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Let's talk Stopping!

  • Thread starter Thread starter 00stangv6lr
  • Start date Start date Aug 25, 2008
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00stangv6lr

New Member
Sep 25, 2006
61
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Omaha, NE
Aug 25, 2008
#1
  • Aug 25, 2008
  • #1
Ok, so I have been thinking about doing brakes for a while. Today I was thinking about it and would it be better to go with brakes, or should I get better tires. I have some hankook junk right now. And would shocks be any good to help to keep weight from transfering? I noticed when I stop quick, I get a large amount of nose dive. I have only the Eibach Pro-kit right now, the rest of the suspension is stock. I guess my question is whats the best bang for buck when trying to upgrade stopping power?
 
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san~man

O-G
Founding Member
Nov 29, 1999
8,546
3
78
A little grass shack on a big lava rock
Aug 25, 2008
#2
  • Aug 25, 2008
  • #2
Cobra/Bullitt/Mach 1 kit.
 
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Drew0318

New Member
Aug 15, 2008
115
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Chicago, IL
Aug 25, 2008
#3
  • Aug 25, 2008
  • #3
I've got 13" StopTechs on my S281. The thing feels like it's going to flip over it's own nose when you stand on the pedal. Everybody that's gotten a ride says the same thing when I stop from 90: "God damn!"

As such, seatbelts are mandatory in my car.


Stickier tires will help, somewhat, and are a cheaper option. Same with suspension (more of an improvement than tires, and obviously more spendy). But in the end, the best way to improve braking is to improve the brakes. But, you can drop some serious coin on brakes. I was fortunate, in that my friend (previous owner) already paid for and installed the StopTechs.
 

evil281

New Member
Jan 6, 2008
276
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Arizona
Aug 25, 2008
#4
  • Aug 25, 2008
  • #4
san~man said:
Cobra/Bullitt/Mach 1 kit.
Click to expand...

+1

Buy Ford Racing Parts!
 
D

darkside03gt

Member
Feb 19, 2007
851
8
18
Sacramento CA
Aug 25, 2008
#5
  • Aug 25, 2008
  • #5
evil281 said:
+1

Buy Ford Racing Parts!
Click to expand...

+10. 13in brakes are the missing link on our cars.
 

00stangv6lr

New Member
Sep 25, 2006
61
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Omaha, NE
Aug 25, 2008
#6
  • Aug 25, 2008
  • #6
So it looks pretty obvious that I need brakes. Does upgrading the rears help much for the extra money? How do the cobra brakes compare to other brembo/stoptech/willwood/etc. brakes?
 
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darkside03gt

Member
Feb 19, 2007
851
8
18
Sacramento CA
Aug 25, 2008
#7
  • Aug 25, 2008
  • #7
00stangv6lr said:
So it looks pretty obvious that I need brakes. Does upgrading the rears help much for the extra money? How do the cobra brakes compare to other brembo/stoptech/willwood/etc. brakes?
Click to expand...

upgrading the rears does help IMOP. i drove my car with just the mach 1 brakes up front before installing the rears and i deffinetly noticed the difference once i installed the rears. becides the rear kit is cheap its only 175 and you get new brembo rotors. the cobra/mach1/bullitt brakes are a step lower then brembo stoptech or willwood. IMOP unless you are planning on some open road course racing or other events where you are goin to be turning corners you really dont need them.
 

H What 4.6

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Jul 29, 2005
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Aug 25, 2008
#8
  • Aug 25, 2008
  • #8
Cobra/Mach/Bullitt are all you really need for street driving esp with moderate mods...... I absolutely love mine.... big big difference...... and fronts are most important because they do most of the braking anyway.....

so +999 on cobra/mach/bullitt kit
 
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Drew0318

New Member
Aug 15, 2008
115
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0
Chicago, IL
Aug 26, 2008
#9
  • Aug 26, 2008
  • #9
Yeah, the StopTechs on mine are more suited for autocross/track (which I'll be getting into next summer). I can't remember which brand of pads he put on, but they're very aggressive metallic race pads. Tons of stop, but lots of dust.
 

68stang351

Founding Member
May 16, 2002
850
9
39
Savoy TX
Aug 26, 2008
#10
  • Aug 26, 2008
  • #10
I went with more of a low-buck approach. I used a set of stock size drilled and slotted front rotors from Summitt for 53.99 each and some good ceramic pads. My original rotors were warped so I thought if I was going to buy new rotors, I might as well spend an extra 20$ and get some better ones. I have less than 200$ in my brake system. It was a huge improvement over stock. Money well spent IMO.

My car has drilled and slotted cobra/bullitt rotors, Bullitt calipers and steel braided hoses in its future anyways.

 

Mustang5L5

That is…until I whipped out my Bissell
Mod Dude
Feb 18, 2001
43,164
17,859
224
Massachusetts
Aug 27, 2008
#11
  • Aug 27, 2008
  • #11
+1 on the Mach 1 kit. Tires do play a role though. The brakes stop the wheels. The tires need to grab. So if you upgrade the brakes and find your ABS is kicking in more (or the tires lock if no ABS) then time for better rubber.


Solid rotors > drilled rotors for performance, but on the average street car it won't matter. You'll never push the brakes that hard anyway.

I painted the hats on my Mach 1 rotors with high temp paint and drove that way for a year prior to autocrossing. The first autocross event i went to, i ended up blistering the paint right off the rotors on the first run. It stunk so badly. So yeah...average street driving doesn't get your brakes anywhere near to the abuse level autoXing or road racing does.
 

