginner!)? Thanks in advance!

 

[Paul.]

Stock blanks are ideal for rotors. Any decent track-oriented pad will be light years better than stock. A fresh brake bleed with some quality fluid will help too. Other than than, you've got a lot of stopping power on tap in your car.

Paul.

 

[7Lemons]

Thanks for the reply. My fronts were pretty low and may have scraped the wear indicators, would you say to just get the front rotors cut then? The rears rotors were looking a little ragged too, so I just thought new rotors would look nice as well - but I certainly don't want LOWER quality rotors than my stock ones. Are the brembo pkg rotors any better than aftermarket ones, like stoptech or EBC, etc.? I know the brembo's have larger diameter rotors, and bigger front calipers, but are they actually Brembo brand rotors too? I doubt it as I know brembo brand rotors are >$1k!!

 

[Paul.]

Let me clarify, some stock-type replacements will do just fine. You can either buy them from Ford (Tasca) which won't be much money, or just pick some up for the auto parts store. All those fancy slotted/drilled rotors do is create stress-risers that allow opportunities for cracks to develop, and reduce the mass of the rotor, thereby reducing its effectiveness as a heat sink. Don't bother. OEM blanks work great.

Fresh blanks, good pads, great fluid, and be sure to bed the pads appropriately after install. Drive. Have fun!

Paul.

 

[7Lemons]

Are the PS Z26 pads any good? They also have a "track day" pad. Or some Hawk HPS 5.0 pads? Also what fluid would you recommend? I wonder what the factory fluid is? Is it hard to bleed/replace? I haven't done that in forever!

Sent from my SM-G900V using the svtperformance.com mobile app

 

[Brutal Metal]

The Stop Tech/Centric blank rotors are nice quality for the money plus their e-coated black, I just replaced mine on all 4 corners with the Stop Tech pads. After about 6 weeks I'm happy with the pedal feel and Bite (although pads are dusty) is better than stock. The best price I found for this stuff was Rock Auto.
For fluid I used the Valvoline Synthetic

 

[Brutal Metal]

the part # at Rock Auto for your brembo front rotors are 12061089, $60.89 each.

http://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/ford,2011,mustang,5.0l+v8,1446394,brake+&+wheel+hub,rotor,1896

 

[wmfateam]

My boss had the Hawk 5.0 pads on his 2002 M3 and managed to catch them on fire, literally. I would suggest the 5.0 pads as a daily with very very light track duty that happens once or twice a year. I have run HPS, HP+ and EBC yellow stuff on the street and on track. With yellow stuff being the best all around. But that was there years ago on a stick 96 Cobra. I did find this article which is done good bathroom reading. https://www.tirerack.com/brakes/tests/1_hawk.jsp

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[wmfateam]

And the brakes catching on fire with my boss, he has two years of track/autocross experience and pushes his car 90% .

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[7Lemons]

the part # at Rock Auto for your brembo front rotors are 12061089, $60.89 each.

http://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/ford,2011,mustang,5.0l+v8,1446394,brake+&+wheel+hub,rotor,1896

Thanks for the suggestions. As far as the pads you recommend, have you tried them on a road course at all? Just wondering how resistant they are to fade? Is it this pad:
http://www.americanmuscle.com/stoptech-front-pads-0712gt500.html

 

[7Lemons]

And the brakes catching on fire with my boss, he has two years of track/autocross experience and pushes his car 90% .

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

Wow - molten brakes...literally! Not a vote for the Hawk 5.0's then! So, interesting you liked EBC yellow stuff. I had previously had those on my Mazdaspeed3 and loved them. I didn't know how they would hold up on a road course though.

BTW - here's to the 96 SVT! I had a black hardtop with saddle tan, and then later had a 96 triple black vert that I got into modding on. It was my longtime favorite car (it was my first performance car out of college)...until my '13 GT M6.

 

[wmfateam]

Wow - molten brakes...literally! Not a vote for the Hawk 5.0's then! So, interesting you liked EBC yellow stuff. I had previously had those on my Mazdaspeed3 and loved them. I didn't know how they would hold up on a road course though.

BTW - here's to the 96 SVT! I had a black hardtop with saddle tan, and then later had a 96 triple black vert that I got into modding on. It was my longtime favorite car (it was my first performance car out of college)...until my '13 GT M6.

