Brake Pads for 2012 Boss 302 Track Day

[KonaBoss]

All,

Looking for some opinions on brake pads for my 2012 Boss 302. I am taking it on the track for the first time here in September, better late than never I suppose.. Car has the stock brake setup with the 4 piston brembos up front, and stock size rear calipers and rotors. It does have Vorshlag Stainless lines. I'd like some pads that will hold up to HPDE usage, would be a bonus if they were also decent on the street.

Thanks,
Taylor

 

[Dave_W]

What tires (brand/model and size) will you be using? For a complete novice, the factory Boss pads aren't terrible. You'll eventually want to upgrade, but for the first weekend or two, they'll probably be fine.

Definitely do a complete flush of the brake fluid (not just bleed) with a good DOT 4 or DOT 5.1 fluid. Forum supporting vendors Optimum Performance Mustang and KNS Brakes both sell a range of suitable fluids. The Motul RBF600 is relatively inexpensive and has good heat resistance for typical novice/intermediate drivers. OPM also has Pentosin DOT4 LV on sale - the Low Viscosity formula is supposed to be more resistant to cavitation from ABS/ESC use. OPM says it's "the original fill brake fluid for all 2015+ Ford Performance Vehicles."

 

[Mike_FL]

I like my G-Loc r12 front and r10 rear. Work well on the street too. I do have cooling upfront though

 

[KonaBoss]

What tires (brand/model and size) will you be using? For a complete novice, the factory Boss pads aren't terrible. You'll eventually want to upgrade, but for the first weekend or two, they'll probably be fine.

Definitely do a complete flush of the brake fluid (not just bleed) with a good DOT 4 or DOT 5.1 fluid. Forum supporting vendors Optimum Performance Mustang and KNS Brakes both sell a range of suitable fluids. The Motul RBF600 is relatively inexpensive and has good heat resistance for typical novice/intermediate drivers. OPM also has Pentosin DOT4 LV on sale - the Low Viscosity formula is supposed to be more resistant to cavitation from ABS/ESC use. OPM says it's "the original fill brake fluid for all 2015+ Ford Performance Vehicles."

Thanks for the info! First time on track in the Boss, but used to have a turbo Miata that I tracked fairly regularly so I'm not completely foreign to the track environment. Tires are 305/30/R19 Michelin pilot sport 4s on all 4 corners.

 

[KonaBoss]

I like my G-Loc r12 front and r10 rear. Work well on the street too. I do have cooling upfront though

Thanks for the info! I'll have a look at those

 

[Mike_FL]

Thanks for the info! I'll have a look at those

They work great with my Michelin pilot sport 4s tires. I’ll probably go for Gloc r16 when I move to a 200tw tire

 

[Dave_W]

used to have a turbo Miata that I tracked fairly regularly so I'm not completely foreign to the track environment.

That makes me think you want to upgrade the pads right off the bat. You'll probably overheat the stock pad compound and get some fade partway through a session. Some good suggestions for pads already.

The other thing is cooling the front rotors. There's the tradiional hoses & backing plate method, but Vorshlag also came out with "deflectors" that bolt to the lower arm and do a reasonable job without all the hassle of routing tubes.

Vorshlag S197 Brake Cooling Deflector Kit

Vorshlag has offered "ducted hose" style brake cooling backing plates, inlet ducts, and tubing for a number of cars for many years - and we still do. This is how everyone cooled the brakes for track use for many decades. Well there are issues doing that, namely the corrugated hose has some...

vorshlag-store.com

If you're handy with hose clamps and tin snips, you can make them yourself. Or try adapting Posche parts.

Porsche Brake Air Duct - Genuine Porsche 9Y0615447C

Porsche Brake Air Duct - Genuine Porsche 9Y0615447C

www.fcpeuro.com

Porsche Brake Air Duct - Genuine Porsche 9Y0615448C

Porsche Brake Air Duct - Genuine Porsche 9Y0615448C

www.fcpeuro.com

 

[gww52]

Just to let you know that the Vorshlag deflectors are absolutely useless!

 

[mwjscn]

Just an FYI that for the Vorshlag deflectors to work, you'll need to remove the front brake rotor dust shields so the cooling air from the deflector can reach the rotor. Other than that bit of disassembly, they're very easy to install on the stock front control arms. You also need to show them a source of air, either by adding ramps on the bottom tray or small ducts using the fog light area left blank on the California Special front valance used on the Boss 302. If you just bolt the deflectors on without doing either, the reply above mine would be correct haha

Also a good way to keep brake fluid temps down and prolong the life of your stock brake piston dust boots is a set of titanium brake shims. I have a set that fit your car at a reduced price posted on the forum marketplace if you're interested in them. They slip between the pad backing and the brake pistons. Good thing to throw in if you're changing the brake pads anyways for a sporty compound.

