To pad or not to pad?

[Kaj]

Unable to replace my front rotors before my track day this weekend. Do I use the factory brake pads and leave everything as is, or do I sand off the transfer layer and throw my new pads on?
Factory brake pads have plenty of meat on them, just not sure they are up to the task.
New pads are hawk DTC 60, but obviously not optimal to toss them onto a rotor without a new, flat surface.
This will be for buttonwillow clockwise 13 configuration in an '18 350R
Thanks, in advance!!!

 

[Bill Pemberton]

Are your rotors cracked, warped or just old?

 

[Kaj]

Rotors are fine, they just have a bit of a lip on the outside edge. They still measure within spec. Turns out nobody in my area wants to turn them because they are cross drilled. It took all day to find a place to do a 15.5" rotor.
I found ONE place that can and are willing to turn them. We'll see how it turns out. Ford shows no rotors available, so this is my only route unless going aftermarket.
I bought this car because I wanted the convenience of tracking a stock car. No aftermarket stuff.. no mods, etc.
Instead, it takes me two days to find a place that can dismount/mount the tires. It's taken me all day to find someone to resurface my brake rotors... turns out I need to replace with new every time.
This is ridiculous.
Anyone want to buy a 350R?

 

[TMSBOSS]

Don't sell so fast. Check out South Florida Ford Parts, a vender here. Unless I am reading their site wrong, they have rotors for $200.00 each. Also consider a quality set of aluminum wheels for track use. $4500.00 a wheel is spendy if you end up off course.

Front Brakes for 2019 Ford Mustang | South Florida Ford Parts

www.southfloridafordparts.com

When I change pads all I do is sand down the rotors to remove build up from the previous pads. A $45.00 DA sander is all you need. Spin the rotor while sanding, On The Car.

 

[Bill Pemberton]

Check with Girodisc and see if they have a set of rotors for you. They are in the Pacific Northwest , so shipping should be fairly quick. Keep in mind that often products that are said to be factory are made by outside suppliers. Good example would be if you had a Viper and you needed a new set of MoPar rotors, once you got them in their boxes you would notice they were Stoptech rotors just with a different colored hat. Borla made exhaust systems for various companies and just took their name off of them. Just some thoughts, but you will find many TrackRats replaced their Ford rotors with slotted ones when needed anyway, because many of us felt the drilled rotor was one faux paux on a tremendously cool car!

PS - TMS, I don't think those are GT350R rotors at South Florida, but would not be surprised if they have them.

 

[RES_22]

Stop Tech website used to have a white paper about how to remove transfer layers quick/easy wo elbow grease.....it works.

Beats the cr@p outta hand sanding, etc. Should work if you're cleaning a street pad layer with DTC-60s.

 

[Kaj]

Weeeeell, if I didn't use the CF wheels, then I guess no point in opting for the R. Gotta take full advantage of why I bought it. Knocking on wood because I know my luck, I've never damaged a wheel in 16yrs of HPDE. Having posted that ... LOL but not really.
Ford says these wheels are far more resilient to curbs and potholes than any metal, so I'm good with that.
As for sanding the rotors, I do. These had a small lip I didn't want the new pads hitting.

 

[Bill Pemberton]

At close to 4K a piece, most guys have gone with a set of Apex wheels because they are not that much more and they no longer have to worry about the CF wheels . Just a thought because one damaged CF wheel is more than 4 Apex wheels and tires.

 

[Kaj]

Per an online dealer, the brake rotor SKU is
FMC-FR3Z-1125-F

So, that may be the right one. Not bad and only 1.5lb each heavier than Girodisc

 

[Kaj]

And again, I didn't buy this car to downgrade parts and make it basically a non-r. Not swapping wheels, but I appreciate everyone's concern.

 

[KazarS197]

Per an online dealer, the brake rotor SKU is
FMC-FR3Z-1125-F

So, that may be the right one. Not bad and only 1.5lb each heavier than Girodisc

Here's the whole setup which breaks down all of the parts:

2015-2023 MUSTANG PERFORMANCE GT350R BRAKE KIT

2015-2023 MUSTANG PERFORMANCE GT350R BRAKE KIT|Ford Performance Parts

www.fordracingparts.com

Front rotors
Ford Service Part – Right: FR3Z-1125-E
Ford Service Part – Left: FR3Z-1125-F
Hope this helps in your search.

