OF5.0
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- Mar 28, 2019
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- Location
- Pittsburgh
- First Name
- Scott
- Vehicle(s)
- 2022 Shelby GT500 CFTP
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- #1
I will apologize up front as no photos were taken during the installation. I installed the front Steeda 2-piece rotors for my GT PP1 with PowerStop Z26 pads. It’s been about 25 years since I’ve done a set of brakes and rotors and I was rusty (pun intended). I thought that I would walk the inexperienced through the installation. Believe me, if I can do it, you can.
Disclaimer: I take no responsibility for your installation. If something doesn’t look or feel right, refer to the service manual, fix it, or seek assistance.
Step 1: chock the rear wheels and engage the parking brake. Slightly loosen the front wheel lug nuts with the car on the ground. Seems elementary, but you’ll have a devil of a time trying to remove them if the wheel is in the air, particularly with a splined tuner-style lug nut key that shouldn’t be used with an impact wrench.
Step 2: lift the car and set on jack stands.
Step 3: remove the lug nuts and wheel.
Step 4: remove the front caliper by removing the two 18-mm bolts.
Step 5: securely hang the caliper to avoid damaging the brake hose.
Step 6: remove the rotor.
Step 7: clean the hub surface with a wire brush or wire wheel.
Step 8: clean both sides of the Steeda rotor with brake cleaner. Let the rotor dry. Apply a small amount of high temperature anti-seize compound or high-temperature brake grease to the back of the rotor hat and the hub protrusion that centers the rotor. This will make future removal easier and possibly stop the galvanic corrosion of the steel hub with the aluminum rotor hat.
Step 9: choose the rotor whose curved cooling vanes point toward the rear of the car for the side being installed. Install the rotor on the hub.
Step 10: install 3-5 lug nuts to secure the rotor to the hub. If using just three lug nuts, form a V with the lug nuts.
Step 11: spread the brake pads to push the pistons back into the caliper.
Step 12: reinstall the caliper. Use new bolts or reuse the bolts. Either way, use blue threadlocker. The old bolts will show you where to apply the threadlocker. Torque the caliper bolts to 85 lb-ft.
Step 13: use a drift to tap out the caliper pad retention pins. Push the stainless pad retention clip down to help remove the second pin.
Step 14: remove the 15-mm pad retention bolt in the center of the caliper.
Step 15: make sure that the pads are fully spread.
Step 16: remove the two pads. Remember the orientation of the pad’s noise-making clip for the audible low-pad material warning. The clip is on the outside pad. The clip is on the top of the pad on the driver’s side, but on the bottom on the passenger side.
Step 17: install the new pads in their proper orientation. The pads will push in all the way to the rotor hat, but don’t do this! You need to push the pads in just far enough so that the grooves for the retention pins line up with the holes in the caliper. I didn’t measure it, but the pads should be 1/8-1/4” from the rotor hat. Use the other side’s brake pads for reference. Make sure that the pins run through the pad grooves and anti-noise backplate hole on the pads. Remove the pins. Apply a small amount of high-temperature brake lubricant on the grooves In the pads where the pins will rest.
Step 18: reinstall the pad retention bolt. Use a new bolt or reuse the existing bolt. Apply green threadlocker to the bolt. Torque the bolt to 22 lb-ft.
Step 19: install the lower pad retention pin and make sure that it is fully engaged into the back of the caliper.
Step 20: install the new stainless step pad retention clip. Hook the lower end of the clip under the lower pin. Push the clip over the retention bolt. Push the top of the clip down while you insert the upper pad retention pin into the caliper. The upper pin will be on top of the clip. Make sure that upper pad retention pin is fully engaged into the caliper.
Step 21: remove the wheel lug nuts securing the rotor.
Step 22: reinstall the wheel. Tighten the lug nuts as best as you can.
Step 23: repeat steps 3-22 for the other side.
Step 24: lower the car to the ground.
Step 25: tighten all of the lug nuts to 150 lb-ft. Remove wheel chocks and disengage the parking brake.
A few pointers to help the DIY’ers:
1) raise the car high enough so that your torque wrench has enough travel. I have an electronic Craftsman torque wrench that has an 18-inch handle. Space is tight on jack stands, particularly with the upper caliper mounting bolt.
2) securing the new rotor with lug nuts before installing the new pads is not discussed in the service manual. This helps immensely.
