Brake upgrade options？

[Bronco Mike]

I would like to upgrade my front brakes from the stock Mustang 10.64 rotors and calipers. My rear brakes are already upgraded to 11.65” Cobra brakes, so bigger front brakes are called for. I don’t race the car it’s just a street cruiser, so Wilwoods seem like overkill. My master cylinder is a vacuum boosted Cobra unit. So what are my options for a front brake upgrade?

Thanks,
Mike

[egchewy79]

knowing your wheel size may help others chime in.
have you considered just getting grippier pads instead?

[NAZ]

Mike, the front and rear brakes have to work in concert as a system. There needs to be balance between front and rear to maintain optimum stopping distance and prevent some very serious handling issues. If you're not experienced in selecting the components that complement each other, and don't understand the engineering involved, you should seek the assistance of a professional like Gordon Levy. Levy Racing is a forum vendor who has helped others with their braking needs. Buying front or rear rotors, calipers, and pads independent of the other end will not likely result in a balanced system. Just selecting the wrong pad compound can make for a poor handling car.

Good luck, and choose wisely.

[Gordon Levy]

I can help with your setup. Please feel free to call me tomorrow and we can talk at length about your car and how best I can help you. 520-494-2745.

[Bronco Mike]

I should have included that I have 17” wheels.

[Bronco Mike]

I can help with your setup. Please feel free to call me tomorrow and we can talk at length about your car and how best I can help you. 520-494-2745.

I’ll give you a call tomorrow. Thanks!

[CaptB]

2nd vote for Gordon Levy racing. 110% in my book.

[CraigS]

I know it may look a little weird but actually it may work out just fine. The standard issue w/ FFRs is not having enough rear brake. Mainly because a lot of our parts come from Mustangs w/ a 55+% front weight bias and we use them in a car w/ about a 53% rear weight bias. You don't mention whether you have the Wilwood dual master cylinders w/ adjustable bias shaft or not. If you do, I'd work on adjustment first. If you don't, I'd still want to check on front to rear bias before randomly changing parts. Find a road w/ little traffic and drive at 40mph. Hit the brakes and figure out whether the front or the rear locks up first. Adjust if you can until the rear locks up first and then back up the adjustment 1/4 turn at a time until the fronts barely lock up first.

[rich grsc]

Craig's advice is 100% spot on. It may be that all you need is to find a better brake pad.

[Bronco Mike]

The master cylinder is a Ford Cobra vacuum boosted with no bias adjustment. I did lock the brakes when cut off in traffic the other day, only the rears locked. The car stops okay, just not great. Many years ago I had 1996 Mustang Cobra, that car had amazing brakes, would like to get my Roadster closer to that. Maybe I should put a bias adjuster in the brake lines.

[GoDadGo]

The master cylinder is a Ford Cobra vacuum boosted with no bias adjustment. I did lock the brakes when cut off in traffic the other day, only the rears locked. The car stops okay, just not great. Many years ago I had 1996 Mustang Cobra, that car had amazing brakes, would like to get my Roadster closer to that. Maybe I should put a bias adjuster in the brake lines.

If you are running the Ford Cobra MC & Booster, along with the Ford Cobra Rear Brakes, then why not simply add the larger Cobra Front Brakes if you feel you need an upgrade?
I'm running the standard Mustang front brakes with slightly larger Ford Explorer rears and have no issue stopping; however, I'm not auto-crossing nor road-racing my car.
Just understand that your Roadster likely has a rear weight bias as CraigS mentioned so the braking characteristics are far removed from your old Mustang Cobra.
I'd get some aggressive pads before you start changing things that seem to work well with your current setup.

[Fman]

One other option to consider is going with the Powerstop drilled and slotted rotor and upgraded pad kit. It is a cheap upgrade ($175 front, $125 rear), bolts right on, looks much better and I have had no problems with the car stopping. I took my car out for a very mild track day last year and never got any fade with the PS kit. I also did the rear kit as well. PS claims 20-30% improved braking over stock.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=130924&d=1593660942
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=131602&d=1594493400

[mikeinatlanta]

The Cobra R came with very nice four piston brembo calipers and disks. Still available as an aftermarket and direct bolt on for a 94-2004 mustang. Tend to run about $1500 for a set new in the box. I believe the part number was M-2300. Look like this except black.
159672

Here is the wheel clearance chart, but they fit any stock mustang cobra wheel.
159673


Like to Ford, but available cheaper.
https://accessories.ford.com/products/1994-2004-mustang-cobra-r-front-brake-upgrade-kit?refSrc=6272470810815&nosto=productpage-nosto-2

Mine came with very nice stainless brake lines and an extra set of pads. Makes the price a little easier to swallow.

[NAZ]

For those that like to experiment, you can use the trial & error approach to designing your braking system and you may eventually get something that works OK. You’ll spend a lot of time and $$ testing different parts combinations and have a bunch of parts left over. But maybe you’ll give up out of frustration and settle for something less than great.


Or you can use matched components that have been engineered to work on a car very similar to yours and save yourself time & money. Some engineer has spent a lot of time running calculations and assembling a parts list of components that will all work together. Then application technicians have tested the combination and tweaked it to meet performance goals. And you can take advantage of all the research, engineering, and testing by simply purchasing a system that is proven to work. It really saves you a lot of time and $$ buying a proven system. I know, because I’ve designed brake systems and done a lot of testing.


I engineered my own and modeled the performance after the C7 Corvette’s world-class 1.34 G-Force braking performance. But there is a lot of complex math involved and most won’t want to tackle this. I had to have corner weights, center of gravity (including the height) to calculate load transfer as that affects traction (and braking performance). I needed to have my front and rear tires’ mu curves and also my brake pads mu temp curves. I calculated heat generated and dissipated during a high-speed single stop as brakes work by converting kinetic energy into heat energy. I had to calculate brake torque, brake gain, traction, friction, clamping force, and a host of other variables to really spec out the components needed to optimize braking efficiency. But all that was worth it to me as my little hot rod has the braking performance equal to world-class supercars that cost more than my build. And I saved a load of time & $$ experimenting and throwing parts at the car.


But you may be better off talking to Gordon.

[Bronco Mike]

Fman, what diameter are those front rotors and what was the Powerstop part number if you happen to still have it?

[Bronco Mike]

I talked to Gordon today, he really knows these cars and made great suggestions. I’m going to start with a kit from Gordon to upgrade the front and then ad a bias adjuster if I still want more performance.

Thanks for all the help!
Mike