Performance package for a daily driver?

[tbonez3858]

Was the short life of the pads because they were ceramic?

Great question...They were a special compound and AWD tends to eat brakes and tires. I have no experience with the Mustang Brembos so I hope someone can chime in here that has them on a 2013/2014 and talk about cost, ease of replacement, etc. I've not heard of complaints from the Mustang crowd so Im assuming they are better. This is a new model so I will be watching for people posting about track events and their Brembo life wear. ..

I know on the EVO the pins were one of the worst experiences I've had with replacing a car part and I sure hope the Mustang doesnt go down that road....Endless hammering at full force near delicate Brembo painted red brake covers..Not a good combo.

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[scottpe]

I know on the EVO the pins were one of the worst experiences I've had with replacing a car part and I sure hope the Mustang doesnt go down that road....Endless hammering at full force near delicate Brembo painted red brake covers..Not a good combo.

Wow, that sounds like a terrible design, and very surprising for brakes that are typically intended to allow quick and easy pad replacement at the track. I haven't needed to change the pads on my 4-piston Brembos, but I had 6-piston Wilwoods on my previous Mustang, and pad changes were an absolute breeze on those things. Hopefully the PP 6-piston Brembos are simple as well.

 

[Grimace427]

The Brembo fixed caliper design is actually a blessing for easy pad replacement. I'm betting the pins on the Evo were siezed and should have been soaked in some penetrating lube. In addition to the Brembos on my 2011 GT I've done quite a few brake jobs on Brembo-equipped Mercedes here at work and they are an absolute breeze compared to floating calipers which will come stock on the V6 and Ecoboost without PP. The PP Ecoboost and GT models will have fixed calipers(I believe develped jointly between Ford and Continental). Floating calipers require the removal of the entire caliper before you can replace the pads. Fixed calipers allow you to simply pull the pads out the center of the caliper after removing the pins.

One thing to mention about pad life is that overall they last a fairly good amount but produce some of the worst brake dust imagineable. It takes only a few days of normal driving to completely cover your wheels in brake dust. I recently switched my brakes from the OEM Brembo pads to Hawk ceramics and the difference in dust is awesome. It's been a few months now and they are still reasonably clean. Initial bite isn't quite as immediate as the original pads, but still very good.

The advantage of the 15" 6-piston Brembos over the previous 14" 4-piston versions(which I have) is increased pad surface area. This means reduced wear generally speaking. I can't comment on each individual's experiences though, YMMV.

 

[Husker]

The Brembo fixed caliper design is actually a blessing for easy pad replacement. I'm betting the pins on the Evo were siezed and should have been soaked in some penetrating lube. In addition to the Brembos on my 2011 GT I've done quite a few brake jobs on Brembo-equipped Mercedes here at work and they are an absolute breeze compared to floating calipers which will come stock on the V6 and Ecoboost without PP. The PP Ecoboost and GT models will have fixed calipers(I believe develped jointly between Ford and Continental). Floating calipers require the removal of the entire caliper before you can replace the pads. Fixed calipers allow you to simply pull the pads out the center of the caliper after removing the pins.

One thing to mention about pad life is that overall they last a fairly good amount but produce some of the worst brake dust imagineable. It takes only a few days of normal driving to completely cover your wheels in brake dust. I recently switched my brakes from the OEM Brembo pads to Hawk ceramics and the difference in dust is awesome. It's been a few months now and they are still reasonably clean. Initial bite isn't quite as immediate as the original pads, but still very good.

The advantage of the 15" 6-piston Brembos over the previous 14" 4-piston versions(which I have) is increased pad surface area. This means reduced wear generally speaking. I can't comment on each individual's experiences though, YMMV.

What's your opinion on changing the stock brake fluid soon after taking delivery of a GT PP equipped mustang?

 

[Grimace427]

What's your opinion on changing the stock brake fluid soon after taking delivery of a GT PP equipped mustang?

If you have any plans to track the car, auto-x, HPDE, definitely change the fluid immediately. Any DOT4/4+ is good, Motul is very good. For specific brands I'd ask guys like Vorshlag, Revan, Rehagan. Another thing to remember is the clutch shares brake fluid. When the brake fluid heats up it can and will alter the function and feel of the clutch.

I used OEM Mercedes fluid since I have tons of it laying around. It's DOT4+ though I'm not going to say it's the best stuff for racing. However I immediately noticed an improvement in clutch feel especially after driving hard.

 

[Husker]

If you have any plans to track the car, auto-x, HPDE, definitely change the fluid immediately. Any DOT4/4+ is good, Motul is very good. For specific brands I'd ask guys like Vorshlag, Revan, Rehagan. Another thing to remember is the clutch shares brake fluid. When the brake fluid heats up it can and will alter the function and feel of the clutch.

I used OEM Mercedes fluid since I have tons of it laying around. It's DOT4+ though I'm not going to say it's the best stuff for racing. However I immediately noticed an improvement in clutch feel especially after driving hard.

Thanks...I'll have it at or near the top of my list of things to do in the 1st few days/miles.

 

[Nitro]

One thing to mention about pad life is that overall they last a fairly good amount but produce some of the worst brake dust imagineable. It takes only a few days of normal driving to completely cover your wheels in brake dust.

Maybe this is why the GT PP only comes with black wheels.

 

[Seabee1973]

Yea it is crazy money for the pads (It was $600 for a while there for a full set on the Evo). I think hawk and EBC have after market pads that help with the cost but you arent getting the "real" Brembo factory brake pad experience at that point. The Evo manages to eat through a set of brakes every 6 to 12 months so its definitely a cost factor and I hope the Mustang Brembos are better and we get better life. Its one of the things I will be watching for on the boards to see if the PP is for me...Adding $100s a month to my car bill for brakes is no mas.

You go through brakes 6 to 12 months? You live around mountains or something? Lol. Brakes in my truck that were stock lasted 75k miles and finally switched to ceramic pads which should last a bit longer

 

[tbonez3858]

You go through brakes 6 to 12 months? You live around mountains or something? Lol. Brakes in my truck that were stock lasted 75k miles and finally switched to ceramic pads which should last a bit longer

It wasn't my car it was my buddies EVO...They all eat brakes like that. Brakes are one of the well known high maintenance issues on that car.

 

[Scooter]

The Brembo fixed caliper design is actually a blessing for easy pad replacement. I'm betting the pins on the Evo were siezed and should have been soaked in some penetrating lube. In addition to the Brembos on my 2011 GT I've done quite a few brake jobs on Brembo-equipped Mercedes here at work and they are an absolute breeze compared to floating calipers which will come stock on the V6 and Ecoboost without PP. The PP Ecoboost and GT models will have fixed calipers(I believe develped jointly between Ford and Continental). Floating calipers require the removal of the entire caliper before you can replace the pads. Fixed calipers allow you to simply pull the pads out the center of the caliper after removing the pins.

One thing to mention about pad life is that overall they last a fairly good amount but produce some of the worst brake dust imagineable. It takes only a few days of normal driving to completely cover your wheels in brake dust. I recently switched my brakes from the OEM Brembo pads to Hawk ceramics and the difference in dust is awesome. It's been a few months now and they are still reasonably clean. Initial bite isn't quite as immediate as the original pads, but still very good.

The advantage of the 15" 6-piston Brembos over the previous 14" 4-piston versions(which I have) is increased pad surface area. This means reduced wear generally speaking. I can't comment on each individual's experiences though, YMMV.

Great info, Thanks!!!!

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