Brake performance upgrade: how to
10/3/07, 10:03 AM
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Brake performance upgrade: how to
The following posts are a step-by-step procedural on a functional performance braking upgrade. Thanks are in order to the following people: Scrambler for the tip on the Earls Solo Bleeders, Josh and Kevin at PMPPARTS.com for being stellar guys to buy from, and especially to Taco Bill for having the idea to collect “how to” posts in the first place! As usual, all disclaimers apply: Batteries not included, your mileage may vary, no animals were harmed, but most importantly: ATTEMPT THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK! Brakes are not something to screw around with. A mistake here can cost lives. If you’re not comfortable with the level of mechanical ability required to execute this, HIRE A PRO! If you screw up a CAI install, the worst that will happen is that your car won’t start. If you screw THIS up…well, let’s just say that I really don’t want to hear about an S197 and a busload of nuns, and a bad brake job. That said, let’s get our hands dirty!
As with every project, the first step is to select your parts. Here is a comparison of Steeda braided lines, stock brake lines, and Earls’ braided lines. I elected to use the Steeda lines, as the 500% greater build quality easily offsets the 100% price increase over the Earls. Steeda is the only aftermarket manufacturer to my knowledge that uses the factory-style blocks, which prevent line rotation during installation. I also chose to install Hawk HP-Plus brake pads both front and rear, for their higher operating temperature and fade resistance when letting it all hang out on a road course. Of note, with basic bolt-ons, probably making just short of 300RWHP with 3.73 gears, I managed to glaze the front stock brakes and heat-check the rotor with just normal (for me) street driving. It’s obvious that I need to have better performance from the brakes. Also to help rid unwanted heat from the brakes, I am installing a front brake cooling setup from Quantum Motorsports, with S197-specific duct brackets, and the “race” high-temp flex duct. I am also adding Solo Bleeders from Earls, and my brake fluid of choice, Motul RBF600. When I overheated the front brakes previously, I went ahead and prepped a spare set of rotors (newtakeoff.com) with some black high-temp paint, roughed up the stock pads, and used them to “wipe” the paint from the swept surface of the rotors. At that time I also did a complete fluid flush with the Motul.
As with every project, the first step is to select your parts. Here is a comparison of Steeda braided lines, stock brake lines, and Earls’ braided lines. I elected to use the Steeda lines, as the 500% greater build quality easily offsets the 100% price increase over the Earls. Steeda is the only aftermarket manufacturer to my knowledge that uses the factory-style blocks, which prevent line rotation during installation. I also chose to install Hawk HP-Plus brake pads both front and rear, for their higher operating temperature and fade resistance when letting it all hang out on a road course. Of note, with basic bolt-ons, probably making just short of 300RWHP with 3.73 gears, I managed to glaze the front stock brakes and heat-check the rotor with just normal (for me) street driving. It’s obvious that I need to have better performance from the brakes. Also to help rid unwanted heat from the brakes, I am installing a front brake cooling setup from Quantum Motorsports, with S197-specific duct brackets, and the “race” high-temp flex duct. I am also adding Solo Bleeders from Earls, and my brake fluid of choice, Motul RBF600. When I overheated the front brakes previously, I went ahead and prepped a spare set of rotors (newtakeoff.com) with some black high-temp paint, roughed up the stock pads, and used them to “wipe” the paint from the swept surface of the rotors. At that time I also did a complete fluid flush with the Motul.
10/3/07, 10:12 AM
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Front brakes, part one
Performance brake upgrade how-to: Front Brakes
Parts List:
Quantum Motorsports S197 front duct inlet kit
Quantum Motorsports S197 Race brake duct kit
Hawk HP-Plus brake pads
Steeda braided steel brake lines
Earls’ Solo Bleed spring-loaded bleeder screws
(2) Qts Motul RBF600 racing brake fluid (DOT 4)
(1) can Brake parts cleaner
(1) drip pan
Tools required:
11MM line wrench
13MM line wrench
7/16 line wrench (2 required: 11MM will work in a pinch)
7/16” combination wrench
3/8” drive ratchet
3/8” drive 6” extension
7/16” socket
10MM socket
12MM socket
15MM socket
5/8” socket
½” drive to 3/8” drive adapter
Lb-Ft torque wrench.
½” drive socket appropriate to your lug nuts.
6” C-Clamp
Side cutters
7” cable ties: 8pcs
3/8” rubber hose, or type SO 12/3 jacket only, no wire: 6”
¼”-20x3/4” stainless steel bolt: 8 pcs
¼”-20 stainless steel Nylock nuts: 8 pcs
Dremel tool or die grinder with small cone-shaped steel bit.
Flat-head screwdriver (6” long blade is good)
¼” and 5/16” nut drivers (optional)
¼” drill bit
Sharpie (new, fine-point tip)
Bleeder-Buddy bottle with magnetic mount.
6” bungee cord.
Phase one: Front fascia brake duct
First, remove the lower grille trim. From under the front fascia, release two tabs on the bottom of the trim panel at each end, and the grille trim pops right off. I used a flathead screwdriver placed against the tabs, and gently “popped” the back of the screwdriver, and it all came apart with no problem.
Next, modify the lower grille trim to become functional for the brake duct inlets. The center column of “honeycomb” will need to be opened up for airflow. This will be the top “half-honeycomb,” the bottom “half honeycomb,” and the two full honeycombs in the middle. I used a die grinder with a cone bit to do the work, and it was pretty easy. Take your time and do a good job, as this will be externally visable. As an option, you could cut out the center section with a holesaw, and slip the Quantum Motorsports plate into the hole, as the backing plate is shaped to fit the shape of the lower trim. I opted to mount it behind the trim, as I am trying to keep as clean a look as possible with this installation.
First step: Put the car up in the air… If you’re doing all four corners, I suggest working in the following sequence: Right Rear, Left Rear, Right Front, Left Front. This is the same sequence you would use when bleeding or flushing brakes, and essentially works from the furthest point from the ABS valve to the closest. If you’re going to do that, go to the “Rear Brakes” post, then come back here.
I elected to replace the lines prior to doing any of the other work to minimize the amount of brake fluid dripping onto other parts, but you may also do the swap at any point. Sequencing really doesn’t matter with that part.
First, I loosened up all the connections, just cracking the torque, not really loosening anything. 10MM socket for the banjo bolt connecting the stock line to the caliper, the bracket bolt holding the brake line bracket to the frame, and for the strain-relief bracket holding the line to the strut. 13MM line wrench for the steel brake line connection to the stock hose at the frame. Place a drip pan under the caliper, and fully remove the banjo bolt from the caliper. You will lose a LOT of fluid at this point, mostly from the caliper itself. While the caliper was draining, I used a line wrench (11MM?) to remove the stock bleeder screw, and 10MM to replace it with the Earls Solo Bleed. This is a godsend to anybody that really works their brakes. Instead of an interference-fit for the hole in the bleeder with the conical seat of the caliper, the Solo Bleed uses a spring-loaded plunger to seal against the seat, even with the bleeder slightly loose. When “open,” the plunger spring is compressed by the pressure of the brake fluid when pushing on the pedal, allowing air and used-up fluid (you corner carvers know what I’m talking about) to exit the bleeder, but when you let up on the pedal, the spring forces the plunger against the seat, and NO AIR gets sucked back into the caliper. It’s true one-man bleeding! Once the caliper has fully drained, slide the drip pan under the fitting where the flex-line meets the frame, and fully loosen the fitting. Remove the two 10MM head bolts (strain relief at the strut, and bracket to frame bolt) and pull the line out of the car. Take care to release the two rubber clips that latch onto the ABS line. You will have some dripping from the hard line, but don’t worry about it too much. Just keep an eye on the master cylinder fluid level, and DO NOT let it go completely dry.
