S550 4 Pistons on S197 Car

[Chiron]

Cool, thanks very much for the update. So it's just S550 calipers, pads, and '13/'14 GT500 lines, right? I wonder what kind of pricing Tousley would do for this stuff. Wheel figment is my main concern, I'd really rather not run a spacer just for some brakes.

 

[fast Ed]

Yes, and there is a hardware kit with the pad retaining pins and clips that would have to be ordered separtely as well.


cheers
Ed

 

[v6tungsten]

Same thing i found, they do fit but you would need caliper spacers and are limited too wheel selection. my 20's wouldnt fit but my 18's would.
and the 20's are already 24 offset so dont want to post wheels out of the fenders just to fit calipers

So I finally had the chance today to give this a try on my 07, apologies to the people who were awaiting more info. No, it is not a direct bolt-on. But yes, it could be made to work with not much fuss I think. The main issue as has been mentioned, is that the spacing inside to outside is not quite correct when putting these calipers over the S197 rotors. I didn't even try the S550 rotors because of the large difference in hat offset as previously noted.

So when I first tried the caliper on, and tried to slip the pads in, the outside was definitely tighter than the inside, so the caliper needs to move outboard slightly.



Then I tried it again with some generic 9/16" ID washers that I had grabbed out of the bulk hardware bin at work, seemed to put it in almost exactly the right spot.



Note that I did not try this with the backing shims that come with the OEM pads, just slipped the pads themselves roughly in to place.

Other fit issue is that the flex hose banjo block on the 13-14 GT-500 hose will have to be trimmed a bit, and / or the the caliper modded, for the hose to be able to sit flat on the casting.





Side view in place:



Washers that ware tried, sorry I didn't have a measuring caliper nearby to get an exact dimension.



As they sit on the caliper, they happened to fit perfectly in the machined recesses of the mounting bosses.



What they look like without the washers:



I then tried bolting my 18 x 9.5" Steeda wheel back on, they clear the Brembos with this much room:



When I snugged it down, the wheel would not spin. So there was some contact against the caliper casting. Unfortunately I couldn't put my hands on some of the thin wheel spacers that I thought were kicking around the shop, but by my estimation it would need maybe an 1/8" to 3/16" spacer to clear safely with that particular wheel anyway.

Bottom line, if these calipers do stay reasonably priced as they are now, for some people looking at doing a big brake upgrade this is an alternative to the Brembos to save some $$. My suggestion for someone trying do accomplish this, would be to get all the pieces together then take some more precise measurements to get properly sized washers or machined spacers made up. Other than that, just keep an eye out for a deal on a good used set of Brembos ...

cheers
Ed

 

[nawagner]

Resurrecting an old thread to add some more info. I have Roush forged 18" wheels and they clear the pistons by over half an inch.

These things are huge. Purchased a 2015 take off set on ebay for less than $500. I will have to get rotors and better pads so all in will be about $700. Seems like a pretty good deal for 4 piston brakes. May also have to adjust the brake lines a bit. Just need to figure out what color to paint them!

 

[nawagner]

Finding there are limited options for performance pads for these calipers as well. Hoping that changes after a while.

 

[nawagner]

Finally got the new rotors and installed everything today.

Here's what I came up with:
With GT500 14" rotors you need about 1/16" shim to get the caliper centered. I used a 1/2" ID 1 1/4" OD washer that was about the right thickness. On the passenger side the rotor sits about .012" closer to the rotor on the outside than it does on the inside. On the Drivers side the difference is about .01". That's pretty dang close.

The brakes lines ended up being the biggest issue.
Ford for some reason changed the thread pitch on the brake hoses where they connect to metal tubing. Therefore I had to use the existing brake hoses on my car. Had to flip the connector block and grind down slightly to fit the caliper connection as mentioned above. Also had to re-bend the metal part of the hose on the caliper end. The support bracket that bolts to the shock, midway on the hose, does not bolt up anymore due to the hose angle coming off the caliper. If it becomes an issue with rubbing on the sway bar or end link I'll look at bending the metal part more or fab some sort of connector bracket.

 

[thomasthetrain]

Finally got the new rotors and installed everything today.

