Should I upgrade my brakes, or just get fluid flushed and new pads?

BigChiefSmokem

BigChiefSmokem

Founding Member
Feb 20, 2002
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Jacksonville, FL
#1
I've got 66k miles on my mustang and havent even touched the braking system... My brakes are feeling spongy and I want to do something about it.

So i'm not sure what I should do... BTW, the car is NOT a daily driver, and is just a street cruiser, no autoX and very little track time.

I think the 13" cobra brake upgrade is what I would go with if I decided to UPGRADE...

That being said, I dont think that I would take advantage of the brake upgrade. Its 13" rotors, for helping with brake fade, but still only two piston calipers, so I dont think It would really be worth it.

I could instead spend the money on new pads, stainless steel lines and a brake fluid drain and refill. I think that would be sufficient, and I would get the increased benefits I'm looking for... Right?

BTW, the shop is going to want to do something to the rotors with a lathe I think, is that really necessary??
 

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#2
BigChiefSmokem said:
BTW, the shop is going to want to do something to the rotors with a lathe I think, is that really necessary??
Click to expand...

that's called turning the rotors. ever seen a brand new rotor? no gloss or shine to them whatsoever, that's what turning them does. makes a brand new (rough) surface for the new pads to break in properly.

is it necessary? no but HIGHLY recommended. don't skimp out on the pads either, oem ford or motorcraft for me, ATE maybe


also 66k and you've never done a brake flush?
 
#3
Superhereaux said:
that's called turning the rotors. ever seen a brand new rotor? no gloss or shine to them whatsoever, that's what turning them does. makes a brand new (rough) surface for the new pads to break in properly.

is it necessary? no but HIGHLY recommended. don't skimp out on the pads either, oem ford or motorcraft for me, ATE maybe


also 66k and you've never done a brake flush?
Click to expand...


I'm pretty darn sure that I never have, but I could look through my previous service records to be sure.

So, what do you recommend? based on what I said above?
 
#8
SaleenGT2001 said:
i have 210K on my truck and never fulshed the brake fluid. it seems like a waste to me.
Click to expand...

You are kidding right??


Brake fluid is hydroscopic. It absorbs water. Over the years, it gets enough water that one good stop can boil the fluid and cause an air pocket creating mushy brakes. Brake fluid should be bled every 2 years, i do mine yearly and notice a difference after every bleed.

Bigchief, you will notice a difference by just bleeding the brakes, but if you upgrade to 13" brakes you will also notice a difference. Sure it's another 2-piston caliper, but the leverage advantage of a 13" rotor is greater than a 10.8" rotor.

I absolutely love my 13" brakes. They made the car much more fun to drive.
 
#9
SilverBullet00 said:
Id upgrade to the 13" brake kit w/ stainless lines AND flush the system. You will notice a HUGE difference.
Click to expand...

Right... But is the extra money worth the upgrade to 13" brakes over simply flushing the brakes, turning the rotors and new pads?


Wait... I'm starting to get the feeling that doing the above is going to costs just as much as just buying the 13" brake kit...
 
#10
Mustang5L5 said:
You are kidding right??


Brake fluid is hydroscopic. It absorbs water. Over the years, it gets enough water that one good stop can boil the fluid and cause an air pocket creating mushy brakes. Brake fluid should be bled every 2 years, i do mine yearly and notice a difference after every bleed.

Bigchief, you will notice a difference by just bleeding the brakes, but if you upgrade to 13" brakes you will also notice a difference. Sure it's another 2-piston caliper, but the leverage advantage of a 13" rotor is greater than a 10.8" rotor.

I absolutely love my 13" brakes. They made the car much more fun to drive.
Click to expand...

Explain to me this "leverage advantage." :)
 
#11
BigChiefSmokem said:
Explain to me this "leverage advantage." :)
Click to expand...

The further away from the center of rotation, the more mechanical advantage you have. That means less force is required to stop the car.

Put a rotor big enough on a car and you could stop it with your fingertips.




I did the bleed with Valvoline synthetic fluid, and then installed the buyfordracing.com Mach 1 kit w/stainless steel lines. The differerence was night and day. A simply bleed alone will help with the spongy pedal, but won't make your car stop like a porsche. If it was that easy, supercars would just come with 10" brakes and recommend you bleed them every 3 months.

If anything, they look damn good too. I get tons of compliments on my brakes...more than the rest of the car at times :shrug:
pic.php?u=11130S5RAi&i=1042176
 
#12
Mustang5L5 said:
The further away from the center of rotation, the more mechanical advantage you have. That means less force is required to stop the car.

Put a rotor big enough on a car and you could stop it with your fingertips.




I did the bleed with Valvoline synthetic fluid, and then installed the buyfordracing.com Mach 1 kit w/stainless steel lines. The differerence was night and day. A simply bleed alone will help with the spongy pedal, but won't make your car stop like a porsche. If it was that easy, supercars would just come with 10" brakes and recommend you bleed them every 3 months.

If anything, they look damn good too. I get tons of compliments on my brakes...more than the rest of the car at times :shrug:
pic.php?u=11130S5RAi&i=1042176
Click to expand...

I'm considering that kit as well.
Did you paint the rear calipers red to match?

How do you find the kit for everyday, spirited driving as opposed to racing etc?
FWIW I find the stock brakes on my 2003 GT vert to be pretty dammed good but I have 29k on it now and will be looking for new pads soon so it's a good time to upgrade.


As for pads and rotors, I would suggest sticking with the Ford OEM pads because they seem to work very well. Rotors I would look at Brembo or the sock Ford ones because they seem pretty decent to me. One thing people don't realize is that pads and rotors are designed to work together as a pair. Performance, noise, wear and dust are all factored in. This why putting that high end Hawk pad on a stock rotor may or may not work out that well even though the pad is high quality. It's the combination of pad and rotor that makes the difference.


As others have said, flushing the system IS important but not only for efficiency, but for corrosion. The moisture will over time corrode the components in the system.
 
#17
steve_stang2003 said:
I'm considering that kit as well.
Did you paint the rear calipers red to match?

How do you find the kit for everyday, spirited driving as opposed to racing etc?
FWIW I find the stock brakes on my 2003 GT vert to be pretty dammed good but I have 29k on it now and will be looking for new pads soon so it's a good time to upgrade.
Click to expand...


Yup. i painted the rears to match. I have the stock GT rear brakes, so i painted the rotor hats silver, the calipers red and the dust shields flat black to make them less visable. Definite improvement.

The kit is greta for street driving. I drive aggressive on the street at times and the kit has never let me down. I thought the stock GT brakes were OK, but the 13" Cobra brakes blow them away. There have been a few times where i have layed into the brakes hard and been surprised at how well they responded.

Like i said, if i ever bought any other Mustang, these brakes would need to be on the front of it. (or the brembo 4-piston versions)
 
#20
007 said:
Upgrade to Cobras. It wont even cost much more. My stock brakes were toast after 45k. I love the Cobras.
Click to expand...
Same story here...needed new brakes anyway, so it was -
a) spend about $200+ on a complete brake job
b) spend a little more and get brand new bigger brakes, and then just replace the pads on the rear.
I choose "b" and couldn't be happier...:D
 
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