Next, install the Steeda braided brake lines. First, separate each line into it’s three components: Caliper-side fitting (square block with the bent hard-line coming from it), body-side fitting (bracket with a block attached), and the braided steel line with two female ends. Mount the caliper-side fitting first… Slip a copper washer (supplied) over the new banjo bolt (supplied), slide it through the block, then add another copper washer (supplied), and then install to the caliper. There were no instructions included in the Steeda kit, but anyone familiar with basic brake service will have no issues. To torque the banjo bolt, I STRONGLY recommend the following: hand-tighten, and then with a grip on the ratchet handle (5/8” socket) choked up a bit, start applying torque. Once you feel the bolt bite into the copper washer, stop. Smooth application of torque is the key. Do NOT jerk, yank, or smack the ratchet handle to torque up, and DO NOT use the Ford spec of 52 lb-Ft, you WILL shear the head clean off the bolt. Please don’t ask me how I know this… Next, mount the body-side bracket to the frame using the 10MM screw you removed. Drop the steel brake line into the top hole in the brass block mounted to the bracket, and tighten, using a 13MM line wrench on the brake line, and a 5/8” open-end wrench on the block. Solid torque is required, but don’t get all Hulk Hogan on it, either. Next, install the flex line to the caliper-end fitting, using a pair of 7/16” line wrenches (you can substitute an 11MM line wrench for one if you need to). Use caution to keep all force applied in the rotational direction, and not exerting any kind of sideways force to the line. It’s not THAT fragile, but you could bend or break the line. Once that’s tight, route the hose behind the strut body and connect it to the body-side fitting, again using two 7/16” line wrenches. There are a couple of things you can do to simplify and improve the installation at this point. First, put a jack under the lower balljoint and compress the suspension as much as you can before the car floats off the jackstand. I’m assuming that the Steeda line kit is designed to be used with the Steeda struts, which may not droop quite as far as the D-Specs that I use, and with the suspension unloaded, the lines are just a HAIR too short to comfortably assemble. Compressing the suspension allows a little more wiggle room to get the line started on the body-side fitting nipple with minimal hassle. Once the line is on and tight (7/16 line wrench and a 5/8” open-end on the block), go ahead and lower the jack gently, until the suspension drops all the way. Now, cut a 1” or 1-1/2” piece of rubber hose or wire insulation (see parts list), and slit it lengthwise. Wrap this “rub guard” around both the braided brake hose and the ABS wire, right where they pass the strain-relief tab on the back of the strut, and secure with a cable tie. Cut the excess off for cleanliness, and you’re done with the brake hose!
Brake Duct And Pads:
Use a 12MM socket to remove the two caliper bolts, pull the caliper off the pads, balance it gently on top of the rotor and caliper mount bracket, upside down. Pull one of the pads off the caliper mount bracket, and place it across the two pistons, and gently lock it all in place with the 6” c-clamp. IF you changed out the lines, remove the bleeder screw temporarily. If you did NOT replace the lines yet, don’t worry about the bleeder. Gently compress the pistons into the caliper by screwing in the C-clamp, using the used pad to spread the load to both pistons. Once you bottom one piston (GENTLY, now!), you’ll need to move the C-clamp over to the other, and finish bottoming that one. If removed, replace bleeder screw, then remove the C clamp and pad, and hang the caliper from one of the spring coils on the strut, with the aim being to keep the caliper out of the way, but without hanging all the weight on the brake hose. If you are not changing out rotors, or installing the brake duct kit, STOP HERE, and go to the reassembly section! Assuming that you are continuing, use a 15MM socket to remove the two bolts attaching the caliper mount bracket to the steering knuckle, and set the bracket aside. At this point the brake rotor will slide off the hub with no problem. Now, using a 10MM socket, remove the three bolts holding the dust shield to the steering knuckle, and pull the dust shield off the car. Immediately replace the bolt closest to the lower caliper mount bracket hole, so that you don’t lose it if you revert to stock… Use the other two bolts to mount the Quantum bracket to the knuckle, taking care that the “long” leg is on the top. Torque them to 15 lb-Ft.
Parts List:
Quantum Motorsports S197 front duct inlet kit
Quantum Motorsports S197 Race brake duct kit
Hawk HP-Plus brake pads
Steeda braided steel brake lines
Earls’ Solo Bleed spring-loaded bleeder screws
(2) Qts Motul RBF600 racing brake fluid (DOT 4)
(1) can Brake parts cleaner
(1) drip pan
Tools required:
11MM line wrench
13MM line wrench
7/16 line wrench (2 required: 11MM will work in a pinch)
7/16” combination wrench
3/8” drive ratchet
3/8” drive 6” extension
7/16” socket
10MM socket
12MM socket
15MM socket
5/8” socket
½” drive to 3/8” drive adapter
Lb-Ft torque wrench.
½” drive socket appropriate to your lug nuts.
6” C-Clamp
Side cutters
7” cable ties: 8pcs
3/8” rubber hose, or type SO 12/3 jacket only, no wire: 6”
¼”-20x3/4” stainless steel bolt: 8 pcs
¼”-20 stainless steel Nylock nuts: 8 pcs
Dremel tool or die grinder with small cone-shaped steel bit.
Flat-head screwdriver (6” long blade is good)
¼” and 5/16” nut drivers (optional)
¼” drill bit
Sharpie (new, fine-point tip)
Bleeder-Buddy bottle with magnetic mount.
6” bungee cord.
Phase one: Front fascia brake duct
First, remove the lower grille trim. From under the front fascia, release two tabs on the bottom of the trim panel at each end, and the grille trim pops right off. I used a flathead screwdriver placed against the tabs, and gently “popped” the back of the screwdriver, and it all came apart with no problem.
Next, modify the lower grille trim to become functional for the brake duct inlets. The center column of “honeycomb” will need to be opened up for airflow. This will be the top “half-honeycomb,” the bottom “half honeycomb,” and the two full honeycombs in the middle. I used a die grinder with a cone bit to do the work, and it was pretty easy. Take your time and do a good job, as this will be externally visable. As an option, you could cut out the center section with a holesaw, and slip the Quantum Motorsports plate into the hole, as the backing plate is shaped to fit the shape of the lower trim. I opted to mount it behind the trim, as I am trying to keep as clean a look as possible with this installation.
First step: Put the car up in the air… If you’re doing all four corners, I suggest working in the following sequence: Right Rear, Left Rear, Right Front, Left Front. This is the same sequence you would use when bleeding or flushing brakes, and essentially works from the furthest point from the ABS valve to the closest. If you’re going to do that, go to the “Rear Brakes” post, then come back here.
I elected to replace the lines prior to doing any of the other work to minimize the amount of brake fluid dripping onto other parts, but you may also do the swap at any point. Sequencing really doesn’t matter with that part.
First, I loosened up all the connections, just cracking the torque, not really loosening anything. 10MM socket for the banjo bolt connecting the stock line to the caliper, the bracket bolt holding the brake line bracket to the frame, and for the strain-relief bracket holding the line to the strut. 13MM line wrench for the steel brake line connection to the stock hose at the frame. Place a drip pan under the caliper, and fully remove the banjo bolt from the caliper. You will lose a LOT of fluid at this point, mostly from the caliper itself. While the caliper was draining, I used a line wrench (11MM?) to remove the stock bleeder screw, and 10MM to replace it with the Earls Solo Bleed. This is a godsend to anybody that really works their brakes. Instead of an interference-fit for the hole in the bleeder with the conical seat of the caliper, the Solo Bleed uses a spring-loaded plunger to seal against the seat, even with the bleeder slightly loose. When “open,” the plunger spring is compressed by the pressure of the brake fluid when pushing on the pedal, allowing air and used-up fluid (you corner carvers know what I’m talking about) to exit the bleeder, but when you let up on the pedal, the spring forces the plunger against the seat, and NO AIR gets sucked back into the caliper. It’s true one-man bleeding! Once the caliper has fully drained, slide the drip pan under the fitting where the flex-line meets the frame, and fully loosen the fitting. Remove the two 10MM head bolts (strain relief at the strut, and bracket to frame bolt) and pull the line out of the car. Take care to release the two rubber clips that latch onto the ABS line. You will have some dripping from the hard line, but don’t worry about it too much. Just keep an eye on the master cylinder fluid level, and DO NOT let it go completely dry.
