[Unreal]

Does anyone know what kind of brake PADs will be used in the ST? If they are not ceramic, that may be one of my first "mods". I can't stand the dust produced by non-ceramics, and they make the wheels look dirty so fast. I'd also be interested in your own experiences and recommendations for low dust, high performance brake pads.

 

[Baron164]

I always go ceramic, I hate dust with a passion. If it comes with non-ceramic pad's I'll see how much dust I get but if it's a lot I'll pull them pretty quickly. At the event in Boston I didn't see much brake dust.

 

[golf.sierra.]

For performance street car brake pads, Hawk HPS pads are good. Very little dust and quiet.
The Hawk HP+ is a more aggressive street pad. The initial bite is very strong, but they do dust more and can be a bit noisy.
For best performance though, it's important to replace the brake fluid with some quality high temperature stuff and bleed them frequently. Especially if you use them to the point that they get pretty hot (autocross, etc.)

 

[ATX Eric]

For me, there is no such thing as both high-performance and low dust. There are compromises (golf.sierra mentioned the HPS, which is one), but nothing that'll do both well.

For street, I generally prefer stock pads. They are very good nowadays, and with my Miata, which saw HEAVY track use, the stock pads and fluid (when changed regularly) were just fine and lasted quite awhile.

If you'll be on the track or at the autoX frequently, I suppose the HPS are a decent solution. Performance Friction 97 series are a decent compromise, too. They dust less than the HP+ and stop at least as well as them, but they still dust more than the HPS while stopping much better than them. I DD them for awhile on my car, but went back to stock for longer life and less dust. The extra stopping power wasn't really worth it.

My opinion is that unless you're competing regularly (not just an HPDE, but actual competition), then use stock, or maybe an HPS or equivalent.

 

[Unreal]

As Eric stated, I'm looking for a compromise between low dust, low noise, performance, and price (in that order of priority) If the stock pads are not low dust, my current choices are either Hawk HPS or EBC Redstuff, unless someone knows a better pad for the priorities I mentioned.

 

[ATX Eric]

I personally think those are very good choices if the stock pads don't cut it for you Unreal.

 

[02_svt_guy]

I had EBC Green Stuffs with EBC Slotted and Dimpled rotors on my SVTF and when driving next to concrete barriers you could hear a slight ticking almost from the rotors but the setup was stellar! improved my braking alot and were used track/street. Never noisy, never warped, low on dust.

I would recommend the pads! rotors looked cool but dont thing the slots or dimples did much. Brembo blanks are prob just as good if not better.

 

[SVTRondogg]

I've had great results from the Hawk HPS in both my cars on the street and track. Quiet if installed correct and less dust than the stockers.

 

[ATX Eric]

I had EBC Green Stuffs with EBC Slotted and Dimpled rotors on my SVTF and when driving next to concrete barriers you could hear a slight ticking almost from the rotors but the setup was stellar! improved my braking alot and were used track/street. Never noisy, never warped, low on dust.

I would recommend the pads! rotors looked cool but dont thing the slots or dimples did much. Brembo blanks are prob just as good if not better.

Yeah, that brake rotor discussion is a can of worms, but suffice it to say that heavy track use = no slotted rotors. Slotted rotors + high heat applications = bye, bye, brake rotor.

 

[Rev.Hammer]

For me the big issue is if they will grip well and not have to be hot to do it. Ceramics (at least the ones that had chosen) had to have a few hard stops on the before they bit decently. I really dont car about dusting as I wash my car on a weekly basis and I always wash the wheels anyway..

Stopping hard on the first try is my biggest concern..

 

[ATX Eric]

For me the big issue is if they will grip well and not have to be hot to do it. Ceramics (at least the ones that had chosen) had to have a few hard stops on the before they bit decently. I really dont car about dusting as I wash my car on a weekly basis and I always wash the wheels anyway..

Stopping hard on the first try is my biggest concern..

That's the other problem with good pads. Almost none of the good ones will stop worth a cent when they're cold.

 

[Unreal]

Hey Rev, what pads were those? Hopefully not the HPS or Greens.

