Project "true Blues"

so the front brake pads have begun to make their final deathly sounds. Looking at new rotors too. Will be doing the wheel stud at the same time. Definitely doing the EBC red stuff pads, but not yet sure on what I'm gonna do for rotors. I really would like to try the EBC slotted and dimpled rotors as well, but that is a little more than I think I can spend right now. Is there that significant of a performance/quality difference from these to the Motorcraft or Duralast (autozone) or ProStop (pepboys)?

I'm not trying to do an upgrade right now, but just to maintain OEM quality at least do I have to pay for the Genuine Ford Parts or has anyone found the Duralast/ProStop brands sufficient? The budget is tight and the pads are definitely completely gone, so it has to happen before I can really afford to keep with my belief in upgrading in times of repairs.

So when $350 is kind of a stretch, and you need pads and rotors, what would you do? I think if I have to get the ford parts to not screw myself, then I might as well make the extra stretch to get the EBC rotors.

Kilgore Trout said:

Forget the studs, turn the rotors you have, get basic pads, change the brake fluid, and paint your rotor hats. This will save lots of money and it will look much better when you are done.

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Its only one wheel stud that has snapped so I'll be just replacing that one. Rotors have been turned too many times and have to be replaced. I'm only planning on doing the front at the immediate moment.

Thanks for the tips, though.

What's your opinion of the EBC stuff? I've definitely got to spend some money, and certainly can't afford a bigger brake upgrade like I'd prefer, but what rotor/pad would you go with if you could maybe max out at $350 in parts for the brake job? For a pair of the Autozone/Pepboys premium label rotors, it's about 80-90 bucks where EBC rotors are $190, EBC pads are $100 vs $60 for the Azone/PB.

joshjwc9 said:

Depends on your long term goals. If you could save some money here and there, skip a night out per week, bring coffee from home instead of Dunkin' or Starbucks and that could be $20 to $50 a week.

I really love slotted rotors. I have been using BrakeMotive products off of eBay for my last two brake jobs. But, they seem to be getting rid of just slotted rotors (I don't trust drilled rotors) so I have looked at R1 Concepts and they seem to be slightly more expensive but still offer the just slotted rotors. They have good reviews and their rotors have a coating that slows surface rust on the non contact areas, which are pleasing on the eyes.

I would recommend a R1 Concepts kit Roughly $175 for 4 rotors, then I'd recommend a premium Ceramic pads for another $90 for both front and rear. Then purchase some quality SS Brake Lines from guys like MM or StopTech. Stay away from Goodridge Lines. They had an awful fit for me first they sent the wrong banjo bolts then they fit awful on the stock banjo bolts.. You should be out an ready to go after buying some more brake fluid, some pizza for yourself and a buddy and the beer...

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I wish I wasn't already doing all the penny pinching! Fingers crossed that the interview I was just flown to Arizona for turns into a nice salary job, though I'm not pumped on living with that heat.

Ebay rotors, huh? I've always heard thats the best way to get screwed with low quality parts. How long did you go between those last two brake jobs and what was your driving style throughout that period?

The problem for me is this is my sole vehicle, my DD. It needs it yesterday, as the sounds the brakes are making are causing my skin to crawl. I'm parking it today at the place I work on it, and will be probably hitting up the bicycle or bus til Friday (payday). I don't have time to wait for shipping so ordering is out of the question.

joshjwc9 said:

I have gotten just as many miles out of these last two brake jobs than I have on stock brakes since I got the car @ 66k miles. Actually a little less because I run harder Auto X pads that are louder and harsher to rotors and drive the car at events as well as on the street (and my car is driven this way every day as my DD). With a Ceramic pad you should easily see more mileage, less dust and the rotors would look much better.

It was a suggestion as I believe would have been much better for any stock vehicle looking for a good looking and performance minded improvement on a budget. I could easily recommend a Cobra front caliper conversion which would be in the $600+ range.

If I were you I'd just get what works best for you now, although even all the guys locally get my recommendation if they are looking to just get new parts without going into the next dollar bracket for their upgrade...

~~Good Luck to ya!

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Wow, that sounds like quite the deal. Next time that I need brakes I'll be sure to check those out! If it wasn't for the shipping time of ordering, that sounds like the ticket!

fiveohwblow said:

Seriously. Anyone who likes BMW, techno or dance music and has a penchant for doing their hair instead of wearing a mustang hat should not even consider owning a mustang. Bimmer guys suck. Period.

They also don't know ****.

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nine2oneGT said:

You are very detailed but

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LOL, working on it...

jcgafford said:

autozone or advance auto parts mid grade pads or even the cheap ones. get the best rotors you can and some softer pads. i would rather change brake pads all day long then have to shell out the bucks for new rotors cause' the ceramic steel blah blah blah top of the line pads have not worn at all but have destroyed the rotors.

