The Mustang Forum for Track & Racing Enthusiasts

Taking your Mustang to an open track/HPDE event for the first time? Do you race competitively? This forum is for you! Log in to remove most ads.

  • Welcome to the Ford Mustang forum built for owners of the Mustang GT350, BOSS 302, GT500, and all other S550, S197, SN95, Fox Body and older Mustangs set up for open track days, road racing, and/or autocross. Join our forum, interact with others, share your build, and help us strengthen this community!

Cooling GT350 Brakes Installed on Base GT

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

13
1
Exp. Type
Autocross
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Port St Lucie, Florida
I intended to install the JLT Brake Cooling Kit on my base 2016 GT to which I am now having the GT350 Brake Kit installed. My mechanic tells me that the rotor backing plates of the cooling kit will not fit with the GT350 rotors. Maybe others have had success with this set-up?

At the same time, my Steeda Front Control Arms have brake cooling deflectors, similar to those found on the GT Performance Pack. However, to make these functional I would need to replace my base GT belly pan with the PP belly pan (part FR3Z-17626-D) so that air would get properly directed to the deflectors. Other factors are that I have the RTR Grill installed and I am planning on installing APR Chin Splitter. Are there any gotchas to this set-up?

Are there other ready-made kits/solutions?
 
Will the APR chin splitter fit on the PP1 belly pan? Or does it eliminate it?

I ask because it seems the deflector plates are the best way to cool the brakes on an S550.

Vorshlag makes some for the S197 but not many options for getting air to the plates, otherwise I'd go that route.
 
It looks like the APR chin splitter would block the air ducts on the belly pan, so unless you want to hack it up to relieve those areas it probably won't work. Picture below is the APR splitter with FR3Z-17626-D and you can see it comes back a fair ways:
1656678162087.png
1656678307775.png
If you want to do a hybrid, you can use the JLT or similar fog-light replacement bezel to direct air at the control arm deflectors, cutting an appropriately sized hole in your front fender liner and terminating there with a flange to hold the short run of tube (similar if not same exit point depth-wise into the car the belly pan ramps would get you). If you do that, it may be worth upgrading to the Vorshlag S550 brake deflector since they're a lot larger than the one included on the PP or Steeda arms. It also has the benefit of keeping tubes out of your front wheel wells to limit any wide tire clearance/rubbing problems.
 
13
1
Exp. Type
Autocross
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Port St Lucie, Florida
Will the APR chin splitter fit on the PP1 belly pan? Or does it eliminate it?

I ask because it seems the deflector plates are the best way to cool the brakes on an S550.

Vorshlag makes some for the S197 but not many options for getting air to the plates, otherwise I'd go that route.
Yes, I am now realizing that the APR chin splitter eliminates the PP belly pan. If I don't come up with a duct-based system it might be best for me to go with the PP belly pan, which would require forgoing the use of the APR splitter, else I would have to otherwise mock up something to direct air to the front control arm deflectors

The JLT kit's ducts seem very sturdy and flexible, and their scheme of fitting to the fog light openings on the bumper of the 2015-2017 models is very clean. IMO, the ideal solution would be to find, or fashion up, a backing plate to which I can fit those ducts.
 
Yes, I am now realizing that the APR chin splitter eliminates the PP belly pan. If I don't come up with a duct-based system it might be best for me to go with the PP belly pan, which would require forgoing the use of the APR splitter, else I would have to otherwise mock up something to direct air to the front control arm deflectors

The JLT kit's ducts seem very sturdy and flexible, and their scheme of fitting to the fog light openings on the bumper of the 2015-2017 models is very clean. IMO, the ideal solution would be to find, or fashion up, a backing plate to which I can fit those ducts.

I'd climb under it and see if there is a way to aim the ducts at the deflector plates. Might have to build a bracket to secure the end nearest the deflector plate but it would work if secured.
 
13
1
Exp. Type
Autocross
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Port St Lucie, Florida
I'd climb under it and see if there is a way to aim the ducts at the deflector plates. Might have to build a bracket to secure the end nearest the deflector plate but it would work if secured.

I see that I will have to fashion a custom solution. I am thinking to have backing plates fabricated for the JLT ducts so that the air can be directed right into the center of the rotors which would then have the rotors feeding the air out through the center vanes
 
13
1
Exp. Type
Autocross
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Port St Lucie, Florida
This would be a pretty straightforward solution. I am also going to look at having backing plates fabricated. If I go the custom backplate route I would want to be damned sure that they are well made that they won't interfere with any part of the brakes, suspension or chassis.
 
