Brake upgrade advice please

[Fredo]

I am fast approaching the need for new rotors and thought I might upgrade the brakes instead. Its only money right . . hurmph.

What is the thinking out there on a good alround set up that is a bit better than the standard 278mm Fronts & 260mm Rears? (Brand, size, $ if possible)

Now, I have been on this site for a year or so now and I know the top end is what Velociraptor has done. But as much as I like them, 355mm/6 pot fronts and 330mm/4 pot rears ain't going to happen on my car. . . . $ to high for this little minkey!

Besides, I'd crap myself if ever I had to jump on them for fear of the wheels and chassis stopping and the body ripping itself off and sliding up the road Fred Flintstone style.

Anyho, if you have upgraded recently I'd be interested in hearing the good, bad and ugly of your stoppers.

Cheers

Fredo :

[sumpPUMP]

i think DZ has upgaded his to what i might call mid range of quality/price... sorry if ive offended. bBt i'll be looking to do exactly what he's done and it sounds like that what you might be after...

[DZFord]

Originally Posted by sumpPUMP

i think DZ has upgaded his to what i might call mid range of quality/price... sorry if ive offended. bBt i'll be looking to do exactly what he's done and it sounds like that what you might be after...

No offence taken! The DBA/EBC combo is exactly that, a good mid-range upgrade - whilst neither product is designed for the track, they do give that extra confidence on the street, or blast through the mountains.

With a bit of shopping around, I was able to buy front and rear slotted rotors for less than what Ford quoted me for just factory fronts + pads. Unfortunately, the 'soft' front pads and rotors only lasted 33,000kms. I expect these brakes to last a lot longer..

A word of warning, at least in my experience, was that the EBC Greens are a much firmer pad and you really need to get them hot to bed them in properly. Without bedding them in be prepared for some loud brake squeals and groans!

Looking back, the only thing I would change is that EBC Greens on the rear might be a bit of an overkill and EBC blacks on the rear could still achieve the same goal of being a better, longer lasting pad.

[Fredo]

Originally Posted by DZFord

No offence taken! The DBA/EBC combo is exactly that, a good mid-range upgrade - whilst neither product is designed for the track, they do give that extra confidence on the street, or blast through the mountains.

With a bit of shopping around, I was able to buy front and rear slotted rotors for less than what Ford quoted me for just factory fronts + pads. Unfortunately, the 'soft' front pads and rotors only lasted 33,000kms. I expect these brakes to last a lot longer..

A word of warning, at least in my experience, was that the EBC Greens are a much firmer pad and you really need to get them hot to bed them in properly. Without bedding them in be prepared for some loud brake squeals and groans!

Looking back, the only thing I would change is that EBC Greens on the rear might be a bit of an overkill and EBC blacks on the rear could still achieve the same goal of being a better, longer lasting pad.

Thanks DZFord . . . got your PM too Mate.
Reckon thats what I'll end up doing.

Fredo

[Fast Eddie]

Although my ride is an LR I'm contemplating AP Racing brakes for the fronts in the future but if you wanted to stay with Factory have you looked at the ST/XR5 Factory brakes??

[Fredo]

Originally Posted by Fast Eddie

Although my ride is an LR I'm contemplating AP Racing brakes for the fronts in the future but if you wanted to stay with Factory have you looked at the ST/XR5 Factory brakes??

Nah I haven't FE, and I probably should but I just made the assumption that there is better value for $ than 'factory offerings' out there. Bit closed minded now I think about it.

I'll look at the AP Racing stuff but for the average . . . er . . "advanced novice" its hard to go past the DBA gear isn't it?

Fredo

[Fredo]

Seen these?

http://www.optionmotor.com/index.php...id=6&Itemid=90

Got quoted $1,200 + Freight for the 330mm/6 piston/Fronts.

Any comments?

Fredo

[mohit]

I've never found the Focus brakes to be undersized but that's just me. Why not stay with the standard size but upgrade to better components such as slotted rotors, QFM HP-X pads and a set of braided steel brake lines.

[Fredo]

Originally Posted by mohit

I've never found the Focus brakes to be undersized but that's just me. Why not stay with the standard size but upgrade to better components such as slotted rotors, QFM HP-X pads and a set of braided steel brake lines.

Cheers Mohit,
and that is the fall-back position I'll take Mate if it all gets to hard (read: expensive).

I do like the odd blast through the mountains and am a believer in "bigger is better" when it comes to brakes. (within reason of course).

Fredo

[mohit]

Originally Posted by Fredo

Cheers Mohit,
and that is the fall-back position I'll take Mate if it all gets to hard (read: expensive).

I do like the odd blast through the mountains and am a believer in "bigger is better" when it comes to brakes. (within reason of course).

Fredo

Haha yeh in the end it all comes down to the coin

Be interested to see if you find any cheap upgrade kits

[#Russ#Es#]

I looked at prices not long ago for my standard rotors (to replace with DBA Slotted), and from memory the (DBA) XR5 replacement was actually cheaper. Wasn't sure on fitment though, will have to contact DBA directly on that one.

[Fredo]

Originally Posted by #Russ#Es#

I looked at prices not long ago for my standard rotors (to replace with DBA Slotted), and from memory the (DBA) XR5 replacement was actually cheaper. Wasn't sure on fitment though, will have to contact DBA directly on that one.

Cheers Russ,
Thats what I expected.
Fredo

[mohit]

What about Mondeo brakes are they any bigger than Focus brakes and is the stud pattern the same?

[Velociraptor82]

Originally Posted by Fredo

Now, I have been on this site for a year or so now and I know the top end is what Velociraptor has done. But as much as I like them, 355mm/6 pot fronts and 330mm/4 pot rears ain't going to happen on my car. . . . $ to high for this little minkey!

