Brake Dilema

[DJDJDRAM]

As I plan and prepare for my Mk4 build what brakes to install has me flummoxed. I plan to start with a complete build with the IRS. I would like to install aftermarket brakes but the $4,000 for Wildwood is a bit rich. Are the FFR brakes sufficient, 11” front and 13” rear? What aftermarket setup have others used? It looks like you need 1997-2004 fronts and 2015-2018 GT rears? I do not plan on racing so I don’t think I need big brakes. Recommendations welcome.

[BRRT]

I too thought the Wilwood option a bit spendy.

Wheel choice will drive brake selection. If you run 15" wheels your choices become somewhat limited, both front and rear.
If you are planning on running 17" or 18" wheels then things open up quite a bit. As you mentioned, the IRS rear knuckles are for late model Mustang GT's. If you get a drop-out rear suspension, then get the Ford factory brakes along with it.
If you buy the differential and knuckles from FFR, a boneyard, or other supplier, then the rear brakes can be purchased from many suppliers (Summit, Rock Auto, auto parts stores). Pick the parts for a 2015 V8 Mustang GT and they will bolt up.
You can use the Mustang parking brake cables with a bit of modification.

Many say the FFR supplied front brakes are more than sufficient for these light cars. I went a slightly different route and got the Mustang Cobra fronts with 13" rotors.
As I am still in build phase I have not gotten to balance the front/rear bias yet. We will see how they work.

I went with PowerStop front and rear. A couple pics:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=191777&d=1698773457
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=191727&d=1698628158

These are 18" wheels
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=191776&d=1698773457
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=191728&d=1698628158

[DW66]

I'm running the FFR supplied front brakes with the Mustang brakes that came on the used IRS I bought. I'm using a Foxbody brake booster with a Mustang Cobra master cylinder. I'm using a Foxbody pedal box and cable clutch. Everything is simple cheap and my car stops on a dime. I know most people don't use the Foxbody or SN 95 pedal box anymore but I will tell you it does work well and all the parts are easy and cheap to get. Mike Everson (Replica Parts) makes a spacer that fits between the brake booster and the firewall. Get Mikes spacer and everything else you can get from your local parts store. I drive my car and would do it this way again if I built another one.

Dave

[ggunter]

This is only my opinion of the stock FFR brakes, your results may vary. When I completed the go kart phase of my build and was anxious to ride up and down the street, I was in the driveway and was going to bust into my garage and slam on the brakes. Well, I did this and only came inches from going through the back wall while standing on the brake. Now this was the first real time of having to use the brakes and they were not seated. So, I went about seating the brakes on my streets (rural neighborhood) and no matter how much seating I did they never improved to my liking as I thought the brakes should be. I ponied up the bucks for Wilwood brakes and they were a major improvement but had to do a pad change to get the aggressiveness I thought they should have to stop the car. After all they cars only weighs 2300 pounds, and my thoughts are this car should stop on a dime with the size rotors and brake pad area they have. While I think the Wilwoods are a big improvement, they still don't have the hard stopping power I think they should have, but I have gotten used to them and find them "good enough". I wish there was a power brake option with these cars from FFR. There is another pad I can go to that is more aggressive but the dust factor goes up every time you change to a more aggressive pad.

[Jeff Kleiner]

...There is another pad I can go to that is more aggressive but the dust factor goes up every time you change to a more aggressive pad.

As I said in a post last week, there ain't no free lunch.

Jeff

[DJDJDRAM]

Did the 13” front bolt in to the FFR spindles with out any issue?

[OB6]

Did the 13” front bolt in to the FFR spindles with out any issue?

Yes, they'll bolt right on.

[JMD]

I went with the Wilwood brakes from Gordon Levy that fit in the 15" Halibrand wheels. The rotors are 12" & 11.75" with aluminum hats and I think it uses the Wilwood 4 piston dynalite calipers front and back. I read lots of good reviews on them from other builders and they were priced somewhere below $2k for everything, iirc. He also sent all the fittings, brake lines, caliper brackets, etc, needed. I did have to modify the rear knuckles and tap the rear calipers to accept a different size bolt, but it was pretty straightforward. Much better value than the FFR Wilwood brake kits and I believe it's appropriately sized for the car. Should stand up to some moderate track use, but I'm just getting ready to go carting, so don't have first hand experience quite yet.

I was going to go with power assisted brakes with the FFR calipers, but would have been about 3/4 of the way to what Levy's setup was price wise once completed, so decided to go with the manual Wilwoods instead. I don't think the FFR floating stock donor calipers are designed to ever be used without power assist, which is why so many who get them are never really happy with their performance.

[DJDJDRAM]

Did the 13” front bolt in to the FFR spindles with out any issue?

[ggunter]

Yes.

[BRRT]

Did the 13” front bolt in to the FFR spindles with out any issue?

Yes, the 13" front rotors with the Mustang Cobra calipers are a direct fit with the 18" wheels. No modifications required.
I used the PowerStop KC1304D-26 kit for 94-98 Mustang Cobra.

I can't say if they will fit with the 17" wheels.

[CraigS]

The standard front brakes that FFR supplies are fine. They work very well w/ the donor brakes from a 2015+ Mustang. The 15+ Mustang brakes are much larger and work much better than the old Fox stuff. They also have built-in park brake that works well. I bought my rear 15+ IRS parts as a complete takeout pallet and I was careful to choose a pallet that included brakes. So I basically got great rear brakes for free.

[Bob Cowan]

If you plan on tracking or racing your car, spend the big bux on Wilwoods. They are worth every penny.

[Avalanche325]

I would not build one without Wilwoods. When was the last time you had a car that stopped too fast? An extra foot or two of stopping distance can make all the difference in the world.

[CraigS]

I had no problem locking the wheels w/ the brakes I mentioned above. Once you have enough brake to lock the wheels the only other thing that affects stopping distance is tires. BTW I was locking wheels w/ Hoosier A7s which are known to be the best grippiest autocross tires available. I used Hawk HP5.0 pads which are quite grippy but do dust. I used this;
https://www.armorall.com/product/outlast-brake-dust-repellent/
I also had the smallest Craftsman shop vac w/ a brush on the end of the hose. I used it every 3rd or 4th drive.