Depending on how hard you push it, the yellow stuff start really good on the street and good on track. But when you find the limits of your car and get the pads really hot, they seem to find a cliff and lose their edge. Hard to really explain.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[Brutal Metal]

Thanks for the suggestions. As far as the pads you recommend, have you tried them on a road course at all? Just wondering how resistant they are to fade? Is it this pad:
http://www.americanmuscle.com/stoptech-front-pads-0712gt500.html

I only have street driving input from this rotor/pad combo...
Yeah that's the brand but the one's I got weren't the low dust composite, these sound good.

 

[wmfateam]

Thanks for the suggestions. As far as the pads you recommend, have you tried them on a road course at all? Just wondering how resistant they are to fade? Is it this pad:
http://www.americanmuscle.com/stoptech-front-pads-0712gt500.html

All the pads I mentioned I have driven on the street and on a road course. The HP+ I had on an autocross as well. The Plus were fine for track days as I was learning the limits. I hated them on the street as they did not like Arizona winter conditions. The Yellows seem to be about the same as the Plus, except a little more initial bite. I overheated the brake system with the Plus and thought it was because of the pads, but it turned out I needed ducts. After my second set of Plus pads I stepped up to race pads in my Cobra, Raybestos ST47. I now trailer my car to the track so having a race only pad is not an issue. The yellows are what I have driven a couple E36 M3s with, and they always seem to be a solid choice for a track car that gets driven on the streets as well. Brake dust was never really a car for me, but the HP+ did dust pretty bad at the track. Street was alright, but I did have silver wheels at the time so I got to see the layer of dust after a couple weeks.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[7Lemons]

All the pads I mentioned I have driven on the street and on a road course. The HP+ I had on an autocross as well. The Plus were fine for track days as I was learning the limits. I hated them on the street as they did not like Arizona winter conditions. The Yellows seem to be about the same as the Plus, except a little more initial bite. I overheated the brake system with the Plus and thought it was because of the pads, but it turned out I needed ducts. After my second set of Plus pads I stepped up to race pads in my Cobra, Raybestos ST47. I now trailer my car to the track so having a race only pad is not an issue. The yellows are what I have driven a couple E36 M3s with, and they always seem to be a solid choice for a track car that gets driven on the streets as well. Brake dust was never really a car for me, but the HP+ did dust pretty bad at the track. Street was alright, but I did have silver wheels at the time so I got to see the layer of dust after a couple weeks.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

It's great to hear the Yellows are a good choice for track and street use. Thanks for the recommendation. That's ultimately what I'm after...I drive the car mostly street but am trying to get into a little road course (as a total novice!). I won't be at the track enough to warrant "race specific" pads (nor would I want the heaps of dust from them on my street use) but yet I would like to be able to get a pad that is the best you can get for a road course, without being ridiculous on the street in terms of noise and dust. Do you have any experience with the Stoptech Street performance pads that I linked above (recommended by Brutal Metal)? I realize what I'm asking for doesn't often exist - a compromise of good for X...while also good for Y. It's akin to saying "what's the best all-season tire for the drag strip"... so I'm aware of the compromise I'll have.

 

[Coz]

I have the PowerStop Z26 pads front & back on my 2014 GT non-Brembo with the PowerStop drilled/slotted rotors only in the front. They are great on the street and quiet. I just did a HoD track day (Beginner level) at NJMP-Thunderbolt and the brakes did great. No fading from about 115-120 mph on a straight into Turn 1. Am also using Motul RBF600 fluid. I will be upgrading to 4-pot Brembos and the 13.8” GT500 rear rotors and will continue to use the Z26 pads for the street but also bought PowerStop Track Day pads to try in the front. I'm also going with the StopTech slotted rotors that are based on the high-carbon Centric Premium rotors. Great price from RockAuto on the rotors and pads and great price from Tasca on the Brembo calipers. The PS rotors I have on the front are their regular rotors and not their high-carbon Track Day rotors but they did fine with no heat cracks. They don't have as many slots or holes than some other drilled/slotted rotors.

I am upgrading to Brembos since I may be going faster than 115-120 on a straight and also in hotter weather so I want an extra margin of safety. Will also be adding cooling inlet ducts and backing plates from Vorshlag.

