Another GT to Brembo thread. Help me make an informed decision.

[munizfire]

I'm in the market for upgrading my 17 GT brakes after tracking my car a couple of months ago. To be fair, my GT is my daily driver, and I'm only planning on tracking it every couple of months.

Out of curiosity, today I called my local dealer asking for the Bullitt brembos, gave them the PNs, and they quoted me a phenomenal price, and paid (if the deal is legit, I can post details later).
Since the parts salesperson wasn't able to find the words 'red' and/or 'bullitt' in the part description, he said that when the brakes arrive, if they aren't the ones I wanted, they can keep the calipers, and I can get a refund. In all honesty, as long as they are the 6pot ones, I'd keep them, regardless of color.

IF they are indeed the 6 pot brembos, I figured I'd need the following (thanks to the people who have posted about this, and Levittown Ford)[If these are correct, I'd get a quote from the dealership as well, before buying online]:
- Caliper Pin Kit - FR3Z-2068-C (x2): 'generic' hardware kits such as the Steeda, Raybestos, or even RockAuto would work exactly the same, correct?
- Left & Right Splash Shield - FR3Z-2K005-H & FR3Z-2K004-H
- Gaskets W711784-S300 (x4)
- Front 15" Rotors - KR3Z-1125-G (x2) [Still unsure if I want slotted (or drilled) ones, the OEM ones, or if I should get OEM quality replacements]
- Pads (was thinking Z23 or Z26)
- I understand my brake lines will work on the brembos, correct? (Yes I'm planning on upgrading the fluid too, was thinking Motul 660)

HOWEVER, if they aren't the 6 piston ones, I thought I would just keep my 4 piston ones and just upgrade the rotors & pads. (Let's face it, although not as good as the Brembos, the stock Continentals aren't too shabby).
Is there a way to improve the cooling in the 14" rotors (as in, for example, would the splash shields from the PP fit a 14" rotor)? Sure, I understand slotted rotors is a great improvement, and that is what I'm leaning towards.

Thoughts?

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[TopJimmyCooks]

I'm in the market for upgrading my 17 GT brakes after tracking my car a couple of months ago. To be fair, my GT is my daily driver, and I'm only planning on tracking it every couple of months.

Out of curiosity, today I called my local dealer asking for the Bullitt brembos, gave them the PNs, and they quoted me a phenomenal price, and paid (if the deal is legit, I can post details later).
Since the parts salesperson wasn't able to find the words 'red' and/or 'bullitt' in the part description, he said that when the brakes arrive, if they aren't the ones I wanted, they can keep the calipers, and I can get a refund. In all honesty, as long as they are the 6pot ones, I'd keep them, regardless of color.

IF they are indeed the 6 pot brembos, I figured I'd need the following (thanks to the people who have posted about this, and Levittown Ford)[If these are correct, I'd get a quote from the dealership as well, before buying online]:
- Caliper Pin Kit - FR3Z-2068-C (x2): 'generic' hardware kits such as the Steeda, Raybestos, or even RockAuto would work exactly the same, correct?
- Left & Right Splash Shield - FR3Z-2K005-H & FR3Z-2K004-H
- Gaskets W711784-S300 (x4)
- Front 15" Rotors - KR3Z-1125-G (x2) [Still unsure if I want slotted (or drilled) ones, the OEM ones, or if I should get OEM quality replacements]
- Pads (was thinking Z23 or Z26)
- I understand my brake lines will work on the brembos, correct? (Yes I'm planning on upgrading the fluid too, was thinking Motul 660)

HOWEVER, if they aren't the 6 piston ones, I thought I would just keep my 4 piston ones and just upgrade the rotors & pads. (Let's face it, although not as good as the Brembos, the stock Continentals aren't too shabby).
Is there a way to improve the cooling in the 14" rotors (as in, for example, would the splash shields from the PP fit a 14" rotor)? Sure, I understand slotted rotors is a great improvement, and that is what I'm leaning towards.

Thoughts?

Hey munizfire,
One guy’s thoughts which might be contradicted by others….
1. if Levittown helped you with the part numbers, I’d buy from them. Don’t reward the parts dealer who didn’t help you out. Levittown did the heavy lifting to help me determine the parts list to upgrade my son’s Ecoboost rear brakes to Performance Pack GT brakes. They were great.
2. pads: I haven’t heard of anyone running Powerstop pads on track. TBH, the OEM pads aren’t bad for novice track drivers. As you improve, you’ll want either G-Loc, Carbotech, or Pagid (Track pads are noisy, you might want to swap back for daily driving). Talk to the guys at KNS Brakes. They are very helpful.
3. Rotors: Save yourself the $ and go with the Ford OEM rotors. I have had no issues, and a lot of others agree. Upgrading to Girodiscs is an option, but not necessary until you are really moving.
4. Fluid: MOTUL RB660 is a great choice. SRF is also good. I buy in multi-packs to save $ per bottle.
5. Option to stick with 4-pistons: I would not. Our cars are heavy and need all the help they can get.
Hope that helps.

