Stock Discs vs. Baer

A huge amount of info in this thread, most of it is great info, but for the different type car/driver.
I have 4 different V8 cars that all started out with manual drums and have no comparison to the oem discs.

No. 1: I kept stock 4 drums, I really only drive it to shows on a sunny day.
No. 2: I went with the aftermarket Wilwood front disc and dual master cylinder. (much improvement but still wouldn't want to go open tracking with it)
No. 3: Baer Serious Street discs, This is a daily driver and occasional open track fun car. Much improvement over the Wilwoods and no comparison at all to the drums.
No. 4: This is the setup :D Kelsey Hayes 4 piston, with Coleman 12 x 1 1/4" rotors on Wilwood hats on 70 spindles with a 66 lincoln dual MC. Basically the same as Cobra Automotives $$$ setup. This will be used on an open track car.

Your usage should determine the application. Anything is better than the drums and only goes uphill. The questions I have is what is the availability of Mustang oem disc brake (caliper) parts. I've heard they're hard to find. Do the MC upgrade and when the calipers crap out then see whats available as their might be something better yet then.
 
BAD67FUN said:
OH MY GOSH!!! I feel like such a VICTIM!!

I've been betrayed and bamboozled into thinking my Baer brakes are nothing but bling bling and just not worth it. Ha Ha....

I wouldn't say bamboozled. Baer, as does almost every other aftermarket manufacturer, even says this on their website

http://baer.com/Support/FAQ.aspx#1

http://wilwood.com/Centers/Information/Pages/faqs.asp#question7

You get less performance and less longevity with crossdrilled/slotted. It's just a fact. For performance stick with the plain, old solid rotor.
 
My last name isn't Andretti or Foyt... I'll never know how much performance or longevity I'd miss by going with cross drilled as opposed to solid. :)

So give me the cool looking ones....



gp001 said:
I wouldn't say bamboozled. Baer, as does almost every other aftermarket manufacturer, even says this on their website

http://baer.com/Support/FAQ.aspx#1

http://wilwood.com/Centers/Information/Pages/faqs.asp#question7

You get less performance and less longevity with crossdrilled/slotted. It's just a fact. For performance stick with the plain, old solid rotor.
 
FINALLY...I posted a controversial thread!!! :D

Thanks to everyone here as always. So, looks like a dual master cylinder and SS lines and I'll be set. The stock breaks are fine, even with the fruit jar I can easily lock the front tires up on 15" Goodyear Nascar Eagles. But, like I said, with the addition of the new engine mods, I want some insurance on the breaks, i.e. dual master cylinder as a fail safe. Last thing I want to feel is the floorboard when I hit the break pedal at 90mph coming off the freeway!

I can do the swap with the lines and all for about $200. No comparision to the Baer kit $$$. Not to mention I'm running styled steel wheels, which means you'll never see the rotors anyways, so looks are not a concern...yet anyways. 17's someday...maybe?
 
The Dan said:
I can easily lock the front tires up on 15" Goodyear Nascar Eagles.
Very good. You've hit on the key point here. If you can lock up the tire, more brake won't help. If you use the brakes a lot during a race or something, get fade and can still lock them - you have a huge safety margin.
 
BAD67FUN said:
My last name isn't Andretti or Foyt... I'll never know how much performance or longevity I'd miss by going with cross drilled as opposed to solid. :)

So give me the cool looking ones....

And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I just wanted other people in the thread who may not know this to be aware. We all spend $$ on things that may have more asthetic value than performance.
:nice:
 
gp001 said:
Solid surface, but you knew that :p Do they even sell just "solid core" rotors? Aren't all of them vented/vaned ?
I knew you knew what you meant.:nice: I think you're right about our vintage cars having rotors that are vented/vaned. But I've been under plenty of imports and late model cars with plain unvented completely solid rotors. :shrug: I think this is why a lot of late model cars and imports suffer from warped rotors so often. My brother's '98 SHO had solid rotors and habitually warped the rotors once a year. Expensive. :notnice:
 
No. 4: This is the setup Kelsey Hayes 4 piston, with Coleman 12 x 1 1/4" rotors on Wilwood hats on 70 spindles with a 66 lincoln dual MC. Basically the same as Cobra Automotives $$$ setup. This will be used on an open track car.
Do you happen to have part numbers for the Calipers, Rotors, and Hats?
 
gp001 said:
Solid surface, but you knew that :p Do they even sell just "solid core" rotors? Aren't all of them vented/vaned ?

Just to add a bit more, my little car has about 10" solid rotors on front, drums on back. I haven't had problems with warping, etc. They're like motorcycle rotors, not vented, but not as thick as vented car rotors. Drag racing can benefit from slightly smaller, solid rotors, as they're good enough for one hard stop, and are rather light. Especially the ceramic or whatever ones you can get.
 
65fsbkhipo said:
Worn shocks is the main culprit for warping dics...


Maybe you could explain the relationship between worn shocks and warped rotors for me? I had always thought that overheated rotors, dragging calipers, or a "left foot braker" were the primary cause of warped rotors. My daily driver Audi with 45k miles has had the front and rear rotors replaced but the shocks (struts) have yet to be replaced. I guess it is time to have those replaced?
 
Most people believe that the shock absorber or struts are designed to dampen the bumps in the road. Generally speaking, they are. But more specifically, they are designed to keep the tires on the road. That downward force reduces wheel hop and other attributes associated with tire rotation. This downward force holds the tire to the road and reduces vibration. This same vibration has a major impact while braking. Think about it, your disks are rotating several hundred times a minute, your going over uneven terrain, during braking your disks are being heated by the pads. These pads heat the disks mainly at the point of contact. With the added vibration allowed by weak shocks they will tend to warp. Ask any skilled mechanic.
 
I think there is a clear difference between cross drilling and slotting the rotors. The cross drilling is just aesthetic and as said, if anything, it hinders overall performance and shorten the life of the brake pads and rotors. (I also agree on the looks). The slotting on the other hand is more performance oriented and will help to reduce brake fade for performance applications. Normal street cars should use normal street brakes...