Next, install the Steeda braided brake lines. First, separate each line into it’s three components: Caliper-side fitting (square block with the bent hard-line coming from it), body-side fitting (bracket with a block attached), and the braided steel line with two female ends. Mount the caliper-side fitting first… Slip a copper washer (supplied) over the new banjo bolt (supplied), slide it through the block, then add another copper washer (supplied), and then install to the caliper. There were no instructions included in the Steeda kit, but anyone familiar with basic brake service will have no issues. To torque the banjo bolt, I STRONGLY recommend the following: hand-tighten, and then with a grip on the ratchet handle (5/8” socket) choked up a bit, start applying torque. Once you feel the bolt bite into the copper washer, stop. Smooth application of torque is the key. Do NOT jerk, yank, or smack the ratchet handle to torque up, and DO NOT use the Ford spec of 52 lb-Ft, you WILL shear the head clean off the bolt. Please don’t ask me how I know this… Next, mount the body-side bracket to the frame using the 10MM screw you removed. Drop the steel brake line into the top hole in the brass block mounted to the bracket, and tighten, using a 13MM line wrench on the brake line, and a 5/8” open-end wrench on the block. Solid torque is required, but don’t get all Hulk Hogan on it, either. Next, install the flex line to the caliper-end fitting, using a pair of 7/16” line wrenches (you can substitute an 11MM line wrench for one if you need to). Use caution to keep all force applied in the rotational direction, and not exerting any kind of sideways force to the line. It’s not THAT fragile, but you could bend or break the line. Once that’s tight, route the hose behind the strut body and connect it to the body-side fitting, again using two 7/16” line wrenches. There are a couple of things you can do to simplify and improve the installation at this point. First, put a jack under the lower balljoint and compress the suspension as much as you can before the car floats off the jackstand. I’m assuming that the Steeda line kit is designed to be used with the Steeda struts, which may not droop quite as far as the D-Specs that I use, and with the suspension unloaded, the lines are just a HAIR too short to comfortably assemble. Compressing the suspension allows a little more wiggle room to get the line started on the body-side fitting nipple with minimal hassle. Once the line is on and tight (7/16 line wrench and a 5/8” open-end on the block), go ahead and lower the jack gently, until the suspension drops all the way. Now, cut a 1” or 1-1/2” piece of rubber hose or wire insulation (see parts list), and slit it lengthwise. Wrap this “rub guard” around both the braided brake hose and the ABS wire, right where they pass the strain-relief tab on the back of the strut, and secure with a cable tie. Cut the excess off for cleanliness, and you’re done with the brake hose!
Brake Duct And Pads:
Use a 12MM socket to remove the two caliper bolts, pull the caliper off the pads, balance it gently on top of the rotor and caliper mount bracket, upside down. Pull one of the pads off the caliper mount bracket, and place it across the two pistons, and gently lock it all in place with the 6” c-clamp. IF you changed out the lines, remove the bleeder screw temporarily. If you did NOT replace the lines yet, don’t worry about the bleeder. Gently compress the pistons into the caliper by screwing in the C-clamp, using the used pad to spread the load to both pistons. Once you bottom one piston (GENTLY, now!), you’ll need to move the C-clamp over to the other, and finish bottoming that one. If removed, replace bleeder screw, then remove the C clamp and pad, and hang the caliper from one of the spring coils on the strut, with the aim being to keep the caliper out of the way, but without hanging all the weight on the brake hose. If you are not changing out rotors, or installing the brake duct kit, STOP HERE, and go to the reassembly section! Assuming that you are continuing, use a 15MM socket to remove the two bolts attaching the caliper mount bracket to the steering knuckle, and set the bracket aside. At this point the brake rotor will slide off the hub with no problem. Now, using a 10MM socket, remove the three bolts holding the dust shield to the steering knuckle, and pull the dust shield off the car. Immediately replace the bolt closest to the lower caliper mount bracket hole, so that you don’t lose it if you revert to stock… Use the other two bolts to mount the Quantum bracket to the knuckle, taking care that the “long” leg is on the top. Torque them to 15 lb-Ft.
10/3/07, 10:21 AM
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Front Brakes, Part Two
Connect the brake duct to the inlet on the fascia. TIP: The hose clamp can easily be accessed though the big open sections in the lower grille, saving a lot of hassle… Once the duct is mounted up front, and secured, mount the hose to the knuckle bracket, and secure with a second (supplied) large hose clamp. Loosely attach the supplied small cable-tie to the tie-rod, just outboard of the dust boot on the steering rack. Now, turn the knuckle as far as possible, to the left if working on the driver’s side, or to the right if working on the passenger side. Keeping a VERY light tension on the duct, pulling away from the knuckle, loop the large supplied cable-tie around the duct, and then lash the two together with another supplied small cable tie. Tighten the tie on the tie-rod completely, and do the same for the tie connecting the tie-rod to the duct. Gently tighten the cable tie on the duct, taking care not to crush the duct. Trim all the excess, and slide the small hose clamp up against the tie on the tie-rod, and secure to prevent the tie from sliding.
Next take the supplied metal strapping, and feed 2” or so through the diagonal hole in the frame, just forward of the brake line bracket, with the bulk being on the inside of the frame. I used another 1” or so section of wire insulation (or hose) to pad the bottom of the hole, to minimize chafing and paint wear. Fold the metal strapping so that a “larger” hole in the tab through the frame lines up with a corresponding “larger” hole in the rest of the strap. At this point I shoved one of the supplied ¼” bolts through the two holes, from inside to outside. Wrap the long side of the strap around the duct to form a hanger for the duct. I opted to run the duct pretty tight to the frame, and I suggest you do the same. Line up a “larger” hole with the stud of the bolt, and then secure with a supplied lockwasher and nut. Optionally, you could use a Nylock here instead. At this point, we are temporarily done with the brake ducting. Slide the rotor back on the hub, then install the caliper mount bracket (15MM socket) and torque the bolts to 98 lb-Ft.
Reassembly
If you skipped the brake duct install, here is where we resume our journey. First, install the new brake pads. In my case, I used Hawk HP-Plus pads, but any brand should be identical in procedure. The inner pad will slide into the bracket, but the front will need to start at an angle, and then snap in upright. Using one hand, push the hat of the rotor against the hub, and using the other squeeze the pads against the rotor. If there is only minimal resistance when the pads slide back and forth, they’re in correctly. If they fall off, or don’t want to slide at all, then there is an issue. Next, drop the caliper over the rotor and pads, taking care that the slide-mounts’ flat side is lined up with the edge of the caliper, and flush to the caliper mounting pad. Install the caliper bolts to the slides, torqued to 25 lb-Ft.
Bleeding
I recommend doing one corner at a time, and bleeding as you go. If you have a pressure bleeder, it’s much simpler to do all four corners at once, but I will assume manual bleeding. First, check the fluid level in the master cylinder. I use Motul RBF600, which is a DOT 4 racing fluid with a VERY high boiling point, and relatively good resistance to moisture. In any event, I suggest topping it off at this time as you will drop the fluid level through bleeding. Break loose the bleeder screw, then gently snug it back down. Set up your “bleeder buddy” bottle.
The one that I use is a 3Oz bottle, which has a magnetic mount ideal for just slapping against the rotor. Route the hose to the bleeder screw and stick one of the cone adapters into the bleeder screw opening. Now, open the bleeder 1/8-1/4 turn. Get in the car, and SLOWLY depress the brake pedal all the way, then SLOWLY release. After a few pumps, you’ll start to feel some pressure pushing back against your foot. Stop, and take a look at your bleeder hose and bottle. If you have a sensitive (experienced) foot, you’ll see alternating bands of air and fluid in the bleeder line, and maybe a little in the bottle. Check the fluid level in the master cylinder and top off if necessary. DO NOT let it go dry! Get back in the car and again slowly apply the brake and release. After one or more pumps, you’ll begin to notice a solid back-pressure in the pedal that gradually fades as the pedal hits bottom. I bet you’re done at that point. Get out and take a look at the hose and bottle. If you see solid, uninterrupted fluid in the hose, and an ounce or so in the bottle, then close the bleeder screw, and remove the bleeder rig. If your fluid is older, has been overheated (EVER fade the brakes??), or you want to change out the fluid, then you need to flush the lines. This is simple, just keep bleeding until the color of the fluid in the bleeder tube changes from the color you’re seeing now, to a nice clean pale amber color. At that point, you have flushed out the old fluid from the complete circuit between the master cylinder and the corner you’re working on right now. Particularly for flushing, work the RR, the LR, the RF, then LF, in that order. If you flush, you’ll need upwards of thee quarts of fluid. DO NOT use old fluid from an open container. Brake fluid is hygroscopic, meaning that it readily absorbs water (in the form of moisture and humidity), and water has a significantly lower boiling temp than fresh brake fluid. The Motul fluid that I use has nitrogen instead of air in the sealed bottle…. When fluid boils, it creates a vapor in the caliper, and since gasses are compressible where liquids are not (as a general rule) braking efficiency is replaced with a spongy-feeling pedal. Simple cure, though, bleed out the vapor! If you flush your lines, you will need to empty the bleeder bottle multiple times if you use the small ones like I like.
