Hello everyone. Can anyone tell me if there are ANY brake upgrade options for a 2007 GT vert premium with 18" Bullitt wheels?
I'm looking for something that has better performance and better looks than my stockers. Car has 18k babied miles, and I will be adding a supercharger soon.
It seems that every brake kit option on AM calls for different wheels. I actually like these wheels and also don't want to spend the money on new ones.
Can anyone make a recommendation?
Thanks,
Chris
IIRC, the later non-Brembo rotors are 13.2" vs the 12.4" you have now. The majority of any braking improvement - in terms of pedal effort required at the very least - would be coming from pads with better 'bite'. The 6% diameter increase is worth more for fade resistance than for any increase in braking capability at any given pedal force.
Either Ford's own HD fluid or ATE 200 fluid are appropriate choices for street-only driving, though the ATE 200 is also sufficient for occasional novice/introductory-level track time. Spending more on fluid brings on a responsibility for bleeding it on a more regular basis (it absorbs moisture more readily).
I have 16 track days on my car's little 12.4-inchers, and with track capable pads, slightly better fluid than the above-mentioned two, and a little extra front brake cooling they've been entirely sufficient for my driving at the intermediate level. Your street driving won't even be close to what track driving demands, so you don't actually
need 14"-ers.
Pads: don't bother with Hawk's HPS (they don't feel a bit better than OE) or HP+ (these will eat rotors in street driving). I have no experience with the new HPS 5.0 pads. What I'd seriously consider would be one of the lower formulations of G-loc or Carbotech pads. High initial bite, gentle on rotors. Fair warnings, the R6/AX6 pads may dust a little or make occasional noise, and if you aren't road course tracking the car or you can't live with more than just a little of those consequences don't bother looking at the R8/XP8 and up.
Be a little careful about doing any rotor and caliper "appearance" mods. Generally, they detract from potential braking performance or durability.
Norm