You can't put a price on safety....get the biggest ones you can find.... lol

I don't klnow about the quality of the products from this Yuh Lin mob, however you can't upgrade the front calipers to such a big size without doing the back as well, otherwise the brake balance would be stuffed. Then there is the problem with changing the rear calipers. That is becasue the handbrake "unusally" built in and as such changing them means removing the handbrake.

Most people on here seem to go for DBA rotors with Greenstuff pads. I have seen a brembo kit awhile back. $2500 for front slotted rotors (can't remeber the size, sorry). front 4pot calipers and brake lines & fluid

[Velociraptor82]

Also don't forget the obvios fact that if you do upgrade the calipers, make sure your wheels will fit over them.

My wheels (Lenso Speed 6 18/8) are not available anymore and they are the ONLY ones which will fit over my brakes. (gotta remind myself to look after them)

[Fredo]

Originally Posted by Velociraptor82

Also don't forget the obvios fact that if you do upgrade the calipers, make sure your wheels will fit over them.

My wheels (Lenso Speed 6 18/8) are not available anymore and they are the ONLY ones which will fit over my brakes. (gotta remind myself to look after them)

Thanks Velo - Good stuff mate.
Agreed, bigger is better!

I landed a set of Zetec 17s for not many $ that I'll paint black (dark grey car) so I reckon I'll be doing the DBA thing like DZFord.

Cheers

Fredo

[BlackLS]

2L Euro LS's onward have 300mm fronts - may want to suss out some wreckers in the UK. Id tend to go for XR5 all round, otherwise if you think of going aftermarket, only do the fronts, and go XR5 rears - otherwise you may not find rear calipers with the handbrake capabilities.

[sumpPUMP]

Originally Posted by BlackLS

2L Euro LS's onward have 300mm fronts - may want to suss out some wreckers in the UK. Id tend to go for XR5 all round, otherwise if you think of going aftermarket, only do the fronts, and go XR5 rears - otherwise you may not find rear calipers with the handbrake capabilities.

What calipers/pads do the xr5's have compared to the standard focus?

[BlackLS]

XRs are 320/280
Other aust Focus 278/265
I forget where I found the details of the UK 2.0L so I may not be right on that one.

[alky89]

i read u wanted bigger brakes for your mountain runs? if thats the case then i really wouldnt spend big bucks on a big brake kit. if u can find reasonably priced 2nd hand xr5 items or the like then by all means go for it. but unless ur doing heavy track work i dont think u'll see the benefit of getting bigger brakes compared to a simple rotor/pad upgrade. unless ur drastically increasing power or doing serious track days, u simply wont be building up enough heat to justify huge brakes. i have some high performance pads with stock rotors on my car and i only see slight fade after a good 6-7 laps. even then its just a slight increase in stopping distance. and i guarantee they are getting punished much harder than on a mountain run.

dont get me wrong, a big brake upgrade would be excellent and you will feel the difference but the benefits most likely wont outweigh the cost compared to a pad/rotor upgrade.

also i've heard slotted rotors are next to useless on a street car. they just chew through pads quicker. apparently they are of some benefit on the track though.

[DZFord]

Originally Posted by alky89

also i've heard slotted rotors are next to useless on a street car. they just chew through pads quicker. apparently they are of some benefit on the track though.

Since slotted rotors have more 'bite' than normal rotors, you would expect that this is the case.

However, DBA claims that its slotted rotors does not increase pad wear and may increase the life of the rotors. This is because the slots have a micro-shaving effect on the pads, which creates more even pad wear. This leads to better contact area between the pads and the rotors. The slots also help to expel gases created by braking, leading to lower braking temperatures and more effective contact.

On the other hand, DBA Street Series slotted rotors are definitely not for track work.

[melbzetec]

Whether they'll work for the LS Focus, I'm not sure, but check out the brake packages at:

http://www.batinc.net/main.htm

http://www.tceperformanceproducts.co...s.pl?record=18

Bat inc in particular have some great value for money options

[Fredo]

Cheers Boys,
All good stuff as usual.

XR5 brakes sounds interesting, particularly with regard the handbrake issue.

This might be dumb but . . . no issue with the XR5 brakes fitting in Zetec 17 wheels?

Oh! By the way, just got the 2.25" cat back fitted with a single muffler.
Windows down, raido off . . . fun fun fun.
Got a feeling I'll be putting in a resonator sometime soon though . . Hey! I'm old okay! :

Fredo

[Velociraptor82]

Originally Posted by Fredo

Got a feeling I'll be putting in a resonator sometime soon though . . Hey! I'm old okay! :

Fredo

old enough to know why one should try to avoid getting the attension of the boys in blue eh??? lol

The wheels on the XR5's are 18". having seen the size of the calipers inside those wheels, i'm pretty sure they will fit inside 17". But i'm sure there is someone out there who can confirm??

[Fredo]

Oh geez . . I said OLD no Smart . . . hehe.
Hey , do ya reckon if I drop in a resonator that the note out the back will deepen a bit?
On the way to work this morning, I just thought it might sound a bit . . . ricey . . maybe I'm just listening to hard.

Ta Mate. :togo:

[Fast Eddie]

Have you heard the car from the outside i.e. got someone else to drive by? I haven't as yet but from inside my exhaust set-up sounds ok imho. OE Exhaust came with three mufflers or are they resonators? and my new system has only two.

[Fredo]

Originally Posted by Fast Eddie

Have you heard the car from the outside i.e. got someone else to drive by? I haven't as yet but from inside my exhaust set-up sounds ok imho. OE Exhaust came with three mufflers or are they resonators? and my new system has only two.

No I haven't Ed and I will now that you mention it.
The standard system had one long resonator and a single muffler I think so, yeah, I think I am under-resonated.
Fredo