IF YOU DON’T USE THE SOLO BLEED screws, you’ll need to have a second person for the bleeding process. One working the bleeder screw, the other working the pedal. Your actions will need to be coordinated, and I suggest using specific language. Alternate calls to each other. Start with the pedal up, and the bleeder closed. First call is from the wrench guy: “OPEN!” That’s the clue for the foot guy to push the pedal down slowly and steadily. When the pedal bottoms, he calls “DOWN!” and holds the pedal in that position. This tells the wrench guy to tighten the bleeder screw, then call back “CLOSED!” This tells the foot guy to gently release the pedal. When the pedal is all the way up, he calls “UP!” and the cycle starts all over. Considering that two pairs of Solo Bleed screws costs less than the six-pack of import beer you need to buy for your buddy, I don’t see why you wouldn’t want to use them…
Once you have completed work on the brakes, and all is bled, and the pedal feels NICE and firm, use brake parts cleaner to clean up the front end, and put the tires back on. You will need to check clearance between the wheels and the duct, and I wound up using cable ties to pull the duct hanger inboard for clearance. I loosened the screw holding the belly pan to the radiator support crossmember and looped a cable tie around it between the crossmember and the belly pan, then looped another through that one and the steel strap on the inboard side, and snugged them both down. This allowed the wheels and tires to go to full lock without rubbing on the duct. For note, the wheels that I use are 18x9.5” with a 50MM backspace, and I’m running 245/45 tires. The wheels that I use are prone to vibration if just slapped on, so I will share my ritual for vibration-free installation.
First, visually inspect the face of the rotor hub, as well as the mounting flange of the wheels. If there is a buildup of rust, or dirt, or whatever, hit it with an abrasive pad to clean up the mating surfaces. Now, hang the rim on the hub, and start all five lugnuts. Find the lugnut closest to the “bottom” of the wheel, and using your hand and the appropriate socket, run the nut in until it snugs up. Now, shake and shimmy the tire while trying to tighten the lugnut as much as possible by hand. Once it locks in, drop the socket on one of the “top” two lugnuts, and repeat the process, with the shaking, and the yanking. Then repeat for the other “top” lugnut. Recheck your bottom lugnut. Once those three have centered the wheel, run the remaining two lugnuts in by hand. Next, torque all five lugnuts in a star-pattern to 30 lb-Ft. Then run them again at 60 lb-Ft. You can do the rears at 60 without dropping the car, but you’ll need to JUST BARELY get the front tires on the ground to get to 60 without them spinning all over. Next, with the tire barely in contact with the ground, torque to a full 100 lb-Ft.
Now that you have the brakes done, and the wheels back on, it’s time to take a quick test drive. Look for a very firm pedal that is nice and high. If the pedal is low, but firm, stop, back up a few feet, stop, back up a few feet, etc., until the rears adjust up against the parking brake. Next step is to bed-in the new pads. This is not nearly as critical with lower-temp street pads, but important for higher-temp race pads. First, seal up the brake ducts, to maximize brake heat generation. Get the car up to 40MPH or so, and then aggressively slow the car to around 10MPH. Don’t actually stop the car, and don’t drag the brakes. Take it back up to around 40MPH, and repeat for a total of 6-8 repetitions. What you’re doing is two-fold. You’re getting the brakes hot, into their normal operating range, and simultaneously curing the pads. The initial heat-cycles cause an off-gassing of the assembly adhesives in the pad, which combined with particles of brake pad get deposited on the rotor surface, making a much stickier interface. After 6-8 reps of the 40MPH routine, slow the car to a stop using as little brake as possible, and park it for at least 20 minutes to let the pads and rotor cool, locking the pad material into the rotor face. DO NOT use the parking brake. Put the car in park, or shut off and leave it in second gear with a manual. After the initial cool down, you’ll do one more cycle of 6-8 near stops, but this time from as close to race speeds as you can get. I would suggest at LEAST 60-70MPH, with aggressive braking to around 15-20, then back up again. Once done with the fast reps, park the car for at least an hour to let it all cool, crystallize, and become one with itself. NOW you’re ready to go rocking, and your brakes will have good initial bite, that only gets better when they come up to temp.
Next take the supplied metal strapping, and feed 2” or so through the diagonal hole in the frame, just forward of the brake line bracket, with the bulk being on the inside of the frame. I used another 1” or so section of wire insulation (or hose) to pad the bottom of the hole, to minimize chafing and paint wear. Fold the metal strapping so that a “larger” hole in the tab through the frame lines up with a corresponding “larger” hole in the rest of the strap. At this point I shoved one of the supplied ¼” bolts through the two holes, from inside to outside. Wrap the long side of the strap around the duct to form a hanger for the duct. I opted to run the duct pretty tight to the frame, and I suggest you do the same. Line up a “larger” hole with the stud of the bolt, and then secure with a supplied lockwasher and nut. Optionally, you could use a Nylock here instead. At this point, we are temporarily done with the brake ducting. Slide the rotor back on the hub, then install the caliper mount bracket (15MM socket) and torque the bolts to 98 lb-Ft.
Reassembly
If you skipped the brake duct install, here is where we resume our journey. First, install the new brake pads. In my case, I used Hawk HP-Plus pads, but any brand should be identical in procedure. The inner pad will slide into the bracket, but the front will need to start at an angle, and then snap in upright. Using one hand, push the hat of the rotor against the hub, and using the other squeeze the pads against the rotor. If there is only minimal resistance when the pads slide back and forth, they’re in correctly. If they fall off, or don’t want to slide at all, then there is an issue. Next, drop the caliper over the rotor and pads, taking care that the slide-mounts’ flat side is lined up with the edge of the caliper, and flush to the caliper mounting pad. Install the caliper bolts to the slides, torqued to 25 lb-Ft.
Bleeding
I recommend doing one corner at a time, and bleeding as you go. If you have a pressure bleeder, it’s much simpler to do all four corners at once, but I will assume manual bleeding. First, check the fluid level in the master cylinder. I use Motul RBF600, which is a DOT 4 racing fluid with a VERY high boiling point, and relatively good resistance to moisture. In any event, I suggest topping it off at this time as you will drop the fluid level through bleeding. Break loose the bleeder screw, then gently snug it back down. Set up your “bleeder buddy” bottle.
The one that I use is a 3Oz bottle, which has a magnetic mount ideal for just slapping against the rotor. Route the hose to the bleeder screw and stick one of the cone adapters into the bleeder screw opening. Now, open the bleeder 1/8-1/4 turn. Get in the car, and SLOWLY depress the brake pedal all the way, then SLOWLY release. After a few pumps, you’ll start to feel some pressure pushing back against your foot. Stop, and take a look at your bleeder hose and bottle. If you have a sensitive (experienced) foot, you’ll see alternating bands of air and fluid in the bleeder line, and maybe a little in the bottle. Check the fluid level in the master cylinder and top off if necessary. DO NOT let it go dry! Get back in the car and again slowly apply the brake and release. After one or more pumps, you’ll begin to notice a solid back-pressure in the pedal that gradually fades as the pedal hits bottom. I bet you’re done at that point. Get out and take a look at the hose and bottle. If you see solid, uninterrupted fluid in the hose, and an ounce or so in the bottle, then close the bleeder screw, and remove the bleeder rig. If your fluid is older, has been overheated (EVER fade the brakes??), or you want to change out the fluid, then you need to flush the lines. This is simple, just keep bleeding until the color of the fluid in the bleeder tube changes from the color you’re seeing now, to a nice clean pale amber color. At that point, you have flushed out the old fluid from the complete circuit between the master cylinder and the corner you’re working on right now. Particularly for flushing, work the RR, the LR, the RF, then LF, in that order. If you flush, you’ll need upwards of thee quarts of fluid. DO NOT use old fluid from an open container. Brake fluid is hygroscopic, meaning that it readily absorbs water (in the form of moisture and humidity), and water has a significantly lower boiling temp than fresh brake fluid. The Motul fluid that I use has nitrogen instead of air in the sealed bottle…. When fluid boils, it creates a vapor in the caliper, and since gasses are compressible where liquids are not (as a general rule) braking efficiency is replaced with a spongy-feeling pedal. Simple cure, though, bleed out the vapor! If you flush your lines, you will need to empty the bleeder bottle multiple times if you use the small ones like I like.
