brakes

[feadam]

Does anyone run non power brakes on kit, if so does it take excessive force to stop? My last kit was Everett Morrison without power brakes that took a little leg muscle to stop but not to bad. Wondering if power brakes are needed on FF5?

[boat737]

I've only got 16 miles on my MK4, with the Wilwood setup, but they are fine. Definitely notice the difference between a modern production car and this, and for sure is it's a harder pedal, but it's fine. With the proper amount of panic brake pedal force, the wheels will lock up. So, no problem here.

[alv69]

I've run non power brakes with the wildwood pedals on a few cars and have them on my mk3 and they work fine, yes you have to push a little harder but not excessive.

[Gordon Levy]

Give me a call at 520-494-2745 and I can help you with anything you need to make the system better

[AC Bill]

Does anyone run non power brakes on kit, if so does it take excessive force to stop?

I don't have power brakes, and have never found it any strain to bring the car to a stop. I have 4 wheel disc brakes, and the 15/16" bore master cylinder, so I can't speak for those with rear drum brakes.

[phileas_fogg]

With all of 3 miles on mine at no speeds above 25, my experience has been the same as Boat's. The pedal is just a touch more firm than my 2015 Jeep, but stops the car easily. I'm using the Wilwood set up from F5.


John

[edwardb]

I've had both. Hydroboost and vacuum power brakes, and now manual with the Wilwood pedal box and the Wilwood optional big brakes all around. As others have stated, the manual works OK just needs a bit heavier pedal. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a setup like my current build.

But your question is a little broad. The answer will vary slightly depending on pedal box used, type of brakes used, drum or disk in the back, etc. If using a Mustang pedal box, for example, it's recommended to modify the brake pedal for manual brakes since the box was designed for a power brake application. So the general answer is yes manual brakes are perfectly acceptable. But different parts may require different levels of work to make acceptable.

[feadam]

Using disc all around, mustang dual piston in front, 95 mustang rear modified to 59 inch. Edwardb your right it was broad but meant to be. I haven't decided on pedal box, thinking the 95 box but with manual brakes. Would do power but my engine is 427 type with a cam that doesn't afford a lot of vacuum. So which way would you go if not doing Wilwood? Doing the mustang brakes so I can use my 15 inch wheels.

[Melb-Mike]

I had the stock Mustang manual disc brakes when I bought the car. Definitely questionable braking. I talked to Gordon Levy about the Wilwood brake upgrade and after doing the smaller rotor brake setup, life is good now. Yes, there is still a bit of leg pressure needed but the braking is linear and strong. I changed the master cylinder to a 99 Cobra 15/16" bore master cylinder with a plastic brake fluid reservoir. This allows me to use my power brake bleeder with ease. Very nice results. Talk to Gordon about your needs 520-494-2745.

[feadam]

Mike,
Are you using power brakes or non power brakes? What pedals are you using wildwood or stock?

[edwardb]

Using disc all around, mustang dual piston in front, 95 mustang rear modified to 59 inch. Edwardb your right it was broad but meant to be. I haven't decided on pedal box, thinking the 95 box but with manual brakes. Would do power but my engine is 427 type with a cam that doesn't afford a lot of vacuum. So which way would you go if not doing Wilwood? Doing the mustang brakes so I can use my 15 inch wheels.

I prefer the Wilwood pedal box over the Mustang one (I've done both) but that's a matter of opinion, and not everyone agrees. If you really want power brakes though, pretty straightforward to add power brakes with the dual master on the Mustang box. I did Whitby vacuum power brakes (http://www.whitbymotorsports.com/UInvDetail.asp?inventoryid=1608) on my Mk3 with an SN-95 pedal box. The cam in the SBF I used only had about 10 inches of vacuum at idle, but it worked fine. Hydroboost is another choice if you don't want to go vacuum. But it's not cheap plus requires hydraulic. An easy add if you're also doing power steering though. (Whole other subject! :o) Many have been successful with the Mustang box and 4-wheel disk brakes though, depending on your intended use. Just make sure to do the pedal mod (mandatory!) and be prepared to try more aggressive pads.

[feadam]

Don't really want power brakes if the standard are functional enough. Couldn't tell by whitbys catalog if they have a non power set up. Thinking about the mustang stuff, non power, any suggestions on best set up?

[Joee]

Adequate setup (Worked for 5 yrs now 100' 60 to 0 stopping distance) 94/95 Cobra Master, Front 96 - 01 Calipers and 10.8 rotors, Rear 94/95 Cobra Calipers and 11 Rotors, HPS pads front HP+ pad out back. *** Stock donor pedal box Brake Pedal Modified by Mike Everson for manual use ***. You can use stock pads for street use, I did for 3 years, currently run AutoX so needed more brakes.

[frankb]

I have the non-power brakes supplied with the MK4 complete kit. No problem stopping, and doesn't require excessive force to do so.

[BEAR-AvHistory]

Manual Brakes with Hawk HP+ pads.

Firm but not excessive. Did not like the factory five pads. Long stops even with high pedal pressure. Have better stopping power & less effort with Hawks. Do some Auto-X & the + pads are dusty. Use a wheel dust spray to keep it from sticking.

Before starting Auto-X had Hawk HPS & they were very good without much dust.

[Svtfreak]

SN-95 brakes all around with master cylinder, medium quality oreailly pads , fox pedal box and wilwood adjustable proportioning valve. It's stiff but stops. Can lock up the wheels without pushing myself through the back wall.

Edit: initially, they where a lot harder. But after bedding them well, they work good.

[AC Bill]

Kevin brings up a good point.
Brake pads really can make a big difference to how effective the braking is, regardless of your set up.