Lets Talk Front Brakes

well, I don't think you could fit a 13" rotor in a 16" wheel. the easiest thing you could do might be to get some slotted rotors (same size as current ones) and some high performance brake pads like Hawk HPS. it's been awhile since I priced slotted rotors, but I seem to recall they were somewhere in the neighborhood of $100 each (although, I might have been pricing 13" rotors at the time). with the pads (~$60), your looking at $250, maybe $300 (depending on what the actual price of the rotors is). I don't know if you consider that inexpensive.

the slotted rotors would be good for autocross, I think, but you'd see improved braking even with OE style rotors and just upgrading to better brake pads. I don't know how much money that would save you, though.

just my 2 cents.

Joe

stallion09 said:

I need
some recomendations for fronts brakes that are:

1) As big as possible (13" rotors would be great, but I don't know if they fit)
2) Easy to install
3) Inexpensive (they would be for daily driving and autocross/track)

Thanks..........

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13" is about perfect for anything except the heaviest full blown race cars out there. The one problem is the won't fit under the stock 16" wheels. In my opinion, I think the 13" Cobra setup would be perfect for you. They're cheap (I've seen them anywhere from $299-$399 for calipers, pads, rotors, and lines) and bolt right up to the stock spindles. They're about the simplest brake swap out there.

They'll do just fine for autocross with some aggressive dual purpose pads. If you plan to opentrack it, invest in some dedicated rotors and pads and swap them at the track. The PBR calipers tend to heat up pretty quick after a few laps of heavy braking though, so some cooling ducts shouldn't be overlooked. For a street/AX car, they'll be fine as is though.

Go find some stock 17" cobra wheels and go with the 13" brakes. If you really want to keep the 16"s, you could go with 12" rotors but the kits aren't nearly as popular and you end up paying more. Baer makes a decent 12" kit.

Or you could just swap in some aggressive pads and call ita day. It's not nearly as good as a full swap but offers some decent improvement over the stock compounds, especially on an AX course.

on edit (after reading Joe's post):
I don't agree with using slotted rotors. If you're getting them super cheap and plan on inspecting them frequently, fine. But in my opinion, they're not needed for the street, they aren't needed for AX, and while I've seen some valid points for their use on a opentrack car, I don't see their merits. Modern pad compounds do not outgas and so the only valid point would be for wiping the pad surface. This leads to increased pad wear, which depending on the application, may not be a consideration, but often is.

Slotted rotors also tend to crack more readily than plain rotors. Considering the abusive nature of AX (getting them hot as hell, then irregular cooling, repeated anywhere from 3-7 times during the day), you're asking for trouble. Brakes are probably the second most important system in the car (behind restraint systems). I sure as hell wouldn't purposely put a weak link in it.

Crossdrilled rotors? Don't get me started...

I got my PBR's used for $100 for both fronts with rotors, about 5k miles on them.

If want the 13's, but cant afford both them AND rims at the same time, I can hook you up with some inexpensive used 17'' tribars, in CHROME, to get you through temporarily!

Glad to see you back around here Dan!

RC

94GTLaserRC said:

If want the 13's, but cant afford both them AND rims at the same time, I can hook you up with some inexpensive used 17'' tribars, in CHROME, to get you through temporarily!

RC

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I knew there would be and ad for chrome tribars when he said he wanted 13" rotors but had the 16" wheels.

If you shop around you can find new 13" front kits for $299-399, and rear kits from Baer are around $199.. Mine were about $600 for all four corners, with SL/CD rotors. The Cobra's will NOT fit under a 16" wheel. Tried it just to see.
I autocross with the local SCCA club, go every other month as time allows.. run slotted/cross drilled rotors, no problems at all. I belive if you buy cheap SL/CD rotors, you stand a better chance of having a problem, but I also agree, you don't really need them, I just like they way they look and sound.

94GTLaserRC said:

If want the 13's, but cant afford both them AND rims at the same time, I can hook you up with some inexpensive used 17'' tribars, in CHROME, to get you through temporarily!

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How did I know that was going to appear somewhere in this thread?

94GTLaserRC said:

Glad to see you back around here Dan!

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No hurricane is going to keep me from hogging all of the chassis related tech.

stallion09 said:

Thanks for all the suggestions. Looks like I might opt for pads then
do the 17" wheels and 13" Cobra's when I have the $$$.

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I paid $400 from mustangparts.com and they came with Brembo rotors. They are direct bolt in and like everyone said you will need 17" wheels. But you can find some stock 17's at a decent price. They are worth every penny and stop great.

DaveL said:

I paid $400 from mustangparts.com and they came with Brembo rotors. They are direct bolt in and like everyone said you will need 17" wheels. But you can find some stock 17's at a decent price. They are worth every penny and stop great.

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Oooohh, Ooohh, Right here!!
I know where you can find them!!!