 

[Kaj]

Here's the whole setup which breaks down all of the parts:

2015-2023 MUSTANG PERFORMANCE GT350R BRAKE KIT

2015-2023 MUSTANG PERFORMANCE GT350R BRAKE KIT|Ford Performance Parts

www.fordracingparts.com

Front rotors
Ford Service Part – Right: FR3Z-1125-E
Ford Service Part – Left: FR3Z-1125-F
Hope this helps in your search.

That's what I found. Great price, Ford!
Now ... To find some in stock.

 

[mikeD4V]

Using interchangeable pads from the same manufacturer may be a solution so you don't have to change rotors or bed the pads in each time. Caliper studs will help expedite front pad changes on the GT350/R and eliminate the OE TTY bolts.

Stock pads are Ferodo DS2500 and Ferodo offers track pads in the DS1.11 and DSUno. You can interchange them for desired application without changing the rotors or re-bedding pads. Pads may be easier to find/ship than rotors at the moment. I have successfully interchanged the DS2500, DS1.11, and DSUno pads without changing rotors. https://www.essexparts.com/brake-pads/ferodo-brake-pads

GLoc, Carbotech, Raybestos, etc also make pads that can be interchanged without re-bedding.

 

[TMSBOSS]

Regarding your question on the original pads. I ran the originals on my R for a few events. Stock wheels, tires, pads and fluids. No Issues. They perform well. So, the simple solution may be to bleed and or change fluids and send it. I was comfortable doing this. I did however pickup a screw in the right front. Tire went flat at the track and destroyed the sidewall. My backup was a set of apex wheels with Pirelli takeoffs.
It took a few calls to find a shop willing to risk damaging a CF wheel. It was a local Discount Tire shop. After loosing the pricey tire to a $.10 piece of hardware I switch from "Run it Stock, that's why I bought an "R"" to running an Apex wheel. A $1500.00 set with sensors and like new Cup 2's also helped with that decision. Basically, I bought the tires and got the wheels and sensors mounted and balanced thrown in.
I did replace the front rotors with stock when the front pads wore out. Didn't need to but having a spare set can save a weekend. Girodisc rotors are great kit. They really made a difference on my Boss. I don't see the need on a new 350.
On the 350, Ford has their stuff together. With the exception of the wheels (where I lost my nerve), tires and pads which wore out, she is stock. Like god intended it to be.

 

[Kaj]

Where I ended up:
I found ONE shop to resurface the OEM rotors. They have plenty of life left. Most places either couldn't fit a 15.5" rotor on the lathe or didn't want to do them because of the cross-drilling. Apparently it can break the cutting tip.
Rotors done.
I still plan to order a new set, as soon as I can find some avail. Agreed that having a back up is great.
I couldn't use caliper studs due to time constraints, but was able to get two sets of OEM bolts. I will order studs before changing pads again. I did my best to clean out as much threadloc on one side, but forgot the other. On the "dirty" side, the bolts definitely needed a bit more finesse going in. I'm hoping they come out okay so I can stud. With my luck: I'll need a new knuckle LOL. The cleaned side (alcohol and nylon brush/drill bit thingy) when in much easier. Doh.
Wheels are on the car finally. Due to lack of sizing options, I'm trying 305 square GYSC3Rs. There's a bit more stretch in the rear than I'd like, so we'll have to see what I want to do next time. I'm not a Sport Cup2 fan.
Camber plates and bolts (after much research and testing) are in.
Jesus what a mess.
It took two days to find someone willing to swap the tires. It took a whole day to find someone to do the rotors. New rotors are unavail. My choice of brake pad is unavail so had to settle for DTC60s. My drill broke and there are NO 1/2" electric drills within 100mi of my city, so had settle on a hammer/drill (good enough) after a day of searching. Luuuuuckily I had all the right tools (I usually work on smaller/imports).... What shoulda been a one-day-long day in the garage turned into three LOL.

TLDR: I bought a car to leave stock so I could just enjoy driving it. Turns out harder to get parts than my race car.

My thoughts: What a horrible way to swap front brake pads. I realize why the back side is bridged, but damn it. I've never had so much trouble removing bolts from a knuckle/strut. Not the end of the world, but dang. To hell with CF wheels. Why couldn't ford make the strut tower opening bigger from the factory.

Thanks for all the pointers, guys!