This would be a pretty straightforward solution. I am also going to look at having backing plates fabricated. If I go the custom backplate route I would want to be damned sure that they are well made that they won't interfere with any part of the brakes, suspension or chassis.

Maybe try full tilt boogie racing, I know they make a gt350 conversion kit. Perhaps they have made a backing plate/cooling solution as well.
 
118
155
MD
The ducting hose gets chewed up by the tires. I drilled a 3" hole in the non-PP backing plates and welded on some 3" exhaust pipe for the hose. There isn't enough room inside or outside of the frame rail to sneak the hose past without contacting the tire.

1656704624224.png
 
13
1
Exp. Type
Autocross
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Port St Lucie, Florida
The ducting hose gets chewed up by the tires. I drilled a 3" hole in the non-PP backing plates and welded on some 3" exhaust pipe for the hose. There isn't enough room inside or outside of the frame rail to sneak the hose past without contacting the tire.

View attachment 77092
I might have to also fashion a custom backing plate unless I can find something at Full Tilt Boogie Racing.

The backing plate issue is tedious but the trickier issue seems to be the duct, to issue of the duct clearance and flexibility is
The ducting hose gets chewed up by the tires. I drilled a 3" hole in the non-PP backing plates and welded on some 3" exhaust pipe for the hose. There isn't enough room inside or outside of the frame rail to sneak the hose past without contacting the tire.



Your backing plate is nicely fashioned. I have to get under the car and look this over again. Are you running the duct under the splash shield, or through it?


or does running it under it provide for good placement and flexibility


duct will challenging.
 
118
155
MD
I'm not running the hose or ducts, it was on for one session and the tire chewed it up. The front suspension and frame make it very challenging to route a hose.

The PP deflectors are effective and increasing the deflector size seems to produce better results. Vorshlag tested the deflectors vs hose: https://trackmustangsonline.com/thr...stang-gt-s550-development-thread.13411/page-7

Also: https://trackmustangsonline.com/thr...e-vorshlag-air-brakes-instead-of-ducts.16786/

And: https://www.essexparts.com/news-blog/do-i-need-brake-ducts-on-my-track-car
 
13
1
Exp. Type
Autocross
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Port St Lucie, Florida
I'm not running the hose or ducts, it was on for one session and the tire chewed it up. The front suspension and frame make it very challenging to route a hose.

The PP deflectors are effective and increasing the deflector size seems to produce better results. Vorshlag tested the deflectors vs hose: https://trackmustangsonline.com/thr...stang-gt-s550-development-thread.13411/page-7

Also: https://trackmustangsonline.com/thr...e-vorshlag-air-brakes-instead-of-ducts.16786/

And: https://www.essexparts.com/news-blog/do-i-need-brake-ducts-on-my-track-car

Thanks for sharing your experience of using ducted cooling, and the Vorshlag analysis.

Do you have the PP belly pan with the grooves for feeding air to the deflectors?
 
88
60
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Cantley
2019 Base GT. I just received my Vorshlag deflectors. My DTC-70 pads were fading. I cannot do the belly pan tunnels just yet ($). I wonder if the deflectors will still help a bit with cooling without the tunnels. I assume it will redirect some air and be a little bit better than no deflectors. Has anyone tried?
 

JDee

Ancient Racer
1,797
2,001
Exp. Type
W2W Racing
Exp. Level
20+ Years
5 miles from Mosport
Not sure if the nose is the same between 16 and 19 base GT, but in addition to already having the PP splitter with tunnels I took the spotlights out (driving lights? Fog lights? the small useless round lights down low that aren't blinkers) and I used that hole to duct air into the wheel well, it is easy to direct it right at the deflector with a short piece of air duct hose.
 
88
60
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Cantley
When installing the brake ducts,
Not sure if the nose is the same between 16 and 19 base GT, but in addition to already having the PP splitter with tunnels I took the spotlights out (driving lights? Fog lights? the small useless round lights down low that aren't blinkers) and I used that hole to duct air into the wheel well, it is easy to direct it right at the deflector with a short piece of air duct hose.
Thanks JDee, I remember now that Vorshlag makes lower grille cooling duct inlets for 2018+. I'm trying to find more info on how to do this (pics of where the duct enter the wheel well etc), it seems to me like a cheaper way to get airflow to the deflectors than PP undertray.
 

JDee

Ancient Racer
1,797
2,001
Exp. Type
W2W Racing
Exp. Level
20+ Years
5 miles from Mosport
The duct enters the wheel well on my 16 pointing right at the inner fender liner where it rests against the steel of the engine bay, I have it wedged in there and held in place with a fat wire tie and angled slightly to point directly at the deflector.
 

TMO Supporting Vendors

Top