IF YOU DON’T USE THE SOLO BLEED screws, you’ll need to have a second person for the bleeding process. One working the bleeder screw, the other working the pedal. Your actions will need to be coordinated, and I suggest using specific language. Alternate calls to each other. Start with the pedal up, and the bleeder closed. First call is from the wrench guy: “OPEN!” That’s the clue for the foot guy to push the pedal down slowly and steadily. When the pedal bottoms, he calls “DOWN!” and holds the pedal in that position. This tells the wrench guy to tighten the bleeder screw, then call back “CLOSED!” This tells the foot guy to gently release the pedal. When the pedal is all the way up, he calls “UP!” and the cycle starts all over. Considering that two pairs of Solo Bleed screws costs less than the six-pack of import beer you need to buy for your buddy, I don’t see why you wouldn’t want to use them…
Once you have completed work on the brakes, and all is bled, and the pedal feels NICE and firm, use brake parts cleaner to clean up the front end, and put the tires back on. You will need to check clearance between the wheels and the duct, and I wound up using cable ties to pull the duct hanger inboard for clearance. I loosened the screw holding the belly pan to the radiator support crossmember and looped a cable tie around it between the crossmember and the belly pan, then looped another through that one and the steel strap on the inboard side, and snugged them both down. This allowed the wheels and tires to go to full lock without rubbing on the duct. For note, the wheels that I use are 18x9.5” with a 50MM backspace, and I’m running 245/45 tires. The wheels that I use are prone to vibration if just slapped on, so I will share my ritual for vibration-free installation.
First, visually inspect the face of the rotor hub, as well as the mounting flange of the wheels. If there is a buildup of rust, or dirt, or whatever, hit it with an abrasive pad to clean up the mating surfaces. Now, hang the rim on the hub, and start all five lugnuts. Find the lugnut closest to the “bottom” of the wheel, and using your hand and the appropriate socket, run the nut in until it snugs up. Now, shake and shimmy the tire while trying to tighten the lugnut as much as possible by hand. Once it locks in, drop the socket on one of the “top” two lugnuts, and repeat the process, with the shaking, and the yanking. Then repeat for the other “top” lugnut. Recheck your bottom lugnut. Once those three have centered the wheel, run the remaining two lugnuts in by hand. Next, torque all five lugnuts in a star-pattern to 30 lb-Ft. Then run them again at 60 lb-Ft. You can do the rears at 60 without dropping the car, but you’ll need to JUST BARELY get the front tires on the ground to get to 60 without them spinning all over. Next, with the tire barely in contact with the ground, torque to a full 100 lb-Ft.
Now that you have the brakes done, and the wheels back on, it’s time to take a quick test drive. Look for a very firm pedal that is nice and high. If the pedal is low, but firm, stop, back up a few feet, stop, back up a few feet, etc., until the rears adjust up against the parking brake. Next step is to bed-in the new pads. This is not nearly as critical with lower-temp street pads, but important for higher-temp race pads. First, seal up the brake ducts, to maximize brake heat generation. Get the car up to 40MPH or so, and then aggressively slow the car to around 10MPH. Don’t actually stop the car, and don’t drag the brakes. Take it back up to around 40MPH, and repeat for a total of 6-8 repetitions. What you’re doing is two-fold. You’re getting the brakes hot, into their normal operating range, and simultaneously curing the pads. The initial heat-cycles cause an off-gassing of the assembly adhesives in the pad, which combined with particles of brake pad get deposited on the rotor surface, making a much stickier interface. After 6-8 reps of the 40MPH routine, slow the car to a stop using as little brake as possible, and park it for at least 20 minutes to let the pads and rotor cool, locking the pad material into the rotor face. DO NOT use the parking brake. Put the car in park, or shut off and leave it in second gear with a manual. After the initial cool down, you’ll do one more cycle of 6-8 near stops, but this time from as close to race speeds as you can get. I would suggest at LEAST 60-70MPH, with aggressive braking to around 15-20, then back up again. Once done with the fast reps, park the car for at least an hour to let it all cool, crystallize, and become one with itself. NOW you’re ready to go rocking, and your brakes will have good initial bite, that only gets better when they come up to temp.
10/3/07, 10:23 AM
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Rear Brakes
Performance brake upgrade how-to: Rear Brakes
Parts List:
Hawk HP-Plus brake pads
Steeda braided steel brake lines
Earls’ Solo Bleed spring-loaded bleeder screws
(2) Qts Motul RBF600 racing brake fluid (DOT 4)
(1) can Brake parts cleaner
(1) drip pan
Tools required:
11MM line wrench
13MM line wrench
7/16 line wrench (2 required: 11MM will work in a pinch)
3/8” drive ratchet
3/8” drive 6” extension
7/16” socket
10MM socket
13MM socket
15MM socket
5/8” socket
½” drive to 3/8” drive adapter
Lb-Ft torque wrench.
½” drive socket appropriate to your lug nuts.
Disc Brake rear piston compression tool
Side cutters
7” cable ties: 2pcs
Flat-head screwdriver (6” long blade is good)
Bleeder-Buddy bottle with magnetic mount.
6” bungee cord.
Brake system disassembly:
First step: Put the car up in the air… If you’re doing all four corners, I suggest working in the following sequence: Right Rear, Left Rear, Right Front, Left Front. This is the same sequence you would use when bleeding or flushing brakes, and essentially works from the furthest point from the ABS valve to the closest. If you’re going to do that, go to the “Front Brakes” post, after you’re done here.
I elected to replace the lines prior to doing any of the other work to minimize the amount of brake fluid dripping onto other parts, but you may also do the swap at any point. Sequencing really doesn’t matter with that part.
First, I loosened up all the connections, just cracking the torque, not really loosening anything. 10MM socket for the banjo bolt connecting the stock line to the caliper, and for the bracket bolt holding the brake line bracket to the frame. 13MM line wrench for the steel brake line connection to the stock hose at the frame. Place a drip pan under the caliper, and fully remove the banjo bolt from the caliper. You will lose a LOT of fluid at this point, mostly from the caliper itself. While the caliper was draining, I used a line wrench (11MM?) to remove the stock bleeder screw, and 10MM to replace it with the Earls Solo Bleed. This is a godsend to anybody that really works their brakes. Instead of an interference-fit for the hole in the bleeder with the base of the caliper, the Solo Bleed uses a spring-loaded plunger to seal against the seat, even when slightly cracked. When “open,” the plunger spring is compressed by the pressure of the brake fluid when pushing on the pedal, allowing air and used-up fluid (you corner carvers know what I’m talking about) to exit the bleeder, but when you let up on the pedal, the spring forces the plunger against the seat, and NO AIR gets sucked back into the caliper. It’s true one-man bleeding! Once the caliper has fully drained, slide the drip pan under the fitting where the flex-line meets the frame, and fully loosen the fitting. Remove the 10MM head bolts (bracket to frame bolt) and pull the line out of the car. Take care to release the two rubber clips that latch onto the ABS line, and use a screwdriver to separate the ABS wire mount from the body bracket. You will have some dripping from the hard line, but don’t worry about it too much. Just keep an eye on the master cylinder fluid level, and DO NOT let it go completely dry.