Here's what I came up with:
With GT500 14" rotors you need about 1/16" shim to get the caliper centered. I used a 1/2" ID 1 1/4" OD washer that was about the right thickness. On the passenger side the rotor sits about .012" closer to the rotor on the outside than it does on the inside. On the Drivers side the difference is about .01". That's pretty dang close.

The brakes lines ended up being the biggest issue.
Ford for some reason changed the thread pitch on the brake hoses where they connect to metal tubing. Therefore I had to use the existing brake hoses on my car. Had to flip the connector block and grind down slightly to fit the caliper connection as mentioned above. Also had to re-bend the metal part of the hose on the caliper end. The support bracket that bolts to the shock, midway on the hose, does not bolt up anymore due to the hose angle coming off the caliper. If it becomes an issue with rubbing on the sway bar or end link I'll look at bending the metal part more or fab some sort of connector bracket.

Same issue I am having. Cant find the right hoses. Thought about getting some made possibly? Roughly 20 inch long is whats needed.

 

[thomasthetrain]

I did however test fit everything and it went smooth. Used gt500 rotors and spaced the caliper from the spindle with washers. Also disassembled and painted my calipers. Pretty easy process.

 

[Eric L]

I guess I got the wrong rotors cause they were too tall and the caliper wouldn't sit down over the rotor. I double checked the rotors and they are GT500's. Are there different rotors for a 14' GT500?

 

[nawagner]

I guess I got the wrong rotors cause they were too tall and the caliper wouldn't sit down over the rotor. I double checked the rotors and they are GT500's. Are there different rotors for a 14' GT500?

Yes, the 2013-14 GT500 has 15" front brakes. You need 2007-2012 GT500 rotors.

 

[Eric L]

Thanks, I went and picked up a set and threw them on and everything lines up. Just gotta get the brake lines now. Just got my ole lady a 2015gt so she would quit asking to drive mine, and I was impressed with the brakes. I've taken it to the track a few times and never had an issue. And with the number of cars out there now with these brakes it shouldn't be long before they come out with some decent pad options.

 

[tallygt]

Has anyone tried the 6 pistons yet? For $250 + $50 core charge is a steal.. so s197 brembo rotors will work with the 6 pots? and 13-14 gt500 stainless lines okay?

 

[chair]

Finally got the new rotors and installed everything today.

Here's what I came up with:
With GT500 14" rotors you need about 1/16" shim to get the caliper centered. I used a 1/2" ID 1 1/4" OD washer that was about the right thickness. On the passenger side the rotor sits about .012" closer to the rotor on the outside than it does on the inside. On the Drivers side the difference is about .01". That's pretty dang close.

The brakes lines ended up being the biggest issue.
Ford for some reason changed the thread pitch on the brake hoses where they connect to metal tubing. Therefore I had to use the existing brake hoses on my car. Had to flip the connector block and grind down slightly to fit the caliper connection as mentioned above. Also had to re-bend the metal part of the hose on the caliper end. The support bracket that bolts to the shock, midway on the hose, does not bolt up anymore due to the hose angle coming off the caliper. If it becomes an issue with rubbing on the sway bar or end link I'll look at bending the metal part more or fab some sort of connector bracket.[/

QUOTE]

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Just curious, you reused the 05-09 brake lines on your car and didn't use the 13-14 gt500? I was about to order parts just didn't want to get anything incorrect hah.

 

[nawagner]

I did use the stock lines that were on my car, but not without some modification as I mentioned. Perhaps the 13-14 GT500 lines would work better but I was too impatient to order and wait for them.

 

[J_Train]

Anyone happen to know the piston size? also btw these caliper only cost the dealer about $78, also sorry for the thread revival..... i did search yes but i kept finding the 6 pot brembos.

 

[Wes06]

this may be my spring/summer mod, never got around to upgrading brakes with all the other stuff ive done, probably better sooner rather than later

 

[RED09GT]

Who has a setup like this up and running?
Any problems?
Mileage that you've driven with this setup?

 

[46addict]

Bumping. What are you guys running for rears? I imagine running 15" rotors with stock size rears looks silly.

 

[fast Ed]

The S550 4-piston setup being discussed here uses 14" rotors, not 15". So the size balance would be the same as S197 14", those cars had the same rear rotors as base V6 / GT.


cheers
Ed

 

[ghunt81]

I have these sitting in my garage, gonna work on them sometime hopefully in the coming month or so.