While I can rationalize the above I don't believe it to be the case here. Look at some of the names that Ford has stuck with the past few years on their halo Mustangs. Many look to have been chosen for the GT350 effort but a few didn't make it. Some examples:
- Bilstein had their DampTronic dampers on the TP GT500. BWI's "Magneride" dampers has toppled anything Bilstein had available. Multimatic too.
- Honsel (of Germany) was casting the GT500 PTWA blocks. This engine will use a similar bore treatment but the source of the blocks hasn't been revealed yet.
- Recaro made it. Then again, who are the Big Three using in their place? Lear? Faurecia? Recaro continues to dominate the performance segment.
- Goodyear has finally given way to Michelins. Do you think they used cheaper grade materials to gain a competitive advantage and thus a contract here?
- Brembo rotors no longer reside between Brembo calipers. The fact that SHW has bumped Brembo is indeed significant.
I highly doubt SHW used a "lower grade" material formulation for a rotor submission in order to receive favorable consideration. These rotors look to be (based only on a visual comparison at this point to other SHW rotors) GT350 specific. While SHW has been clear about expansion they don't appear to be willing to do it at a loss based on a review of their financial statements. I know many might find it a bit dry but I found a lot of relevant insight within one of SHW's latest reports (look closely at pages 14 and 15). The "Eurozone" has been a bit rocky as of late but SHW has immersed themselves in areas where they look to do well (and Germany itself isn't in a bad position either). There's a lot to disseminate from that report but here's a snippet of 2013 regarding their brake business. Keep in mind that their brake division is relatively small, especially in comparison to Brembo.
But I digress, my point lies in my belief that SHW doesn't look to be winning contract bids (such as this specific one) by knowingly accepting financial losses therein. They may have been willing to provide them at a reduced profit margin but that doesn't mean that their number was simply lower than Brembo's (for example). My guess is that Ford engineers simply tested with specific goals in mind and these units achieved what they were looking for in terms of braking performance, durability, and cost.
For comparison, note how much larger Brembo is (it really is a good read if you're up to it!)
- Bilstein had their DampTronic dampers on the TP GT500. BWI's "Magneride" dampers has toppled anything Bilstein had available. Multimatic too.
- Honsel (of Germany) was casting the GT500 PTWA blocks. This engine will use a similar bore treatment but the source of the blocks hasn't been revealed yet.
- Recaro made it. Then again, who are the Big Three using in their place? Lear? Faurecia? Recaro continues to dominate the performance segment.
- Goodyear has finally given way to Michelins. Do you think they used cheaper grade materials to gain a competitive advantage and thus a contract here?
- Brembo rotors no longer reside between Brembo calipers. The fact that SHW has bumped Brembo is indeed significant.
I highly doubt SHW used a "lower grade" material formulation for a rotor submission in order to receive favorable consideration. These rotors look to be (based only on a visual comparison at this point to other SHW rotors) GT350 specific. While SHW has been clear about expansion they don't appear to be willing to do it at a loss based on a review of their financial statements. I know many might find it a bit dry but I found a lot of relevant insight within one of SHW's latest reports (look closely at pages 14 and 15). The "Eurozone" has been a bit rocky as of late but SHW has immersed themselves in areas where they look to do well (and Germany itself isn't in a bad position either). There's a lot to disseminate from that report but here's a snippet of 2013 regarding their brake business. Keep in mind that their brake division is relatively small, especially in comparison to Brembo.
But I digress, my point lies in my belief that SHW doesn't look to be winning contract bids (such as this specific one) by knowingly accepting financial losses therein. They may have been willing to provide them at a reduced profit margin but that doesn't mean that their number was simply lower than Brembo's (for example). My guess is that Ford engineers simply tested with specific goals in mind and these units achieved what they were looking for in terms of braking performance, durability, and cost.
For comparison, note how much larger Brembo is (it really is a good read if you're up to it!)