Next, install the Steeda braided brake lines. First, separate each line into it’s three components: Caliper-side fitting (square block with the hard-line coming from it), body-side fitting (bracket with a block attached), and the braided steel line with two female ends. Mount the caliper-side fitting first… Slip a copper washer (supplied) over the new banjo bolt (supplied), slide it through the block, then add another copper washer (supplied), and then install to the caliper. There were no instructions included in the Steeda kit, but anyone familiar with basic brake service will have no issues. To torque the banjo bolt, I STRONGLY recommend the following: hand-tighten, and then with a grip on the ratchet handle (5/8” socket) choked up a bit, start applying torque. Once you feel the bolt bite into the copper washer, stop. Smooth application of torque is the key. Do NOT jerk, yank, or smack the ratchet handle to torque up, and DO NOT use the Ford spec of 52 lb-Ft, you WILL shear the head clean off the bolt. Please don’t ask me how I know this… Next, mount the body-side bracket to the frame using the 10MM screw you removed. Drop the steel brake line into the hole in the brass block mounted to the bracket, and tighten, using a 13MM line wrench on the brake line. Solid torque is required, but don’t get all Hulk Hogan on it, either. Next, install the flex line to the caliper-end fitting, using a pair of 7/16” line wrenches (you can substitute an 11MM line wrench for one if you need to). Use caution to keep all force applied in the rotational direction, and not exerting any kind of sideways force to the line. It’s not THAT fragile, but you could bend or break the line. Once that’s tight, route the hose and connect it to the body-side fitting, again using two 7/16” line wrenches. There are a couple of things you can do to simplify and improve the installation at this point. First, put a jack under the axle housing and compress the suspension as much as you can before the car floats off the jackstand. I’m assuming that the Steeda line kit is designed to be used with the Steeda shocks, which may not droop quite as far as the D-Specs that I use, and with the suspension unloaded, the lines are just a HAIR too short to comfortably assemble. Compressing the suspension allows a little more wiggle room to get the line started on the body-side fitting nipple with minimal hassle. Once the line is on and tight (7/16 line wrench), go ahead and lower the jack gently, until the suspension drops all the way. Clip the ABS connector to the body-side bracket by simply pushing the “Christmas tree” connectors into the holes in the bracket, then strain-relieve the ABS cable to the braided line right where there is a rubber insulator on the ABS wire with a wire tie. Cut the excess off for cleanliness, and you’re done with the brake hose!
Brake Pads:
Use a 13MM socket to remove the two caliper bolts, pull the caliper off the pads, balance it gently on top of the rotor and caliper mount bracket. Here the procedure to compress the caliper piston differs radically from the fronts. The parking brake operates the piston mechanically, as opposed to hydraulically, and there is a mechanism inside the caliper to adjust the piston that must be reset to allow the piston to retract making room for our new, beefy brake pads. Looking at the top and bottom of the piston face, you’ll notice two deep notches. These line up with a pin on the outside of the rear pad’s backing plate, and essentially prevents the piston from rotating against the adjuster mechanism, which is what we need to do to retract the piston. There are good ways, and bad ways, but the RIGHT way is to use a special tool to rotate the piston, while still keeping tension. I have heard tales of channel-locks and C-clamps, but the chance that you could create a burr on the side of the piston, which would cut the dust boot and/or seal and cost you a (PITA) rebuild is just too high. The tool to use has a hex-shaped “foot” with a pair of lugs that engage the piston, and have a brace that screws out to wedge against the front of the caliper. This applies tension to the piston, and the “foot” gives you a place to grab with a wrench to rotate the piston into the caliper. Every couple swings of the wrench will require you to re-tension the brace, but after about 8 or so revolutions, the piston will be screwed in deep enough to clear the thickness of the rotor and two pads. Make sure that your last turn with the wrench leaves the notches in the piston at the top and bottom, to allow the bottom notch to engage the lug on the back of the inboard brake pad.
If you are not changing out rotors, STOP HERE, and go to the reassembly section! Assuming that you are continuing, use a 15MM socket to remove the two bolts attaching the caliper mount bracket to the steering knuckle, and set the bracket aside. At this point the brake rotor will slide off the hub with no problem. Slide the new rotor back on the hub, then install the caliper mount bracket (15MM socket) and torque the bolts to 98 lb-Ft.
Reassembly
First, install the new brake pads. In my case, I used Hawk HP-Plus pads, but any brand should be identical in procedure. The inner and outer pads will simply drop into the bracket from the top. Using one hand, push the hat of the rotor against the hub, and using the other squeeze the pads against the rotor. If there is only minimal resistance when the pads slide back and forth, they’re in correctly. If they fall off, or don’t want to slide at all, then there is an issue. Next, drop the caliper over the rotor and pads, taking care that the slide-mounts’ flat side is lined up with the edge of the caliper, and flush to the caliper mounting pad. Install the caliper bolts to the slides, torqued to 25 lb-Ft. You’ll need to push down on the caliper firmly to get the caliper bolts to line up, as the springs attached to the pads will try to push the caliper up, and out of line.
Bleeding
I recommend doing one corner at a time, and bleeding as you go. If you have a pressure bleeder, it’s much simpler to do all four corners at once, but I will assume manual bleeding. First, check the fluid level in the master cylinder. I use Motul RBF600, which is a DOT 4 racing fluid with a VERY high boiling point, and relatively good resistance to moisture. In any event, I suggest topping it off at this time as you will drop the fluid level through bleeding. Break loose the bleeder screw, then gently snug it back down. Set up your “bleeder buddy” bottle. The one that I use is a 3Oz bottle, which has a magnetic mount ideal for just slapping against the rotor. Route the hose to the bleeder screw and stick one of the cone adapters into the bleeder screw opening. Now, open the bleeder 1/8-1/4 turn. Get in the car, and SLOWLY depress the brake pedal all the way, then SLOWLY release. After a few pumps, you’ll start to feel some pressure pushing back against your foot. Stop, and take a look at your bleeder hose and bottle. If you have a sensitive (experienced) foot, you’ll see alternating bands of air and fluid in the bleeder line, and maybe a little in the bottle. Check the fluid level in the master cylinder and top off if necessary. DO NOT let it go dry! Get back in the car and again slowly apply the brake and release. After one or more pumps, you’ll begin to notice a solid back-pressure in the pedal that gradually fades as the pedal hits bottom. I bet you’re done at that point. Get out and take a look at the hose and bottle. If you see solid, uninterrupted fluid in the hose, and an ounce or so in the bottle, then close the bleeder screw, and remove the bleeder rig. If your fluid is older, has been overheated (EVER fade the brakes??), or you want to change out the fluid, then you need to flush the lines. This is simple, just keep bleeding until the color of the fluid in the bleeder tube changes from the color you’re seeing now, to a nice clean pale amber color. At that point, you have flushed out the old fluid from the complete circuit between the master cylinder and the corner you’re working on right now. Particularly for flushing, work the RR, the LR, the RF, then LF, in that order. If you flush, you’ll need upwards of thee quarts of fluid. DO NOT use old fluid from an open container. Brake fluid is hygroscopic, meaning that it readily absorbs water (in the form of moisture and humidity), and water has a significantly lower boiling temp than fresh brake fluid. The Motul fluid that I use has nitrogen instead of air in the sealed bottle…. When fluid boils, it creates a vapor in the caliper, and since gasses are compressible where liquids are not (as a general rule) braking efficiency is replaced with a spongy-feeling pedal. Simple cure, though, bleed out the vapor! If you flush your lines, you will need to empty the bleeder bottle multiple times if you use the small ones like I like.
IF YOU DON’T USE THE SOLO BLEED screws, you’ll need to have a second person for the bleeding process. One working the bleeder screw, the other working the pedal. Your actions will need to be coordinated, and I suggest using specific language. Alternate calls to each other. Start with the pedal up, and the bleeder closed. First call is from the wrench guy: “OPEN!” That’s the clue for the foot guy to push the pedal down slowly and steadily. When the pedal bottoms, he calls “DOWN!” and holds the pedal in that position. This tells the wrench guy to tighten the bleeder screw, then call back “CLOSED!” This tells the foot guy to gently release the pedal. When the pedal is all the way up, he calls “UP!” and the cycle starts all over. Considering that two pairs of Solo Bleed screws costs less than the six-pack of import beer you need to buy for your buddy, I don’t see why you wouldn’t want to use them…
Once you have completed work on the brakes, and all is bled, and the pedal feels NICE and firm, put the tires back on. The wheels that I use are prone to vibration if just slapped on, so I will share my ritual for vibration-free installation.