 

[Rev.Hammer]

For my Charger, I got the best results from using the SRT8 pads which, basically , were the same formulation as the cop car severe duty pads ( high metal content metallics). Yeah, they dusted like hell but they would bite down VICIOUSLY from the very first stomp.
I tried the HPS and the Greens but they didnt come close. The Hawks were pretty close and didnt dust as much.
Then again, my Charger is a big boned girl at 4200 pounds and the Focus is about 1000 pounds LESS.

 

[Unreal]

The fordparts.com site has been updated with 2013 Focus parts, and I can see as expected that the ST pads (Motorcraft part# BRF-34 front / BRF-25 rear) are different than the regular Focus pads (part# BRF-14/13). However, there is no description about what kind of pad they are (organic, semi-metallic, heavy-metallic, ceramic, etc.). Can't find anyone making equivalent/replacement pads yet, so guess I'll just have to wait a bit longer, and hope the stock pads are low dust.

 

[jthj]

From the ford.com spec page

12.6" front and 10.7" rear antilock disc brakes with high-peformance low-metallic compound brake pads



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[Tokay444]

You guys make my head spin sometimes.
Ceramic is the worst thing to happen to braking performance since abs.
If you want to stop. Don't buy ceramic. I have hawk hps pads on right now and they are horrible. They dust almost as badly.
They squeal under lite braking, and in an emergency stopping situation, the pedal will go to the floor if the pads aren't hot. Then when they're too hot, the pedal is hard and you still don't stop.
Worst money I've spent on pads ever.
Honestly, if the stock pads are anything like the stock ms3 ferodo compound, they will stop amazingly well and stand up to a lot of punishment, but will dust like a mother.
My next set of pad will be the carbotech AX6 pads. They're an autocross specific pad, which means they Dow very well both hot and cold, which translates to being a very good street compound.

 

[ATX Eric]

You guys make my head spin sometimes.
Ceramic is the worst thing to happen to braking performance since abs.

Anyone who disses ABS as a negative is either so old that they don't understand how amazing ABS is, or hasn't spent enough time on track to know that there is no inherent disadvantage to ABS in a performance setting. ABS and seatbelts are two of the most amazing automotive safety inventions EVER.

Sorry to be blunt, but this is antiquated "knowledge".

In regard to ceramics, you may well be correct.

Now to the pads, to each their own. But I do agree with you that in the vast majority of instances, stock pads are more than fine.

From there, there are a host of pad options for almost as many applications. I saw a HUGE variety of pad choices over YEARS of track experience, and anyone who had been doing it awhile had their reasons for using what they did.

I'll reiterate that for ME Performance Friction PF97s were amazing pads. I sacrificed some on the street, but had long-lasting track performance and AMAZING wear for longer than I thought I'd have.

But honestly, unless you'll be tracking the car, there is NO REASON to change the stock pads till they wear out. I have yet to find a stock pad that outdusts performance applications. To anything else, I cannot speak.

 

[Tokay444]

I will agree to disagree about abs.
I can threshold brake. I can trail brake. I can even boil rbf600.
I know enough about tracking cars to have some serious hardware in my trophy case, and I know I don't like abs interfering with my braking.

 

[ATX Eric]

I will agree to disagree about abs.
I can threshold brake. I can trail brake. I can even boil rbf600.
I know enough about tracking cars to have some serious hardware in my trophy case, and I know I don't like abs interfering with my braking.

I can threshold brake, too. And we can both do it with ABS on. It's not a problem in a car that's worth a damn. In a car that shouldn't be on the track, I agree with you.

I can trail brake as well, for what little that's worth in this discussion.

And ANYONE can boil ANY brake fluid. Definitely seen that MANY times. Especially in the summer in Texas.

A GOOD ABS system will be just fine, if not better on the track, and may save you some flat spots along the way.

But carry on, sir. I'm sure your trophies will soon cave in to the basement.

 

[Tokay444]

They're actually all in boxes in the basement already.
Collecting dust.
Like me.