Front Brake Pads, What do you recommend? Options

[6-Speed]

A couple of details from the shop manual:

- Position the notch in the caliper piston up and down to align with the alignment pin on the brake pad.

- There is a sequence for torquing down the caliper guide pin bolts after they are snug:

• RH caliper - tighten top bolt and then the bottom bolt
• LH caliper - tighten bottom bolt and then the top bolt

This post has been edited by 6-Speed: Nov 15 2009, 04:29 PM

[tispco]

The rear caliper piston needs to be turned in a clockwise direction to reset. The shop manual identifies an adapter, rear brake caliper piston adapter - 206-026 (T87P-2588-A) or equivalent tool. I have a brake caliper tool set that I purchased from Habor Freight Tools for $20; it comes with a number of various adapter plates. I'm hoping it comes with the correct adapter plate for the rear piston.

The Harbor Freight kit comes with the correct adapter plate and works great. It makes the job MUCH easier. Also, I was able to change the rear pads without removing the e-brake cable.

[6-Speed]

The Harbor Freight kit comes with the correct adapter plate and works great. It makes the job MUCH easier. Also, I was able to change the rear pads without removing the e-brake cable.

Thanks for confirming - I have used the HF caliper tool for brake jobs on my other vehicles, but not on the Mustang yet and I agree it works great and you can't beat the price.

(IMG:http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh154/Six_Speed/HF_Caliper_Tool.jpg)

This post has been edited by 6-Speed: Nov 15 2009, 04:40 PM

[enormous]

Thanks everybody for the rear pad tech tips. Off to Harbour Freight I go.

[enormous]

I ran into my SVT tech today while at the dealer. The guy lent me is Ford tool needed for the rear pad install. How cool is that!

[jcthorne]

This thread got my curiosity up. So I figured its only $54 to find out. I went down to the local AZ and got a set of the Cmax pads. Replaced the Mintex pads in less than a half hour. Bedded them in. I will admit while bedding them in I thought I had lost a good bit of braking performance and was going back to the Mintex pads. Now been driving the Cmax pads for several days and last night got the time to really push them. 100 to 0 four times in a row. Rotors were HOT. DAMN HOT like after a really good track session hot but the brakes never faded and the 4th stop was as smooth and quick as the first. If there is any difference in real world performace between these Cmax pads and the expensive Mintex ones, its so far outside my driving abiltiy as to be a waste of money. And this moning I looked at the front wheels (chrome by the way) still clean at about 400 miles since the pads went on. With the mintex pads they would have been completely black. The Cmax pads are quiet in traffic as well. In fairness, there may be a SLIGHT increase in pedal effort for the brakes but it is slight and modulation/control is excellent. Rotor wear is yet to be seen but pad wear is AZs problem as they are going to be providing pads for the life of this car. I just need to sell a few more sets for them. :-)

I'll hold on to the Mintex pads for open track days but unless I find something I have not seen yet, will be doubtful if I would change them out. I don't really know the composition of the AZ ceramic Cmax pads, but they work very well and dust FAR less than anything I have seen on these cars. Perhaps someone has finally found a ceramic compound that works? I was also impressed with the quality of construction and packaging of these pads.

[rlhay2]

I'll hold on to the Mintex pads for open track days but unless I find something I have not seen yet, will be doubtful if I would change them out. I don't really know the composition of the AZ ceramic Cmax pads, but they work very well and dust FAR less than anything I have seen on these cars.

This has been my experience too!

CMAX for street driving, and in my case Hawk HPS pad for the track.

I did do one date with the CMax pads, would not recommend do that again....

[jcthorne]

This has been my experience too!

CMAX for street driving, and in my case Hawk HPS pad for the track.

I did do one date with the CMax pads, would not recommend do that again....

Please describe your experience with the Cmax pads during a track session. Did they eventually fade at high temp? or did they actually fail? Would like to know what to look out for. I envision these pads have substantial limits but for street use may be just fine. Would like to know how far I can expect to push them.

[03 DSG Snake]

Has anyone tried the Hawk Ceramics?

