The GT350 Brakes

[VoodooBoss]

TOB, a BMO member started a great thread on SVT about the brakes on the GT350 and with his permission I'm posting part of it here. The brake rotors on the GT350 are made my a German company called SHW and as you'll see they have quite an impressive pedigree. Knowing that Ford did test CCB's you have to wonder why they weren't offered on the cars. While I still think they could offered as an option, they come stock on the new FGT, I don't think we're going to miss much by not having them. For those planning on tracking their cars I think the steel rotors, at least from a budget perspective, are a better choice. Or maybe the difference didn't justify the cost and we all save some money. I run into guys at my local tracks with Ferrari's, McLaren's and Porsche's and many wish they didn't have CCB's. Anyway here's some info.

http://www.svtperformance.com/forums/showthread.php?1046407-GT350-SHW-Composite-Brake-Discs

 

[fuhrius]

love the translated German-speak.
I think you're right on about your cost / benefit assertions.

 

[Tob]

Rick, it wasn't easy unearthing any data on the rotors. Nobody from Ford would talk. I got one lead and ran with it. As funny as it sounds, the bulk came from SHW's financials. I spent hours reading through the past few years worth. SHW is a relatively small company (the brake division anyway) with only a few hundred employees. I then went through financials for Brembo for the past few years as well. Brembo is obviously a much bigger company and as such you'd think they have the resources and economies of scale to offer a better engineered rotor at a lower price point. Apparently that is not the case.

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

Rick, it wasn't easy unearthing any data on the rotors. Nobody from Ford would talk. I got one lead and ran with it. As funny as it sounds, the bulk came from SHW's financials. I spent hours reading through the past few years worth. SHW is a relatively small company (the brake division anyway) with only a few hundred employees. I then went through financials for Brembo for the past few years as well. Brembo is obviously a much bigger company and as such you'd think they have the resources and economies of scale to offer a better engineered rotor at a lower price point. Apparently that is not the case.

SHW may hold a patent on this particular process.

 

[coboss]

This may be counter-intuitive, but for a car I drove 99% on the street, the carbon rotors would be great - they would last forever. But for a car I tracked a lot, I would prefer steel, so that I wouldn't be looking at a $$$$ brake job and $$$ pads.

There is also a huge question in my mind about how carbon anything holds up to the mag chloride they dump on the streets here by the millions of gallons. Not that you would be using a GT350R as an everyday driver, but they apply the stuff *before* it snows, and it stays on the roads for days after a storm. They also spray it on dirt roads around here to keep dust down. This is another case of Dow Chemical selling a bill of goods. They swore mag chloride would not corrode cars and was environmentally friendly. Ask any mechanic in Colorado what the stuff does to aluminum AND steel, and take a look at the swaths of dead trees along the mountain highways on the downhill sides of curves where the stuff drains off. My mechanic has to cut off 90% of bolts on the undercarriage of the cars he works on now. They don't look rusty as you would expect from salt corrosion, they look white, but they are pretty much permanently frozen. They can't even be heated off.

It also eats brake pads. What a cluster.

 

[steveespo]

I have seen these brakes up close on an Audi RS4, very impressive looking, also very expensive looking. We will see, I do know that the Brembo setups we have (both 4 and 6 piston) are very effective and economical. Hope economy of scale comes into play with a Ford OEM deal.
Steve

 

[Brandon302]

I may be wrong, in fact I usually am, but i was under the impression that CCB's for the street is no good because they don't get up to operating temp and therefore get eaten away quicker than a steel rotor.

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

The brake setups these cars have look absolutely massive, btw. They are gonna be insane!

 

[ls110]

The brake setups these cars have look absolutely massive, btw. They are gonna be insane!

There has been a fair amount of posts suggesting replacing them due to cost. Are you thinking you would track these?

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

There has been a fair amount of posts suggesting replacing them due to cost. Are you thinking you would track these?

Not planning on purchasing a 350 or trying to retrofit these to my Boss. But those who take the plunge shouldn't be disappointed.
Ford has done some serious abuse testing on these and they should be extremely capable right out of the box.

 

[VoodooBoss]

There has been a fair amount of posts suggesting replacing them due to cost. Are you thinking you would track these?

I doubt they will be as expensive as the ones you're using now. I'm sure there will be other options available like Stoptech and DBA in short order. Maybe check an Audi forum for the R8 and see what they're using.

 

[VoodooBoss]

Yesterday I made a trip to Sonoma Raceway in part to drop off my Boss at CorteX. HOD had a track day scheduled so I cruised through the paddock to see if there was anyone I know. Sonoma is a favorite for the silicon valley guys with big budgets. I ran into a guy that I've met many times and he is usually tracking his Porsche 911 Turbo S. He told me early last year that he ordered a 991 GT3 but of course it was delayed due to the engine fires. He still hasn't received his yet but he should get it in the next two weeks. He was there with his Audi R8 and Nissan GT-R. There were also two new 991 GT3's parked close by and both had steel rotors. I asked him if he ordered his GT3 with PCCB's and he didn't. Said they were way too expensive for the minimal gain in performance. The moral of this story is I think we're lucky the GT350 and GT350R weren't offered with CCB's. While cool and they look great at C&C they really aren't that practical for track use unless you have a mid to high 8 digit slush fund.

BTW I know the GT350 order guide states CCB's as an option on the R but they will not be offered. Ford did extensive testing with the CCB's and came to the same conclusion.

 

[cloud9]

Yesterday I made a trip to Sonoma Raceway in part to drop off my Boss at CorteX. HOD had a track day scheduled so I cruised through the paddock to see if there was anyone I know. Sonoma is a favorite for the silicon valley guys with big budgets. I ran into a guy that I've met many times and he is usually tracking his Porsche 911 Turbo S. He told me early last year that he ordered a 991 GT3 but of course it was delayed due to the engine fires. He still hasn't received his yet but he should get it in the next two weeks. He was there with his Audi R8 and Nissan GT-R. There were also two new 991 GT3's parked close by and both had steel rotors. I asked him if he ordered his GT3 with PCCB's and he didn't. Said they were way too expensive for the minimal gain in performance. The moral of this story is I think we're lucky the GT350 and GT350R weren't offered with CCB's. While cool and they look great at C&C they really aren't that practical for track use unless you have a mid to high 8 digit slush fund.

BTW I know the GT350 order guide states CCB's as an option on the R but they will not be offered. Ford did extensive testing with the CCB's and came to the same conclusion.

Phew!