First, visually inspect the face of the rotor hub, as well as the mounting flange of the wheels. If there is a buildup of rust, or dirt, or whatever, hit it with an abrasive pad to clean up the mating surfaces. Now, hang the rim on the hub, and start all five lugnuts. Find the lugnut closest to the “bottom” of the wheel, and using your hand and the appropriate socket, run the nut in until it snugs up. Now, shake and shimmy the tire while trying to tighten the lugnut as much as possible by hand. Once it locks in, drop the socket on one of the “top” two lugnuts, and repeat the process, with the shaking, and the yanking. Then repeat for the other “top” lugnut. Recheck your bottom lugnut. Once those three have centered the wheel, run the remaining two lugnuts in by hand. Next, torque all five lugnuts in a star-pattern to 30 lb-Ft. Then run them again at 60 lb-Ft. You can do the rears at 60 without dropping the car, but you’ll need to JUST BARELY get the front tires on the ground to get to 60 without them spinning all over. Next, with the tire barely in contact with the ground, torque to a full 100 lb-Ft.
Now that you have the brakes done, and the wheels back on, it’s time to take a quick test drive. Look for a very firm pedal that is nice and high. If the pedal is low, but firm, stop, back up a few feet, stop, back up a few feet, etc., until the rears adjust up against the parking brake. Next step is to bed-in the new pads. This is not nearly as critical with lower-temp street pads, but important for higher-temp race pads. Get the car up to 40MPH or so, and then aggressively slow the car to around 10MPH. Don’t actually stop the car, and don’t gradually drag the brakes. Take it back up to around 40MPH, and repeat for a total of 6-8 repetitions. What you’re doing is two-fold. You’re getting the brakes hot, into their normal operating range, and simultaneously curing the pads. The initial heat-cycles cause an off-gassing of the assembly adhesives in the pad, which combined with particles of brake pad get deposited on the rotor surface, making a much stickier interface. After 6-8 reps of the 40MPH routine, slow the car to a stop using as little brake as possible, and park it for at least 20 minutes to let the pads and rotor cool, locking the pad material into the rotor face. DO NOT use the parking brake. Put the car in park, or shut off and leave it in second gear with a manual. After the initial cool down, you’ll do one more cycle of 6-8 near stops, but this time from as close to race speeds as you can get. I would suggest at LEAST 60-70MPH, with aggressive braking to around 15-20, then back up again. Once done with the fast reps, park the car for at least an hour to let it all cool, crystallize, and become one with itself. NOW you’re ready to go rocking, and your brakes will have good initial bite, that only gets better when they come up to temp.
Parts List:
Hawk HP-Plus brake pads
Steeda braided steel brake lines
Earls’ Solo Bleed spring-loaded bleeder screws
(2) Qts Motul RBF600 racing brake fluid (DOT 4)
(1) can Brake parts cleaner
(1) drip pan
Tools required:
11MM line wrench
13MM line wrench
7/16 line wrench (2 required: 11MM will work in a pinch)
3/8” drive ratchet
3/8” drive 6” extension
7/16” socket
10MM socket
13MM socket
15MM socket
5/8” socket
½” drive to 3/8” drive adapter
Lb-Ft torque wrench.
½” drive socket appropriate to your lug nuts.
Disc Brake rear piston compression tool
Side cutters
7” cable ties: 2pcs
Flat-head screwdriver (6” long blade is good)
Bleeder-Buddy bottle with magnetic mount.
6” bungee cord.
Brake system disassembly:
First step: Put the car up in the air… If you’re doing all four corners, I suggest working in the following sequence: Right Rear, Left Rear, Right Front, Left Front. This is the same sequence you would use when bleeding or flushing brakes, and essentially works from the furthest point from the ABS valve to the closest. If you’re going to do that, go to the “Front Brakes” post, after you’re done here.
I elected to replace the lines prior to doing any of the other work to minimize the amount of brake fluid dripping onto other parts, but you may also do the swap at any point. Sequencing really doesn’t matter with that part.
First, I loosened up all the connections, just cracking the torque, not really loosening anything. 10MM socket for the banjo bolt connecting the stock line to the caliper, and for the bracket bolt holding the brake line bracket to the frame. 13MM line wrench for the steel brake line connection to the stock hose at the frame. Place a drip pan under the caliper, and fully remove the banjo bolt from the caliper. You will lose a LOT of fluid at this point, mostly from the caliper itself. While the caliper was draining, I used a line wrench (11MM?) to remove the stock bleeder screw, and 10MM to replace it with the Earls Solo Bleed. This is a godsend to anybody that really works their brakes. Instead of an interference-fit for the hole in the bleeder with the base of the caliper, the Solo Bleed uses a spring-loaded plunger to seal against the seat, even when slightly cracked. When “open,” the plunger spring is compressed by the pressure of the brake fluid when pushing on the pedal, allowing air and used-up fluid (you corner carvers know what I’m talking about) to exit the bleeder, but when you let up on the pedal, the spring forces the plunger against the seat, and NO AIR gets sucked back into the caliper. It’s true one-man bleeding! Once the caliper has fully drained, slide the drip pan under the fitting where the flex-line meets the frame, and fully loosen the fitting. Remove the 10MM head bolts (bracket to frame bolt) and pull the line out of the car. Take care to release the two rubber clips that latch onto the ABS line, and use a screwdriver to separate the ABS wire mount from the body bracket. You will have some dripping from the hard line, but don’t worry about it too much. Just keep an eye on the master cylinder fluid level, and DO NOT let it go completely dry.
Next, install the Steeda braided brake lines. First, separate each line into it’s three components: Caliper-side fitting (square block with the hard-line coming from it), body-side fitting (bracket with a block attached), and the braided steel line with two female ends. Mount the caliper-side fitting first… Slip a copper washer (supplied) over the new banjo bolt (supplied), slide it through the block, then add another copper washer (supplied), and then install to the caliper. There were no instructions included in the Steeda kit, but anyone familiar with basic brake service will have no issues. To torque the banjo bolt, I STRONGLY recommend the following: hand-tighten, and then with a grip on the ratchet handle (5/8” socket) choked up a bit, start applying torque. Once you feel the bolt bite into the copper washer, stop. Smooth application of torque is the key. Do NOT jerk, yank, or smack the ratchet handle to torque up, and DO NOT use the Ford spec of 52 lb-Ft, you WILL shear the head clean off the bolt. Please don’t ask me how I know this… Next, mount the body-side bracket to the frame using the 10MM screw you removed. Drop the steel brake line into the hole in the brass block mounted to the bracket, and tighten, using a 13MM line wrench on the brake line. Solid torque is required, but don’t get all Hulk Hogan on it, either. Next, install the flex line to the caliper-end fitting, using a pair of 7/16” line wrenches (you can substitute an 11MM line wrench for one if you need to). Use caution to keep all force applied in the rotational direction, and not exerting any kind of sideways force to the line. It’s not THAT fragile, but you could bend or break the line. Once that’s tight, route the hose and connect it to the body-side fitting, again using two 7/16” line wrenches. There are a couple of things you can do to simplify and improve the installation at this point. First, put a jack under the axle housing and compress the suspension as much as you can before the car floats off the jackstand. I’m assuming that the Steeda line kit is designed to be used with the Steeda shocks, which may not droop quite as far as the D-Specs that I use, and with the suspension unloaded, the lines are just a HAIR too short to comfortably assemble. Compressing the suspension allows a little more wiggle room to get the line started on the body-side fitting nipple with minimal hassle. Once the line is on and tight (7/16 line wrench), go ahead and lower the jack gently, until the suspension drops all the way. Clip the ABS connector to the body-side bracket by simply pushing the “Christmas tree” connectors into the holes in the bracket, then strain-relieve the ABS cable to the braided line right where there is a rubber insulator on the ABS wire with a wire tie. Cut the excess off for cleanliness, and you’re done with the brake hose!