 

[munizfire]

Hey munizfire,
One guy’s thoughts which might be contradicted by others….
1. if Levittown helped you with the part numbers, I’d buy from them. Don’t reward the parts dealer who didn’t help you out. Levittown did the heavy lifting to help me determine the parts list to upgrade my son’s Ecoboost rear brakes to Performance Pack GT brakes. They were great.
2. pads: I haven’t heard of anyone running Powerstop pads on track. TBH, the OEM pads aren’t bad for novice track drivers. As you improve, you’ll want either G-Loc, Carbotech, or Pagid (Track pads are noisy, you might want to swap back for daily driving). Talk to the guys at KNS Brakes. They are very helpful.
3. Rotors: Save yourself the $ and go with the Ford OEM rotors. I have had no issues, and a lot of others agree. Upgrading to Girodiscs is an option, but not necessary until you are really moving.
4. Fluid: MOTUL RB660 is a great choice. SRF is also good. I buy in multi-packs to save $ per bottle.
5. Option to stick with 4-pistons: I would not. Our cars are heavy and need all the help they can get.
Hope that helps.

Thanks for the reply.

1 - When I say thanks to Levittown I meant because they have the kit with the needed parts list. I haven't spoken with them; however, I paid SIGNIFICANTLY less than what they're asking (which is already a great price by itself)
2 - Fair enough, I was trying to avoid the OEM pads due to how notoriously dusty they are. If I end up getting track pads in the future, I'd most definitely only use them on the track, a bunch of my friends (non-mustang) run track pads and they're noisy AF
3 - Thanks, I was partly leaning towards the OEM one, specially if I can get the 2020+ rotors (which I understand have better ventilation than previous years).
4 - Good advice, thanks. How often do you replace the fluid? Before every track day?
5 - Understood.

 

[TopJimmyCooks]

Thanks for the reply.

1 - When I say thanks to Levittown I meant because they have the kit with the needed parts list. I haven't spoken with them; however, I paid SIGNIFICANTLY less than what they're asking (which is already a great price by itself)
2 - Fair enough, I was trying to avoid the OEM pads due to how notoriously dusty they are. If I end up getting track pads in the future, I'd most definitely only use them on the track, a bunch of my friends (non-mustang) run track pads and they're noisy AF
3 - Thanks, I was partly leaning towards the OEM one, specially if I can get the 2020+ rotors (which I understand have better ventilation than previous years).
4 - Good advice, thanks. How often do you replace the fluid? Before every track day?
5 - Understood.

The OEM pads are crazy dusty. But there’s always some trade off. I miss the quiet.

I flush the fluid before every event, unless I have a couple events that are really close (back-to-back weekends). I’ve seen a lot of people get soft pedal out there. Not something I’m interested in. I figure it is cheap compared to running into a tire wall. You’ll be pulling the wheels off to inspect everything anyway, might as well. Some will say this is overkill and perhaps it is.

Another thing I thought of…torque. Check the wheel lugs and the rear axle nuts in the morning before the wheels get hot. Check again after a long lunch break mid-day. Never torque when hot. You’ll need a 32mm for the axle nuts. It makes it easier if you remove the center caps from your wheels. Our cars have a tendency to eat rear hub bearing due to loose axle nuts. Periodic checks can prevent that. The axle nut torque rating is 98ft-lb + 1/8 turn. Since I can’t check for a 1/8 turn, I set it around 125 lbs just to make sure it isn’t loose. That 1/8 turn is a higher value than that. The wheel lugs are 150. FWIW, I hate the OEM Ford lug nuts. They are too soft for frequent removal. Get either Gorilla Nuts or pony up for the Ford Performance open-faced nuts. The FP are great, but not as pretty for the Cars and Coffee crowd.

 

[munizfire]

Yeah, already bought Gorilla ones a couple of months ago, since my oem ones got destroyed at a shop.

I typically torque wheels to spacers, and spacers to hubs at 140. I did remove the spacers for the last track day, but that might also be overkill (either way, I’m planning on getting a set of wheel/tires for the track at some point)

I will admit that I’ve never checked the axle nuts. I will start checking for that.