BurningRubber

10 Year Member
Dec 6, 2004
1,865
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58
Aug 27, 2008
#12
  • Aug 27, 2008
  • #12
68stang351 said:
I went with more of a low-buck approach. I used a set of stock size drilled and slotted front rotors from Summitt for 53.99 each and some good ceramic pads. My original rotors were warped so I thought if I was going to buy new rotors, I might as well spend an extra 20$ and get some better ones. I have less than 200$ in my brake system. It was a huge improvement over stock. Money well spent IMO.

My car has drilled and slotted cobra/bullitt rotors, Bullitt calipers and steel braided hoses in its future anyways.

Click to expand...


I went with Summit brakes also. I am impressed.

I only did the fronts; at the time the rears didn't need them.

The rotor quality seems great.

I used EBC Greenstuff pads and they work well for normal driving, and once you get a little heat in them they grab hard. Minimal dust, and it comes off very easy.

I took my car around our local Speedway for 3-4 laps, nailing the brakes to slow the car into the corners. On the last lap when I had to pull it down hard to get back into the pits is when they finally got too hot and started fading hard. Got the nice burnt brake smell. They cooled down shortly and were like normal after that though.


I am happy with them, and I am sure I would be incredibly happy with the performance of a better setup such as the Bullitt/Cobra/Mach system. If you are serious about braking go that route. If you are on a budget and want to increase performance with an otherwise stock system, the Summit rotors are nice and I like the EBC pads.
 
J

juecke98gt

Banned
May 31, 2008
78
0
0
Aug 27, 2008
#13
  • Aug 27, 2008
  • #13
Brothers performance has a Baer front brake kit for 895 and free shipping, thought that was reasonable. Im considering these or the cobra brakes but not till next year. 4.10s, suspension and tune before winter this year. 4.10s already coming
 
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darkside03gt

Member
Feb 19, 2007
851
8
18
Sacramento CA
Aug 27, 2008
#14
  • Aug 27, 2008
  • #14
juecke98gt said:
Brothers performance has a Baer front brake kit for 895 and free shipping, thought that was reasonable. Im considering these or the cobra brakes but not till next year. 4.10s, suspension and tune before winter this year. 4.10s already coming
Click to expand...

the baer kit you speak of has the exact same calipers as the mach1/cobra/bullitt. they are made by pbr. 895 isnt worth it.
 

Mustang5L5

That is…until I whipped out my Bissell
Mod Dude
Feb 18, 2001
43,164
17,859
224
Massachusetts
Aug 28, 2008
#15
  • Aug 28, 2008
  • #15
juecke98gt said:
Brothers performance has a Baer front brake kit for 895 and free shipping, thought that was reasonable.
Click to expand...


The Baer front brakes ARE Cobra brakes!

They just have the Baer logo on them instead and you get crossdrilled rotors in the kit.


$895 vs $350? I'll take the cheaper Mach 1 brakes.
 
J

juecke98gt

Banned
May 31, 2008
78
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0
Aug 28, 2008
#16
  • Aug 28, 2008
  • #16
maybe I really like the logo No, thanks for the info didnt really research that closely guess the cobra brakes it is
 
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stimmler

Founding Member
Mar 21, 2002
248
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17
Japan
Mar 28, 2010
#17
  • Mar 28, 2010
  • #17
Does anyone have the Baer Grand Touring instead of the Track? The Track has PBR's "PGC" (Pad Guided Caliper) and the GT's have the "PDC" (Pin Drive Caliper). Any noticible difference between the two? They cost the same but the pads on the GT's are supposed to be larger.
 

SRT Handz

I tripped & fell down and cut myself & got blood
Oct 10, 2004
941
23
19
La Mirada, CA
Mar 28, 2010
#18
  • Mar 28, 2010
  • #18
Cobra Brakes + Porterfield R4-S Pads stop a Dream.
 

fiveoho

15 Year Member
Apr 28, 2005
1,958
16
69
TN
Mar 29, 2010
#19
  • Mar 29, 2010
  • #19
68stang351 said:
I went with more of a low-buck approach. I used a set of stock size drilled and slotted front rotors from Summitt for 53.99 each and some good ceramic pads. My original rotors were warped so I thought if I was going to buy new rotors, I might as well spend an extra 20$ and get some better ones. I have less than 200$ in my brake system. It was a huge improvement over stock. Money well spent IMO.

My car has drilled and slotted cobra/bullitt rotors, Bullitt calipers and steel braided hoses in its future anyways.

Click to expand...


i too went with a budget brake upgrade. i got mine from ebay. a company named Gripforce. i was very pleased. they were drilled and slotted and also came zinc coated for rust resistance. very nice set. they used stock calipers ( which i repainted ). i spent the extra money and got Ford Motorcraft pads - minimal dust.

the rotors themselves i got for around $130 shipped, all 4. they also looked great behind my black wheels.
 

fobnicat

New Member
Mar 21, 2010
87
0
0
Georgia
Mar 29, 2010
#20
  • Mar 29, 2010
  • #20
The thing feels like it's going to flip over it's own nose when you stand on the pedal.
Click to expand...

while that may feel awesome when driving, if you are nose diving that hard the you need to upgrade your rear brakes. That kind of nose diving means you are off of the front to rear brake torque ratio (the ratio of braking being applied to the front as it is to the rear. If too much is being applied forward your rear wheels are losing weight, applying extra to the front, which in turn requires longer for your car to stop. This is especially noticable when braking into s turn, having your rear become light going into the turn can cause you to lose overall traction, requiring you to slow even further before accelerating out of the turn. If none of this matters then the extra work required of your front brakes will shorten the life span, creating extra heat and more of the mushy feeling pedal that we all hate, one reason of many for upgrading the front brakes anyways... So in short, upgrade your rears, you will be glad you did.
 
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