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I plan of replacing my front rotors and pads in the spring, but looking for ones that will give more performance than the cheap ones that the dealer put on when I purchased the car. I considered upgrading to svts but I'm running 15's in the winter so I can't do that. Any suggestions and advice? Thanks.
2003 ZX5
"I feel like a silver bullet"
SVT wheels
SVT suspension
AEM intake
With a hint of dip
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05+ front brakes are bigger and fit unfer 15" wheels. Same procedure to swap as the svt's
2007 ZX4 2.0l unaturally aspirated
FSwerks stage 2 Turbo kit, Cosworth Intake Manifold, 3" custom HKS turbo back
regular stage 2 @10ps : 232whp/219wtq
stage 2 plus @ 13psi: 278whp/229wtq
Stage 2 plus @15psi: 296whp/240wtq
2013 Focus ST Tuxedo Black - The daily
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(02-20-2013, 10:16 AM)GFXjamie Wrote: 05+ front brakes are bigger and fit unfer 15" wheels. Same procedure to swap as the svt's
Just reading between the lines of the first post, upgrading to larger rotors, whether SVT or 05+, you will also have to replace the spindle and the caliper and caliper bracket - it's more than just rotors.
Spend your money on the pads. True story: my race instructor at the BMW club I belong to has a monster M6 twin turbo race car and he buys only the cheapest rotors he can find - over time he figured out it was the pads and only the pads that made a difference in the performance of his brakes.
So 18 months ago I replaced my SVT brakes with inexpensive "white box" rotors and EBC pads - in terms of stopping power there was no difference between that and my previous setups which were EBC pads with Brembo blanks and then EBC pads with EBC blanks.
A few people purchased the same white box rotors in the last Brake Group Buy so perhaps someone else will chime in with their experience.
To be fair, my rotors look pretty gnarly (I should have painted the hats), but I spent the time and effort to "bed in" the EBC pads and they continue to feel and stop great.
2008 Fusion SEL MTX - DD1 * 2009 Fusion SEL - DD2 * 2007 Focus ZXW - R*I*P * 2004 Focus ZTW CD Silver - sold * 2004 Focus ZTW Black - sold * 2003 Focus ZTW Black - sold * 2001 Focus ZTW Gold - sold * 2000 Focus SE Wagon (ZTW option) - Black - sold * 2000 Focus SE Wagon (ZTW option) - Gold R*I*P
2003 Focus ZX5 infra-red Track Rat - R*I*P
2003 ZX5 CD Silver Track Rat - retired, but still in the driveway
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I have the hawk hp plus and brembo slotted rotors.Its an amazing combo ,but lots of brake dust and a little squealing( think cold ceramic brakes). Also because they are very high friction you have to change them more.
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+2 for Ken's comments, both on my Focus and the GF's Echo. White Box rotors with decent pads but like Ken said, paint your hats, the white box rotors are not coated and will rust terribly in the first couple months.
-George
07' ZX4 SES - Steeda SRI - Xcal3 w/Steeda 91 tune - Hi-flow cat - Magnaflow 2.5 cat back - Massive Strut Bar
123whp - 137wtq (Out of date)
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(02-22-2013, 01:50 PM)Lucster1000 Wrote: (02-22-2013, 10:14 AM)Scourge Wrote: +2 for Ken's comments, both on my Focus and the GF's Echo. White Box rotors with decent pads but like Ken said, paint your hats, the white box rotors are not coated and will rust terribly in the first couple months.
-George
What do you mean by paint your hats?
The raised part of the rotor with the bolt holes is called "the hat" - if you don't put a coat of heat-resistant paint on them they will grow some surface rust. It is merely a matter of how they look, it does not affect their performance.
Some much more expensive rotors come with an anodized finish that prevents this from occurring.
2008 Fusion SEL MTX - DD1 * 2009 Fusion SEL - DD2 * 2007 Focus ZXW - R*I*P * 2004 Focus ZTW CD Silver - sold * 2004 Focus ZTW Black - sold * 2003 Focus ZTW Black - sold * 2001 Focus ZTW Gold - sold * 2000 Focus SE Wagon (ZTW option) - Black - sold * 2000 Focus SE Wagon (ZTW option) - Gold R*I*P
2003 Focus ZX5 infra-red Track Rat - R*I*P
2003 ZX5 CD Silver Track Rat - retired, but still in the driveway
New track rat: 2000 ZX3, Atlantic Blue * JRSC with lots more to come
* New Zetec crate motor - NFG - thanks Topspeed *
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On my 02 ZX5, I did the DBA slotted rotors and EBC Ultimax Pads. Better stopping ability over the previous Raybestos replacements that were in there.
2002 Focus ZX5: SVT Air Box/Snorkel with K&N, SVT Catback, KYBs, DBA slotted rotors/EBC Ultimax
2000 Saturn SL: daily driver
1995 SVT Cobra
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