3) wear nitrile gloves when applying the high-temperature brake grease and/or high-temperature anti-seize. Removing these compounds from bare hands is ridiculous. Avoid the frustration by wearing gloves.
I hope this helps someone willing to take this job on.
Disclaimer: I take no responsibility for your installation. If something doesn’t look or feel right, refer to the service manual, fix it, or seek assistance.
Step 1: chock the rear wheels and engage the parking brake. Slightly loosen the front wheel lug nuts with the car on the ground. Seems elementary, but you’ll have a devil of a time trying to remove them if the wheel is in the air, particularly with a splined tuner-style lug nut key that shouldn’t be used with an impact wrench.
Step 2: lift the car and set on jack stands.
Step 3: remove the lug nuts and wheel.
Step 4: remove the front caliper by removing the two 18-mm bolts.
Step 5: securely hang the caliper to avoid damaging the brake hose.
Step 6: remove the rotor.
Step 7: clean the hub surface with a wire brush or wire wheel.
Step 8: clean both sides of the Steeda rotor with brake cleaner. Let the rotor dry. Apply a small amount of high temperature anti-seize compound or high-temperature brake grease to the back of the rotor hat and the hub protrusion that centers the rotor. This will make future removal easier and possibly stop the galvanic corrosion of the steel hub with the aluminum rotor hat.
Step 9: choose the rotor whose curved cooling vanes point toward the rear of the car for the side being installed. Install the rotor on the hub.
Step 10: install 3-5 lug nuts to secure the rotor to the hub. If using just three lug nuts, form a V with the lug nuts.
Step 11: spread the brake pads to push the pistons back into the caliper.
Step 12: reinstall the caliper. Use new bolts or reuse the bolts. Either way, use blue threadlocker. The old bolts will show you where to apply the threadlocker. Torque the caliper bolts to 85 lb-ft.
Step 13: use a drift to tap out the caliper pad retention pins. Push the stainless pad retention clip down to help remove the second pin.
Step 14: remove the 15-mm pad retention bolt in the center of the caliper.
Step 15: make sure that the pads are fully spread.
Step 16: remove the two pads. Remember the orientation of the pad’s noise-making clip for the audible low-pad material warning. The clip is on the outside pad. The clip is on the top of the pad on the driver’s side, but on the bottom on the passenger side.
Step 17: install the new pads in their proper orientation. The pads will push in all the way to the rotor hat, but don’t do this! You need to push the pads in just far enough so that the grooves for the retention pins line up with the holes in the caliper. I didn’t measure it, but the pads should be 1/8-1/4” from the rotor hat. Use the other side’s brake pads for reference. Make sure that the pins run through the pad grooves and anti-noise backplate hole on the pads. Remove the pins. Apply a small amount of high-temperature brake lubricant on the grooves In the pads where the pins will rest.
Step 18: reinstall the pad retention bolt. Use a new bolt or reuse the existing bolt. Apply green threadlocker to the bolt. Torque the bolt to 22 lb-ft.
Step 19: install the lower pad retention pin and make sure that it is fully engaged into the back of the caliper.
Step 20: install the new stainless step pad retention clip. Hook the lower end of the clip under the lower pin. Push the clip over the retention bolt. Push the top of the clip down while you insert the upper pad retention pin into the caliper. The upper pin will be on top of the clip. Make sure that upper pad retention pin is fully engaged into the caliper.
Step 21: remove the wheel lug nuts securing the rotor.
Step 22: reinstall the wheel. Tighten the lug nuts as best as you can.
Step 23: repeat steps 3-22 for the other side.
Step 24: lower the car to the ground.
Step 25: tighten all of the lug nuts to 150 lb-ft. Remove wheel chocks and disengage the parking brake.
A few pointers to help the DIY’ers:
1) raise the car high enough so that your torque wrench has enough travel. I have an electronic Craftsman torque wrench that has an 18-inch handle. Space is tight on jack stands, particularly with the upper caliper mounting bolt.
2) securing the new rotor with lug nuts before installing the new pads is not discussed in the service manual. This helps immensely.
3) wear nitrile gloves when applying the high-temperature brake grease and/or high-temperature anti-seize. Removing these compounds from bare hands is ridiculous. Avoid the frustration by wearing gloves.
I hope this helps someone willing to take this job on.
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