 

[pkim17]

Hey munizfire, welcome to the hobby!

I can tell you for a fact that once you progress faster laps, you will overheat those brakes.
Especially because the OEM rotors for 4pot have INVERTED vanes, which will definitely overheat on the track.

And like TopJimmyCooks have said, I'd pass on the Powerstops.. Plenty better choices. Powerstops are decent on the street at best.

I started off with Carbotech's XP12 front and XP10 rear for my first year of track, loved them. Now I run XP24/XP12. But others also run XP10/XP8 as well.
Just FYI GLoc and Carbotechs are essentially same products.

The pads will be noisy. But you kinda get used to it
I ran my track pads with intention of swapping them out every trackday, but I'm lazy and just kept them on year round as my daily driver lol

And, unless they're same brand such as street compound GLoc and their track compound GLoc, i read that it's not good to cross-use pads as different compound materials.

Agree with rotors, no need for two-piece rotors. That's for when you're capable of pushing your car 9/10th and you want to squeeze the last 2 seconds to improve your PB.
And don't buy drilled rotors, they're notorious for cracking with high temp from the track.
Go buy Centric (Essentially same as Stoptech) rotors on RockAuto.com as OEM replacements since you're upgrading to 6pots anyways


If cash isn't holding you back, I'd definitely upgrade to the 6pot Brembos.
Not only will it give you added benefit of performance, it's literally a safety equipment. You don't want to overcook your brakes and crash into a wall..
Always better safe than sorry.

I also started this hobby last year, quickly fell into this money-pit hobby,
Let me know if you have any other questions I can help with!

 

[paulm1]

My first track day with my new '21 base GT at pocono last summer I boiled the fluid and cooked the pads (smoke pouring out of the front wheel wells) on my 2nd of 3 sessions. The guys who traveled around to different SCCA events said pocono was the fastest track they've been to. Don't track the GT on stock 4 piston brakes, maybe they'll hold up for autocross, who knows. I fixed my brakes and shift lock out issues myself. If you don't mind doing the work yourself and used parts it can be done cheaply. I got a set of the gt350 front calipers used (from classified section here), z26 pads, 15" rotors (rock auto), LMR adapter brackets, braided steel front lines, DOT 5.1 fluid, & a brake cooling duct kit, all in for $1100. Did the work myself, you can trim the stock dust shields back with a cutting wheel, just copy the design of the gt350 shields. Also added a braided steel clutch line, full tilt boogie shifter bracket, and a short throw handle, which vastly improved the shift lockout issues, all for $320. Next is the tires, that's on the list for this summer. You can do this cheaply and effectively if you don't mind putting the time in.

 

[K4fxd]

The 4 pots with real race pads and 2 piece rotors are real good. Unless you are using slicks the larger and heavier brakes are over kill.

I know the 6 pots look better, but I like the lighter option with proper cooling.

 

[TopJimmyCooks]

Yeah, already bought Gorilla ones a couple of months ago, since my oem ones got destroyed at a shop.

I typically torque wheels to spacers, and spacers to hubs at 140. I did remove the spacers for the last track day, but that might also be overkill (either way, I’m planning on getting a set of wheel/tires for the track at some point)

I will admit that I’ve never checked the axle nuts. I will start checking for that.

I've never used them, but the consensus on spacers seems to be to use the ones that don't bolt on. It is too hard to check torque (you have to remove the wheel every time. The ones in the links I shared are what the track-rats use.

 

[Strokerswild]

So, what's a pair of 6-pot Brembo calipers worth these days? I swapped to the Bullitt units (front and rear) a year ago and have my take-offs stashed in the shop attic. I should really sell them and reduce a little clutter up there...this thread was a reminder.

 

[shogun32]

If I need to post the part numbers for gray, black, red and orange Brembo calipers let me know.

But as of 2022 the 14" conti come with rotors vented correctly. You'll want the PP1 lateral arms with the air scoops and PP1 dust shields so the air can get in there.

