OK - So I bought my car with 19,500 miles on it used. The only thing I did not like about it since day 1 were the brakes. When I am going at fast speed and go to stop I can feel my car shaking. This also occurs at lower speeds - but not to the same degree. I believe this has to do with warped rotors. I would like to have a clean stop. With this being said - I would like to redo my brakes now even though it isn't necessarily needed. 1. What are the best brake pads out there? The ones with the least amount of dust would be great. 2. Should I just cut my rotors or are there "better" ones out there I can use in replacement of my stocks. 3. I never had a car with pads in the front/rear. Should I redo all 4? I dont mind spending the extra cash for a nice setup. Thanks guys!
If your car is shaking your rotors need to be turned or replaced. The stock rotors are fine for our cars unless you are open tracking. But if you want to upgrade look in Brembo, Baer and other companies.
I'm not a big fan of big brake kits cause I just have bolt ons and I don't want the added weight. I'm planning on going with the Brenspeed.com Stop Tech Stage 2 brake upgrade. 4 Coated Stock sized rotors with your choice of drilled or slotted, performance brake pads, performance brake fluid, and stainless steel brake lines for $769. A VERY good deal!
Stainless Steal Brakes make a good complete brake up grade kit if you're interested and very price firendly compared to others...they've been used on project cars in MM&FF magazine for years. 2005+ Mustang GT Brake Upgrade
I felt the same way about the stock brakes on my 06, they just plain suck! So I replaced the rotors, pads, and lines (DBA slotted rotors, Hawk pads, and Goodridge SS lines) and while this is better than stock, it still isn't great. I spent a pretty good chunk of change on this and I don't think I got very much bang for my buck. So now I am looking to do a full brake kit (calipers, bigger rotors, etc...). To that end, I think I am going with the Brembo kit from the GT500. You get 14" rotors, 4 piston Brembo calipers, and lines for about $1500! Now that is bang for the buck.
The FRPP/Brembo kit is an insane deal, very good option. As for the OP comment of the car shaking, thats due to pad material being unevenly transfered to the rotor (like doing a hard stop from a fairly high speed, 40, and keeping the peddle down after you come to a stop). This is often called a "warped" rotor, even though the rotor hasn't warped. You can turn the rotor to try and smooth the surface, but depending on the severity of the issue it may not get rid of the problem, though it may improve the symptoms. The stock brakes are fairly decent, and with high temp pads and some duct work for cooling they could survive open tracking. I have seen people get through a weekend with no ducting, but they had fade issues. You have to remember that your tires play a much larger role in your stopping distances than your brakes do. Dan