[6-Speed]

This thread got my curiosity up. So I figured its only $54 to find out. I went down to the local AZ and got a set of the Cmax pads. Replaced the Mintex pads in less than a half hour.

Did you only install the Cmax pads on the front brakes?

[rlhay2]

Please describe your experience with the Cmax pads during a track session. Did they eventually fade at high temp?

They did not fail but they got HOT!

And the brakes do fade when the system gets hot.

And that mushy pedal does not invite confidence.

[cubican]

Has anyone tried the Hawk Ceramics?

I have, and the C-max are much better. One of the hawks pads develop a crack, and half of the pad fell out, Thats when a good friend told me about the C-max, and I had the same reservations like many on here, but the C-max made a believer out of me .Best advice I ever got.

[jcthorne]

Did you only install the Cmax pads on the front brakes?

Yes, I only installed the fronts as a trial. Will likely replace the rears when next due. I don't have near the trouble with dust in the rears as I did up front. It is odd that there is now more dust out back than in the front....

[jcthorne]

They did not fail but they got HOT!

And the brakes do fade when the system gets hot.

And that mushy pedal does not invite confidence.

So your brake fluid boiled before the pads failed? An over heated pad will feel like a hard pedal, more pressue just does not apply sufficient braking force. Soft pedal is fluid boiling. This indicates the pads held up until your brake system overheated. The pads do have a bit of effect on how much heat is transferred to the caliper vs the rotor but I have yet to see even a race pad that was particularly good at insulating the caliper. Constuction of the Cmax pads actually seemed better thermally than the Mintex as the Cmax have a multilayer polymer pad on the back of the pad plate that the Mintex do not.

Just trying to understand where the limits are as there are more than pads in the mix.

[LuckySnake]

Yes, I only installed the fronts as a trial. Will likely replace the rears when next due. I don't have near the trouble with dust in the rears as I did up front. It is odd that there is now more dust out back than in the front....

The Cmax rear pads have the "noise prevention" pad too. They are a nice improvement.

[enormous]

So far I am very pleased with the C-max pads front and rear. Great stopping and low dust on the street, all at a reasonable price. I wish I had done this sooner.

[BEEKAY GT500]

This thread got my curiosity up. So I figured its only $54 to find out.

Rotors were HOT. DAMN HOT

i had to try these with all the hype. i 've had them on for about a month now. under normal dirving conditions the rotors were any where from 5*-20* hotter with the cmax pads. i havent checked any temps under hard braking yet.

[6-Speed]

i had to try these with all the hype. i 've had them on for about a month now. under normal dirving conditions the rotors were any where from 5*-20* hotter with the cmax pads. i havent checked any temps under hard braking yet.

Did most of you re-use the factory shims when installing the Cmax brake pads? I know Luckysnake did, but what about everyone else? Did you apply any caliper grease on the back of the pads?

[jcthorne]

Did most of you re-use the factory shims when installing the Cmax brake pads? I know Luckysnake did, but what about everyone else? Did you apply any caliper grease on the back of the pads?

The Cmax pads come with new anti-rattle spring clips and have anti squeel pads pre installed on the back of each pad. As the Brembo caliper has no moving slides, there is no caliper grease required.

[LuckySnake]

The Cmax pads come with new anti-rattle spring clips and have anti squeel pads pre installed on the back of each pad. As the Brembo caliper has no moving slides, there is no caliper grease required.

The Brembo pads have the anti squeel pads too, as you know. The shim is designed to to prevent early wear of the anti-squeel pad surface, I used the caliper grease between the anti-squeel pad and the stainless shim to also increase anti-squeel pad life. Not using the stainless shim isn't going to make any difference in performance, so either way you are good.
The rear pads could really benefit from the shim because of the "screwing" action of the caliper pistons. This action will wear the pads anti squeel pad.
Bottom line is it doesn't matter if the shim is used or not, other than a little extra wear protection of the ant-squeel pad, but the stock front pads use the shim and the Cmax are the same design, to me it makes sense to use them.