I haven't touched my brakes for a few years, so I think that they could use some refreshing. I was hoping that the GRM hivemind could double check my logic. The rotors have noticeable grooves, and the pads are starting to squeal a little bit. I also see that the rubber brake lines are showing signs of aging (cracking/looking brittle).
Is changing out brake lines for stainless worth the expense and effort? These are the ones I am looking at. I just want the installation to go smoothly; should I expect any trouble removing the old crimped on rubber lines?
I was planning to purchase OEM rotors. A set of four will run me about $200 from CFM. I see some cheaper on Rockauto, but CFM is in town, and I would prefer to have everything sooner than later.
OEM Ford brake pads are among the most expensive that CFM offers. Other options are Hawk HPS, HP Plus, and EBC Red. Should I expect lower dust/noise or greater longevity from the OEM pads?
I am also guessing that I need some brake bleeders. I haven't seen any already installed on the calipers. Should I plan for anything else on my shopping list aside from brake fluid?
wbjones
UltimaDork
6/11/14 6:48 p.m.
IMO stainless is a poor choice … the lines are made of rubber just like what you have … except that you can see when the OEM are getting old .. you get zero warning when a stainless braided line has reached the end of it's useful life …. just my 2¢ take … others will disagree
(I've seen race cars loose their brakes for just this reason) …. for me on my TT car, the rubber lines are bi-annual maintenance items
HPS should be fine .. more dusting than OEM
In reply to wbjones:
It might depend on the brand. What you really want is Teflon lined SS braided lines.
Good braided stainless lines will offer a firmer pedal and better feel.
~If you're going to use anything like all your brakes~
I generally don't advise unless you're autocrossing pretty seriously of doing track days w/ R comp tires, aggressive pads and good fluid.
I'm more a fan of Performance Friction or Carbotech for pads, but I've had quite a few students w/ Hawk HPS w/ street tires and no one has developed fade. I used HT10s for a while in an M3 - e36 and they were fine. I like the initial bite of performance Friction PFC01s for "Instructor session racing" on Hoosiers.
Regarding rotors - So long as it's not bottom-of-the-barrel Chinese junk, iron is iron. I generally buy Balo or Brembo smooth blanks and they last a long time. Cheap, too.
I don't intend to track or even autocross anytime soon. This is my daily beater.
I'll skip the stainless lines if the difference isn't that noticeable on the street; I'm always happy to save money.
wbjones
UltimaDork
6/12/14 6:14 a.m.
CGLockRacer wrote:
In reply to wbjones:
It might depend on the brand. What you really want is Teflon lined SS braided lines.
the worst failure I ever saw (racecar content) was some Teflon lined SS braided lines … shrug …
I've found no difference in feel between NEW rubber lines and SS braided lines … I just replace every other yr
and like motomoron said .. the Hawk should be fine for what you want (like him I use Carbotech as often as any other brand on the track car)
No bleeders ? Look again.
If you're getting new bleeder screws, get speed bleeders, they cost the same. Only downside is that you may not be able to gravity-bleed with them.
For a street-only car, definitely skip the SS lines. Mounting them can be a PITA because of how stiff they are (ask me how I know), and as others have said they're more maintenance-intensive. The difference isn't noticeable in typical everyday street braking either.
I'm a dummy; I overlooked the obvious brake bleeder valves every time I have poked around the calipers. That's how little I've worked on my car's brakes.
I used super DOT4 when bleeding the clutch MC per the FSM; both SDOT4 and DOT3 were listed for the clutch master cylinder. The brakes call for Dot3. There shouldn't be any incompatibility between the two, right?
wbjones
UltimaDork
6/12/14 4:36 p.m.
DOT3 & DOT4 are normally compatible (DOT5 no way)