 

[Howitzer]

Hey munizfire,
One guy’s thoughts which might be contradicted by others….
1. if Levittown helped you with the part numbers, I’d buy from them. Don’t reward the parts dealer who didn’t help you out. Levittown did the heavy lifting to help me determine the parts list to upgrade my son’s Ecoboost rear brakes to Performance Pack GT brakes. They were great.
2. pads: I haven’t heard of anyone running Powerstop pads on track. TBH, the OEM pads aren’t bad for novice track drivers. As you improve, you’ll want either G-Loc, Carbotech, or Pagid (Track pads are noisy, you might want to swap back for daily driving). Talk to the guys at KNS Brakes. They are very helpful.
3. Rotors: Save yourself the $ and go with the Ford OEM rotors. I have had no issues, and a lot of others agree. Upgrading to Girodiscs is an option, but not necessary until you are really moving.
4. Fluid: MOTUL RB660 is a great choice. SRF is also good. I buy in multi-packs to save $ per bottle.
5. Option to stick with 4-pistons: I would not. Our cars are heavy and need all the help they can get.
Hope that helps.

Can't say it better than this, honestly.
As someone who has a base and upgraded to brembos...I did all this. I went with Hawk 5.0 pads to start with as an aggressive street pad. They worked well and worked well even at the track for my first novice events. I would not recommend any kind of powerstop pad, unless maybe their track pads? With brembo's without brake air ducts...My brakes were getting up to 700-800 degrees when I came off track. So you'll want a pad that can withstand that.

And fresh brake fluid is key - I've been using Motul RBF600, anything similar should be fine.

To go along with the Brembo's, I also highly recommend getting some brake air ducts/scoops (vorshslag makes some that can attach to your base control arms) and swap over to the PP front lip and belly pan (for the full ducting) to add extra brake cooling. That took my front brake temps down to 550-650 at the same track after rolling into the paddock.

If you want good braking at the track, you'll simply have to embrace the dust. Become one, with the dust my friend. Don't be afraid of it. Just wash it off the day after =).

 

[munizfire]

What about rear brakes? I might have a warped rotor (can't see any warping, but my car started vibrating while braking), so was thinking of upgrading rear rotors too, and might as well get a set of rear calipers to paint them.

What about pads for the rear?

 

[munizfire]

Hey munizfire, welcome to the hobby!

I can tell you for a fact that once you progress faster laps, you will overheat those brakes.
Especially because the OEM rotors for 4pot have INVERTED vanes, which will definitely overheat on the track.

And like TopJimmyCooks have said, I'd pass on the Powerstops.. Plenty better choices. Powerstops are decent on the street at best.

I started off with Carbotech's XP12 front and XP10 rear for my first year of track, loved them. Now I run XP24/XP12. But others also run XP10/XP8 as well.
Just FYI GLoc and Carbotechs are essentially same products.

The pads will be noisy. But you kinda get used to it
I ran my track pads with intention of swapping them out every trackday, but I'm lazy and just kept them on year round as my daily driver lol

And, unless they're same brand such as street compound GLoc and their track compound GLoc, i read that it's not good to cross-use pads as different compound materials.

Agree with rotors, no need for two-piece rotors. That's for when you're capable of pushing your car 9/10th and you want to squeeze the last 2 seconds to improve your PB.
And don't buy drilled rotors, they're notorious for cracking with high temp from the track.
Go buy Centric (Essentially same as Stoptech) rotors on RockAuto.com as OEM replacements since you're upgrading to 6pots anyways

If cash isn't holding you back, I'd definitely upgrade to the 6pot Brembos.
Not only will it give you added benefit of performance, it's literally a safety equipment. You don't want to overcook your brakes and crash into a wall..
Always better safe than sorry.

I also started this hobby last year, quickly fell into this money-pit hobby,
Let me know if you have any other questions I can help with!

Hopefully the Bullitt Brembos arrive tomorrow. (well, one arrived at the dealership today, the other should arrive tomorrow)

So, from a light research, I’ve come to the conclusion that PowerStop = bad; Centric = good; Stop tech = also good. Is this accurate? If so, does Centric still make Slotted rotors for our cars, where could they be bought? Would these be as good as the OEM (or close enough)?

So, what's a pair of 6-pot Brembo calipers worth these days? I swapped to the Bullitt units (front and rear) a year ago and have my take-offs stashed in the shop attic. I should really sell them and reduce a little clutter up there...this thread was a reminder.

Depends on where you sell them, on eBay they sell for higher, but you pay way higher fees.
Check the classifieds. IF the ones that the dealer ordered aren't 6 pots I'll PM you.

1- If I need to post the part numbers for gray, black, red and orange Brembo calipers let me know.

2- But as of 2022 the 14" conti come with rotors vented correctly. You'll want the PP1 lateral arms with the air scoops and PP1 dust shields so the air can get in there.

1- Sure, please.
2- I was thinking on installing these (Base GT ones). I assume it would be a similar end-result.

 

[NeverSatisfied]

If you’re tracking and swapping to brembos you need to swap the brake master cylinder and booster as well.

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