 

[JDee]

I had Vorshlag deflectors on my '16, they worked quite well. I know this because I used an IR heat gun to monitor the rotor temps and temps were down significantly after putting on the Vorshlags. They were much larger than the ones that came stock from Ford on the '16 PP1 car. I had been using hoses ducted from the fog light openings, but they were a real PITA due to routing issues and crushing from suspension movement. The Mach 1 has deflectors stock from Ford and I have zero heat issues with that setup as well.

I have ridden with a lot of guys who were looking for help and it is my experience that most of the problem with brakes is driver induced. Driving a car quickly on a track is a bit of an art and not everyone can do it well.

 

[EF1]

I had Vorshlag deflectors on my '16, they worked quite well. I know this because I used an IR heat gun to monitor the rotor temps and temps were down significantly after putting on the Vorshlags. They were much larger than the ones that came stock from Ford on the '16 PP1 car. I had been using hoses ducted from the fog light openings, but they were a real PITA due to routing issues and crushing from suspension movement. The Mach 1 has deflectors stock from Ford and I have zero heat issues with that setup as well.

I have ridden with a lot of guys who were looking for help and it is my experience that most of the problem with brakes is driver induced. Driving a car quickly on a track is a bit of an art and not everyone can do it well.

You are talking tao different platforms. The OP has a Boss and you have a S550. The deflectors on the S197 platform need a way to get air to the deflectors for them to work. They were not designed to channel the air to them. The S550 was designed to flow air to the deflectors.

 

[Mad Hatter]

Just to let you know that the Vorshlag deflectors are absolutely useless!

Could you give a bit more info?? Was always curios about them, but they look like airbrakes.

 

[Mike_FL]

I have the Vorshlag deflectors on my 2012 and they work great. I did have to trim a little off on one side but they have held up to 30 minute sessions at Sebring in Florida summer.
I use the boss lower trim and run ducting from the fog light holes to feed air to them. Also use the Opmustang titunium shims between the brake pad and caliper, run Motul 660 brake fluid too
Did have to trim the fender liner but i wasn’t bothered

Currently have the front bumper off so got some pics

 

[KonaBoss]

I have the Vorshlag deflectors on my 2012 and they work great. I did have to trim a little off on one side but they have held up to 30 minute sessions at Sebring in Florida summer.
I use the boss lower trim and run ducting from the fog light holes to feed air to them. Also use the Opmustang titunium shims between the brake pad and caliper, run Motul 660 brake fluid too
Did have to trim the fender liner but i wasn’t bothered

Currently have the front bumper off so got some pics

View attachment 97995

View attachment 97996

Thats the kind of feedback I was looking for. I like the idea of those over the brake ducts, seems like less of a chance to tear up hoses etc. I can see it not cooling all that well around a corner since the tire would be in the way of the air being directed to them, but likely get plenty of flow on the straights.

 

[EF1]

I have the Vorshlag deflectors on my 2012 and they work great. I did have to trim a little off on one side but they have held up to 30 minute sessions at Sebring in Florida summer.
I use the boss lower trim and run ducting from the fog light holes to feed air to them. Also use the Opmustang titunium shims between the brake pad and caliper, run Motul 660 brake fluid too
Did have to trim the fender liner but i wasn’t bothered

Currently have the front bumper off so got some pics

View attachment 97995

View attachment 97996

As long as you get air flow to them they are effective. I had the old style ducted plates long before the deflector style became available and do not see a reason to change. If I was doing it now I would probably go the same route as you did. Less hose to route and replace.

 

[Mike_FL]

I did have the hoses connected to 3 inch backing plates but when I put an12 lines for my oil cooler they got in the way so I got the Vorshlag deflecter plates.
I did get the GT500 cooling shields to protect the boot from the heat of the rotor
(Random picture I found online)

 

[gww52]

I have the Vorshlag deflectors on my 2012 and they work great. I did have to trim a little off on one side but they have held up to 30 minute sessions at Sebring in Florida summer.
I use the boss lower trim and run ducting from the fog light holes to feed air to them. Also use the Opmustang titunium shims between the brake pad and caliper, run Motul 660 brake fluid too
Did have to trim the fender liner but i wasn’t bothered

Currently have the front bumper off so got some pics

View attachment 97995

View attachment 97996

I fooled with these but they actually deflect air the wrong way.
They don't fit correctly either. I did run a hose from the fog light through the fender liner, but still useless!

 

[KonaBoss]

Alright so back to the brake pad discussion, I got a set of Hawk DTC-60 pads for the front and Hawk HPS pads for the rear for free from a friend. Any feedback on those?

 

[JDee]

I don't know about the 60's, but I ran 50s on the front and 30s on the rear and they were very good, can't say anything bad about them at all. I got 2 full seasons out of them, but, I am from an endurance racing background and can manage brakes well because of that.
As always, YMMV.

 

[CWoods302]

I ran Hawk DTC-60s front and rear at Road Atlanta not too long ago and they did fantastic. I would definitely recommend a set of those. You can go up to the 70s if you would like to but the 60s did great for me and are a little bit less expensive. Good luck!