PowerStop Z26 Street Warrior & AmericanMuscle opinions

[MakoShark]

Hello everyone

My brake rotors are pretty worn out and I have to change all brake rotors and rear brake pads. I drive 2019 Euro Spec EcoBoost with 4 piston brake calipers on the front (same as US Performance Pack EcoBoost and standard GT). Based on specs (352 mm x 32 mm Front; 330 mm x 25 mm Rear / 13.861” Front, 12.996” Rear) the best Brake Rotor & Pad kit should be PowerStop K6805-26. I checked all the technical specs on PowerStop website and this set is correct.

After doing a lot of research lately on these brakes I'm still pretty confused and I could use a little help.

My use of the brakes:
- I never track my car, but my driving style in the traffic is sometimes pretty aggressive.
- My car is a daily driver. I use it no matter what the conditions are - hot, hold, rain, snow.
- I drive the car in the city 90 % of the time.

OEM Performance Pack brake rotors and brake pads are in my opinion really good to the point I worry more about a guy behind me than the guy in front of me.

My questions are (and I would really appreciate experiences of those who do not track their cars and have Z26 on their daily driver):

- Did you experience heat cracks from normal/aggressive trafic use of Z26/Z23 drilled rotors after say 1, 2 or more years?
- Is the performance of Z26 kit REALLY at least as good as OEM?
- Any squealing or any other issues after proper break in and initial driving period?
- Did you have any issues or failures with Z26/Z23 rotors in the past 1, 2 or more years?
- Am I fine buying the kit from AmericanMuscle.com? Where do all their negative reviews come from? Are they reputable seller? (I saw their installation videos, but... you know...)

The reason I ask these questions is, that in case I place an order, I will have to have them shipped to my US address (paid service for a warehouse in Georgia) and then reshipped to Europe which can take anywhere between 2-4 months (cargo ship is cheaper than air freight - the package is about 69 lbs as far as I found out). So I can check if the package is complete and everything was delivered undamaged months later. Still this option is much cheaper than for what I can get this kit from 2-3 EU vendors (FYI local Ford Dealership gave me quote at about 1200 USD just for the OEM rear set).

Thank you for all your opinions, experiences and answers

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[Mdtaylorjr]

Honestly I would just order oem style rotors and get the high performance pads if you desire. Would probably be cheaper and offer better street braking than the slotted and drilled rotors. The slotted and drilled rotors serve a purpose at the track and that's to help keep the braking system cool so as to not boil the brake fluid in the calipers. On the streets the vented rear rotors on the s550 mustang keep cool enough and you have more pad to rotor surface area.

 

[sabtaj1]

Love my z26 pads. No issues at all. Best part is the lack of brake dust compared to stock. They were excellent with my stock rotors and excellent with my Baer two piece rotors. Zero issues or sounds. Very happy with mine

 

[MakoShark]

Honestly I would just order oem style rotors and get the high performance pads if you desire. Would probably be cheaper and offer better street braking than the slotted and drilled rotors. The slotted and drilled rotors serve a purpose at the track and that's to help keep the braking system cool so as to not boil the brake fluid in the calipers. On the streets the vented rear rotors on the s550 mustang keep cool enough and you have more pad to rotor surface area.

Love my z26 pads. No issues at all. Best part is the lack of brake dust compared to stock. They were excellent with my stock rotors and excellent with my Baer two piece rotors. Zero issues or sounds. Very happy with mine

Thank you both. To tell the truth I don't really require rotors to be drilled, nor do I care about the looks, so I'm completely fine with OEM style or just slotted. Also I haven't changed my stock brake lines & hoses, so any ultra performance brake pads and rotors are just overkill I think.

I can source Delphi Technologies (former GM brand known for Magneride) brake rotors and pads about in the same price range as Z26. I already have Delphi brake pads on the front, their performance is OEM like, however I get a lot of dust from them. The only thing I can't stand is that insane squeal at low speeds when stopping, but maybe that has something to do with the fact I forgot to lube the shims (gotta check it on saturday). Z26 looked so far like an interesting alternative, but after reading all of the comments I had a lot of questions.

Thank you once again guys.

 

[Mdtaylorjr]

Ive had no issues with my factory pads either. I had 80000 miles on my 2017 when I traded it in. It had the same pads on it as when it left ford.