In case it makes a difference, I was running on 265/40-18 and 285/40-18 Continental ExtremeContact DW tires.

 

[7Lemons]

I have the PowerStop Z26 pads front & back on my 2014 GT non-Brembo with the PowerStop drilled/slotted rotors only in the front. They are great on the street and quiet. I just did a HoD track day (Beginner level) at NJMP-Thunderbolt and the brakes did great. No fading from about 115-120 mph on a straight into Turn 1. Am also using Motul RBF600 fluid. I will be upgrading to 4-pot Brembos and the 13.8” GT500 rear rotors and will continue to use the Z26 pads for the street but also bought PowerStop Track Day pads to try in the front. I'm also going with the StopTech slotted rotors that are based on the high-carbon Centric Premium rotors. Great price from RockAuto on the rotors and pads and great price from Tasca on the Brembo calipers. The PS rotors I have on the front are their regular rotors and not their high-carbon Track Day rotors but they did fine with no heat cracks. They don't have as many slots or holes than some other drilled/slotted rotors.

I am upgrading to Brembos since I may be going faster than 115-120 on a straight and also in hotter weather so I want an extra margin of safety. Will also be adding cooling inlet ducts and backing plates from Vorshlag.

In case it makes a difference, I was running on 265/40-18 and 285/40-18 Continental ExtremeContact DW tires.

I actually have purchased those slotted Stoptech rotors for all 4, and I ended up going with the Stoptech Sport (formerly known as High Performance Street) pads. I'm going to give the setup a try. I got a fantastic deal on it all from THMotorsports.

I will be running an almost identical staggered tire size setup as you... but man - I have had a love/hate relationship with Conti Extreme DWs! I had them on my Mazadaspeed3 and they were great for dry traction and even wet, and they were quiet on the highway. They were also good in a corner after initial turn-in, but man the turn-in and steering response was Sooo mushy and soft. I hated it and felt it ruined my MS3 handling which I had worked on a lot to get it cornering well. I have never tried them though on the Stang. So far, I love my BFG G-Force Sport Comp 2's!

 

[noldevin]

So those "sport" pads may or may not be adequate for the track. It will depend on your driving style, but most beginners tend to drag the brakes and heat them up. At the first sign of fade you should do some cool down laps and/or come off the track. Also make sure you don't use your parking brake after a session, or say goodbye to your rear rotors.

SCCA track nights are fun, but if you decide this is something you want to do again I HIGHLY recommend doing events with an instructor. You don't want to let bad track habits sink in before an instructor can correct them. Or worse... never make it to that point

 

[Coz]

I will be running an almost identical staggered tire size setup as you... but man - I have had a love/hate relationship with Conti Extreme DWs! I had them on my Mazadaspeed3 and they were great for dry traction and even wet, and they were quiet on the highway. They were also good in a corner after initial turn-in, but man the turn-in and steering response was Sooo mushy and soft. I hated it and felt it ruined my MS3 handling which I had worked on a lot to get it cornering well. I have never tried them though on the Stang. So far, I love my BFG G-Force Sport Comp 2's!

I went to the Conti EC DW straight from the stock 18x8 235/45 Pirelli P- Zero Nero AS tires so the Contis were an improvement. I have heard the same things from others about to the mushy turn in but since I don't know any better, I'm happy. And the Pirellis were SO noisy.

I see that the ECDW's success, the EC Sport is getting great reviews and has greatly improved turn in. The Michelin MP4S is also supposed to be good. Grassroots Motorsports did s review of the new Conti this issue and will do the Michelin MP4S next issue. It seems that Michelin may not roll out the 18" ones until next year.

 

[wmfateam]

I went to the Conti EC DW straight from the stock 18x8 235/45 Pirelli P- Zero Nero AS tires so the Contis were an improvement. I have heard the same things from others about to the mushy turn in but since I don't know any better, I'm happy. And the Pirellis were SO noisy.

I see that the ECDW's success, the EC Sport is getting great reviews and has greatly improved turn in. The Michelin MP4S is also supposed to be good. Grassroots Motorsports did s review of the new Conti this issue and will do the Michelin MP4S next issue. It seems that Michelin may not roll out the 18" ones until next year.

They have one 18" size, 245/40-18 in the MP4S

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk