Huge brake upgrade for S197 chassis

[el.nickelodeon]

Over the last ~week, after having the parts in my garage for a YEAR (smh), I upgraded my 2012 Boss 302:

• Rear: new 14” GT500 rotors, GT500 caliper brackets, GT500 diff cover, 3” long studs, new axle seals (blew the passenger side unit @ LSIR last year), G-Loc R10 pads, fresh gear oil.
• Front: 15” Giro Disc 2-piece rotors, S550 6p calipers, G-Loc R12 pads, new hubs w/3” studs, SS lines and a full liter of fresh ATE brake fluid flushed thru the system.

On Thursday, I took it for a short drive to bed the new pads and rotors. The pedal did appear to go a bit further to the floor, but TBH, it’s been about a month+ since I drove the car last. I’m still able to downshift the same way as before (rolling onto the throttle for rev-matched downshifts), which IMO, is a good sign.

Today the car goes back in the air for a nut, bolt and fluid leak check, another quick brake fluid flush, then a bath and detail. It will get a healthy drive tomorrow to the Petersen for their All American car show.

I’ll know more about brake pedal feel in the coming days/weeks.

Hi Adam!
Did u use the 32mm Girodisc rotors? did you needed some washers?

 

[Tim.ocon]

Building up some parts for next season over the winter and I’m trying to figure some stuff out. I did a 4 pot front brake upgrade from the s550 thanks to this thread and I’m curious if a set of s197 brembos are the same and use the same pads?

 

[Coz]

The 4-pot S197 Brembos are not the same as the 4-pot S550 calipers. The S550 4-pots are not actually Brembos but are occasionally called "Frembos." As in a Ford version of Brembos. They do not use the same pads.

 

[Tim.ocon]

The 4-pot S197 Brembos are not the same as the 4-pot S550 calipers. The S550 4-pots are not actually not Brembos but are occasionally called "Frembos." As in a Ford version of Brembos. They do not use the same pads.

Good to know thanks!

 

[steveespo]

Good to know thanks!

They are also not very good. Will have overheating issues with serios track use and they are heavy for the level of performance.

 

[Tim.ocon]

They are also not very good. Will have overheating issues with serios track use and they are heavy for the level of performance.

The s197 brembos aren’t very good

 

[EF1]

The s197 brembos aren’t very good

I think he is referring to the S550 4 pot non-brembo calipers as not bring very good.

 

[OX1]

I think he is referring to the S550 4 pot non-brembo calipers as not bring very good.

They also stick out about 3/8 inch farther outboard vs original "style" Brembo's
(compared to WMS).

 

[Adam Ginsberg]

Hi Adam!
Did u use the 32mm Girodisc rotors? did you needed some washers?

Sorry for the late reply - I don't recall if the rotors on the car are 32mm or not. No washers used.

 

[Coz]

If it helps, I recently installed the Girodiscs with the 34mm rotor and it eliminated the need for the washers. The rotors are perfectly centered in the S550 Brembo calipers.

 

[gww52]

Are the 34mm disc's much thicker?

 

[Coz]

They are 2mm thicker.

 

[Tim.ocon]

If it helps, I recently installed the Girodiscs with the 34mm rotor and it eliminated the need for the washers. The rotors are perfectly centered in the S550 Brembo calipers.

Do you know if they make smt for the 4 pot “frembo” calipers?

 

[Coz]

To my knowledge they do not, but I don't know for sure.

 

[el.nickelodeon]

Hi!
I want to share my first impression: it's weird hahaha. I come from my stock brakes dying making a lot of noise and taking their time to stop and yesterday the car was ready with the new brakes, so there is a lot of difference.

The list was:
Calipers (PPK 15-23): https://lmr.com/item/LRS-32120GK/mustang-performance-pack-front-brake-caliper-kit-15-23
Front Hose Kit: https://lmr.com/item/SVE-32120H/2005-2014-mustang-s550-sve-brembo-front-brake-hose-kit
Rear Hose Kit: https://lmr.com/item/JM-22530R/Mustang-J-M-Rear-Stainless-Steel-Teflon-Brake-Hoses
Rear Brake Adapters: https://lmr.com/item/SVE-GT500AB/mustang-sve-gt500-rear-brake-adapter-brackets-05-14
Dust Shield: https://lmr.com/item/SVE-2045A-K/sve-mustang-gt500-style-front-brake-backing-plates-05-14

My mech buy the rest:
Front Rotors: Girodisc 15" 32mm
Rear: Stoptech Drilled 13.78"
Pads: I don't remember the brand but its carbon ceramic one.

Its weird because I feel that I have the entire travel of the pedal to play with, with the old one was like "on/off" and the car sometime used the ABS to stop, but now it stop quickly without any effort. Driving in street "normal" I feel that I must to push the pedal a little more, idk, I think that the first 15% of the travel have a very soft bite (mostly when the brakes are cold).

When I drive like I stoled the car is wow, its stop before I get close the corner hahaha, so I must to push the brake (like 60-70%, I don't use the 100% yet) almost in the corner itself.

Im doing a street build, I never been in a track but man, its feel so confident that I want to try

 

[Coz]

If you do try tracking it and like it to the point of doing it on a regular basis, I highly recommend you install brake cooling and dedicated track pads for those days.

There are a few options to cool brakes. The system I use for my '14 is:

Vorshlag S197 3" Oval Brake Duct Backing Plates (Pair) [94-2042-LH]

Vorshlag has been setting up many different cars for track use for a very long time. Along the way we have learned a thing or two about the capabilities of OEM braking systems. For the S197 chassis we always recommend the optional 14" diameter front rotors and 4 piston Brembo calipers, but even...

vorshlag-store.com

Vorshlag 3" Brake Inlet Cooling Kit for 2013-14 Mustang GT/Boss302

Introduction Vorshlag is well known in the S197 Mustang world, due to our development background and racing exploits. We've pushed the limits of what was thought possible on many aspects of this chassis - such as wheel fitments, damper design, camber plate engineering - and helped introduce new...

vorshlag-store.com

Some people report good results with:

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

Probably need the inlet ducts too.

For Pads, on the front I would recommend the G-Loc R12 or if you're real aggressive the R16.

Drilled rotors are not ideal since they can form cracks between the holes. Slotted or plain are better but you probably won't have a high risk of the cracks occuring on the rears. An R10 or R12 pad on the back would work.

For a budget option the Powerstop Track Day pads are good for the rear pads too.

CarboTech and G-Loc are essentially the same. The XP20 is the equivalent of the R16.

 

[steveespo]

Deflectors actually work well, especially with proper and larger splitter tunnels. Using ducts that aim at the deflectors is an idea I have been toying with as well. I am not a big Vorshlag person, but those pates work and are well done.

 

[steveespo]

PS I have a set of those calipers available. Not new but in fine shape for a track car and can be had cheap. DM me if anyone is interested

 

[EF1]

PS I have a set of those calipers available. Not new but in fine shape for a track car and can be had cheap. DM me if anyone is interested

I thought I got your last set of spare calipers?

 

[Mike_FL]

Deflectors actually work well, especially with proper and larger splitter tunnels. Using ducts that aim at the deflectors is an idea I have been toying with as well. I am not a big Vorshlag person, but those pates work and are well done.

Do you run the Vorshlag deflectors with the cortex coilovers with the offset struts? Any issues? Thanks