 

[Vlad Soare]

Ive had no issues with my factory pads either. I had 80000 miles on my 2017 when I traded it in. It had the same pads on it as when it left ford.

No functional issues with mine, either. They work great. I love them and love how they feel. But:
- they squeal at low speeds under low to medium braking force
- they rust and stick to the rotors if you wash the car and don't drive it immediately thereafter
- they make tons of dust
That's why I'm watching all these discussions about Z26 with a keen interest. But there are two things that keep me from getting them. First and foremost, that I understand they lack the initial bite of the OEM pads, which I'm not sure I want to lose, and second, that I still haven't figured out whether they are available for both front and rear. I only seem to be able to find the fronts. But my rear rims are full of brake dust as well, so changing just the fronts wouldn't make much sense.

 

[sabtaj1]

I have them on the front and rear, so yes, the Z26 pads are available for both. The rear pads are the same for a PP car and a non-pp car if that helps.

 

[MakoShark]

Ive had no issues with my factory pads either. I had 80000 miles on my 2017 when I traded it in. It had the same pads on it as when it left ford.

It all depends on how you drive it. I bought the car from previous owner who decided to return my EcoBoost to dealership and order GT instead. The car had roughly 24000 miles and both pads and rotors were completely worn out. Front factory pads had maybe 1 mm of material left, the rears were in slightly better condition Still the factory pads and rotors performed without any problems. If you brake gradually, it is totally achievable to hit 80000 miles with them.

 

[MakoShark]

No functional issues with mine, either. They work great. I love them and love how they feel. But:
- they squeal at low speeds under low to medium braking force
- they rust and stick to the rotors if you wash the car and don't drive it immediately thereafter
- they make tons of dust
That's why I'm watching all these discussions about Z26 with a keen interest. But there are two things that keep me from getting them. First and foremost, that I understand they lack the initial bite of the OEM pads, which I'm not sure I want to lose, and second, that I still haven't figured out whether they are available for both front and rear. I only seem to be able to find the fronts. But my rear rims are full of brake dust as well, so changing just the fronts wouldn't make much sense.

Same here. I got Z26 in the cart but still hesitate to pull the trigger and consider other options as well (like OEM style EBC Brakes brake rotors). I found out to be really helpful to visit official PowerStop website and check technical specs of particular "recommended" set/kit. This helps to find out exact manufacturer's number for the set that is compatible with your car (in my case PowerStop K6805-26).

They offer front or rear kits and also complete front and rear kits. Z26 and Z23 kits have exactly the same rotors, the only difference is in the compound of the brake pads and supplied hardware.

 

[MakoShark]

I have them on the front and rear, so yes, the Z26 pads are available for both. The rear pads are the same for a PP car and a non-pp car if that helps.

Thank you. Did you have any issues with them or heat cracks (in case you have also rotors, not only pads ofc)?

 

[sabtaj1]

I had zero issues with stock rotors and have maybe 2k miles with the bear two piece rotors (drilled and slotted) and havent had a single issue. They supply some brake grease to apply to the metal shims which I did use as well. I dont track my car, mostly street and some strip here n there.

 

[DrZed]

I had Z26 and Z23 pads on the car (PP1), nearly identical in bite and braking performance as OEM. They did reduce dust yes, from stock, but I found the Z16 to be almost entirely dust free and the same bite as the stock pad, super quiet as well.

Edit: all on stock rotors. Hard to beat the price on rockauto as well...

 

[Nuked]

I run the Z26 front and rear with dimpled and slotted rotors. Braking on the street feels no different than the stock pads/rotors. I got my rotors from rotorpro.net, been using him for years on many cars. Can't beat the pricing and customer service.

 

[Aerodaves]

I had Z26 and Z23 pads on the car (PP1), nearly identical in bite and braking performance as OEM. They did reduce dust yes, from stock, but I found the Z16 to be almost entirely dust free and the same bite as the stock pad, super quiet as well.

Edit: all on stock rotors. Hard to beat the price on rockauto as well...

Did you mean Z26 instead of Z16? Not seeing anything for Z16.

Looking for brakes for my kid's 2015 Ecoboost non-PP.

 

[DrZed]

Did you mean Z26 instead of Z16? Not seeing anything for Z16.

Looking for brakes for my kid's 2015 Ecoboost non-PP.

No, I had the Z26. I am talking about the "POWER STOP 161792 Z16 Evolution Clean Ride Ceramic"

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