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I think I'm the opposite, I'd rather burn though cheap rotors than have to deal with the smell and performance of cheap pads. Now you got me thinking though, will those EBC reds eat through the premium label AZ/PB branded rotors significantly faster than a power slot or EBC rotor?

sneaky98gt said:

I've had one experience with Advance Auto rotors and pads. Never again. Don't remember the grade of either, but the pads dusted like crazy, and the rotors were completely rusted in a month.

The rotors josh are talking about are from 'brakemotive' on Ebay, and they aren't bad. I've been running them for a couple of years now with no problems. They were rust free for nearly a year, and now 2 years in, the don't look terrible at all. I can't speak about racing with them. IIRC, I got rotors and pads (which are fairly nice ceramic pads) for around $150 shipped. (Yup, here they are: http://www.ebay.com/itm/FRONT-REAR-KIT-4-PERFORMANCE-DRILLED-SLOTTED-BRAKE-ROTORS-AND-8-CERAMIC-PADS-/290714538698?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Model:Mustang&hash=item43afefd2ca&vxp=mtr)

Also, if you are looking for really nice rotors, there's a seller on Ebay called drt-sport that has VERY nice stuff at reasonable prices. Their rotors are made by Centric, and are of very good quality (nearly as good as you can get short of all-out race stuff). Also, they powder coat their rotors, which is supposed to hold up very well (better than zinc coating).

Here's a set of their "lower" end rotors AND pads for $170: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ford-Mustan...r_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4834a1e679

Set of lower end rotors and ceramic pads for $195: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mustang-00-...r_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item255bae2268

Premium rotors for $230: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ford-Mustan...r_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4837715614

They also have slotted only rotors. I don't entirely trust drilled rotors for racing: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ford-Mustan...r_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item483788d406



IMHO, the next set of brakes I buy for a Mustang will be these DRT Sport premium slotted rotors, and some sort of aftermarket ceramic pads (haven't researched them as much).

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My car isn't much of a beauty queen, she looks more like a battle proven brawler than a show quality street beast. In all honesty, my last considertation is looks when it comes to anything that has a mechanical functionality to it.

Both you and Josh have some strong advice that I'll have to explore further the next time I need brakes and have the time to order something. For right now, it's get the car to back-on-the-road mode.

007 said:

My front Cobra/Bullitt rotors are from Rotor Pros. Slotted and drilled. I've had them for several years. The zinc plating still looks perfect. The only bit that will rust is the contact area with the pad, and that cleans as soon as you use them.

I have zero complaints. Bought them on ebay I think. A bunch of stangnet guys tried them a long time ago... I think I was considering a group purchase deal at one point.

http://www.rotorpros.net/

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I'm beginning to sound like a broken record, but given more time to order something, I would have to look into these as well. Did you have to do a caliper conversion with the Cobra/Bullitt rotors or are you already driving a Cobra/Bullitt?

007 said:

Bullitt calipers (same as Cobras but they have a pony on them instead of saying COBRA on my GT), stainless lines and the slotted drilled zinc'd rotors. The difference is shocking compared to stock.

Looks like theyve been on my car for 5 years. Heres a pic from when they went on in 2007.

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Them some mighty purty lookin wheel wells, sir. Real Saleen too?
Thanks for the tip. This looks like an excellent stepping stone to the big brake kit. Unfortunately, I can't afford to pull this off right now.

And thanks to everyone else for the advice.

For right now, I'm forced to buy what I can get in stock because I need the car to get to work, 10 miles from home. That means EBC pads, PepBoys Platinum rotors, wheel stud and nuts. I kinda feel dirty. The thought of the pepboys parts being on my car does make me cringe.... more than a little. Before I get to the next needed brake job and once I can afford it again, I'll probably come back to these posts to check up on the brands you all have worked with to get some basic better rotors if I can't afford the Cobra/Bullitt or Big Brake Upgrade.

Obviously with only doing the fronts, I'll eventually need to do the rears, and once i do those, I'll try and save up to do everything in a proper round-about and all at once upgrade to the whole brake system.

Will take pics/video tomorrow of the job.

On another note, I did make contact with the guys at GTR Motorsports in Rancho Cucamonga, CA and they were nice enough to talk me through my options and even offered to try and track down some good used rotors that they get when they do the big brake upgrades. If they weren't over 50 miles from where I live, I'd be willing to purchase some parts from them, but thats further than I want to push my brakes right now. And I don't think I really want to pay for labor for a job I've done on all my other cars just fine though this will be my first one with my stang. If I'm over my head though, I think they'd get my pick to handle the job.