Brake Pads:
Use a 13MM socket to remove the two caliper bolts, pull the caliper off the pads, balance it gently on top of the rotor and caliper mount bracket. Here the procedure to compress the caliper piston differs radically from the fronts. The parking brake operates the piston mechanically, as opposed to hydraulically, and there is a mechanism inside the caliper to adjust the piston that must be reset to allow the piston to retract making room for our new, beefy brake pads. Looking at the top and bottom of the piston face, you’ll notice two deep notches. These line up with a pin on the outside of the rear pad’s backing plate, and essentially prevents the piston from rotating against the adjuster mechanism, which is what we need to do to retract the piston. There are good ways, and bad ways, but the RIGHT way is to use a special tool to rotate the piston, while still keeping tension. I have heard tales of channel-locks and C-clamps, but the chance that you could create a burr on the side of the piston, which would cut the dust boot and/or seal and cost you a (PITA) rebuild is just too high. The tool to use has a hex-shaped “foot” with a pair of lugs that engage the piston, and have a brace that screws out to wedge against the front of the caliper. This applies tension to the piston, and the “foot” gives you a place to grab with a wrench to rotate the piston into the caliper. Every couple swings of the wrench will require you to re-tension the brace, but after about 8 or so revolutions, the piston will be screwed in deep enough to clear the thickness of the rotor and two pads. Make sure that your last turn with the wrench leaves the notches in the piston at the top and bottom, to allow the bottom notch to engage the lug on the back of the inboard brake pad.
If you are not changing out rotors, STOP HERE, and go to the reassembly section! Assuming that you are continuing, use a 15MM socket to remove the two bolts attaching the caliper mount bracket to the steering knuckle, and set the bracket aside. At this point the brake rotor will slide off the hub with no problem. Slide the new rotor back on the hub, then install the caliper mount bracket (15MM socket) and torque the bolts to 98 lb-Ft.
Reassembly
First, install the new brake pads. In my case, I used Hawk HP-Plus pads, but any brand should be identical in procedure. The inner and outer pads will simply drop into the bracket from the top. Using one hand, push the hat of the rotor against the hub, and using the other squeeze the pads against the rotor. If there is only minimal resistance when the pads slide back and forth, they’re in correctly. If they fall off, or don’t want to slide at all, then there is an issue. Next, drop the caliper over the rotor and pads, taking care that the slide-mounts’ flat side is lined up with the edge of the caliper, and flush to the caliper mounting pad. Install the caliper bolts to the slides, torqued to 25 lb-Ft. You’ll need to push down on the caliper firmly to get the caliper bolts to line up, as the springs attached to the pads will try to push the caliper up, and out of line.
Bleeding
I recommend doing one corner at a time, and bleeding as you go. If you have a pressure bleeder, it’s much simpler to do all four corners at once, but I will assume manual bleeding. First, check the fluid level in the master cylinder. I use Motul RBF600, which is a DOT 4 racing fluid with a VERY high boiling point, and relatively good resistance to moisture. In any event, I suggest topping it off at this time as you will drop the fluid level through bleeding. Break loose the bleeder screw, then gently snug it back down. Set up your “bleeder buddy” bottle. The one that I use is a 3Oz bottle, which has a magnetic mount ideal for just slapping against the rotor. Route the hose to the bleeder screw and stick one of the cone adapters into the bleeder screw opening. Now, open the bleeder 1/8-1/4 turn. Get in the car, and SLOWLY depress the brake pedal all the way, then SLOWLY release. After a few pumps, you’ll start to feel some pressure pushing back against your foot. Stop, and take a look at your bleeder hose and bottle. If you have a sensitive (experienced) foot, you’ll see alternating bands of air and fluid in the bleeder line, and maybe a little in the bottle. Check the fluid level in the master cylinder and top off if necessary. DO NOT let it go dry! Get back in the car and again slowly apply the brake and release. After one or more pumps, you’ll begin to notice a solid back-pressure in the pedal that gradually fades as the pedal hits bottom. I bet you’re done at that point. Get out and take a look at the hose and bottle. If you see solid, uninterrupted fluid in the hose, and an ounce or so in the bottle, then close the bleeder screw, and remove the bleeder rig. If your fluid is older, has been overheated (EVER fade the brakes??), or you want to change out the fluid, then you need to flush the lines. This is simple, just keep bleeding until the color of the fluid in the bleeder tube changes from the color you’re seeing now, to a nice clean pale amber color. At that point, you have flushed out the old fluid from the complete circuit between the master cylinder and the corner you’re working on right now. Particularly for flushing, work the RR, the LR, the RF, then LF, in that order. If you flush, you’ll need upwards of thee quarts of fluid. DO NOT use old fluid from an open container. Brake fluid is hygroscopic, meaning that it readily absorbs water (in the form of moisture and humidity), and water has a significantly lower boiling temp than fresh brake fluid. The Motul fluid that I use has nitrogen instead of air in the sealed bottle…. When fluid boils, it creates a vapor in the caliper, and since gasses are compressible where liquids are not (as a general rule) braking efficiency is replaced with a spongy-feeling pedal. Simple cure, though, bleed out the vapor! If you flush your lines, you will need to empty the bleeder bottle multiple times if you use the small ones like I like.
IF YOU DON’T USE THE SOLO BLEED screws, you’ll need to have a second person for the bleeding process. One working the bleeder screw, the other working the pedal. Your actions will need to be coordinated, and I suggest using specific language. Alternate calls to each other. Start with the pedal up, and the bleeder closed. First call is from the wrench guy: “OPEN!” That’s the clue for the foot guy to push the pedal down slowly and steadily. When the pedal bottoms, he calls “DOWN!” and holds the pedal in that position. This tells the wrench guy to tighten the bleeder screw, then call back “CLOSED!” This tells the foot guy to gently release the pedal. When the pedal is all the way up, he calls “UP!” and the cycle starts all over. Considering that two pairs of Solo Bleed screws costs less than the six-pack of import beer you need to buy for your buddy, I don’t see why you wouldn’t want to use them…
Once you have completed work on the brakes, and all is bled, and the pedal feels NICE and firm, put the tires back on. The wheels that I use are prone to vibration if just slapped on, so I will share my ritual for vibration-free installation.
First, visually inspect the face of the rotor hub, as well as the mounting flange of the wheels. If there is a buildup of rust, or dirt, or whatever, hit it with an abrasive pad to clean up the mating surfaces. Now, hang the rim on the hub, and start all five lugnuts. Find the lugnut closest to the “bottom” of the wheel, and using your hand and the appropriate socket, run the nut in until it snugs up. Now, shake and shimmy the tire while trying to tighten the lugnut as much as possible by hand. Once it locks in, drop the socket on one of the “top” two lugnuts, and repeat the process, with the shaking, and the yanking. Then repeat for the other “top” lugnut. Recheck your bottom lugnut. Once those three have centered the wheel, run the remaining two lugnuts in by hand. Next, torque all five lugnuts in a star-pattern to 30 lb-Ft. Then run them again at 60 lb-Ft. You can do the rears at 60 without dropping the car, but you’ll need to JUST BARELY get the front tires on the ground to get to 60 without them spinning all over. Next, with the tire barely in contact with the ground, torque to a full 100 lb-Ft.
Now that you have the brakes done, and the wheels back on, it’s time to take a quick test drive. Look for a very firm pedal that is nice and high. If the pedal is low, but firm, stop, back up a few feet, stop, back up a few feet, etc., until the rears adjust up against the parking brake. Next step is to bed-in the new pads. This is not nearly as critical with lower-temp street pads, but important for higher-temp race pads. Get the car up to 40MPH or so, and then aggressively slow the car to around 10MPH. Don’t actually stop the car, and don’t gradually drag the brakes. Take it back up to around 40MPH, and repeat for a total of 6-8 repetitions. What you’re doing is two-fold. You’re getting the brakes hot, into their normal operating range, and simultaneously curing the pads. The initial heat-cycles cause an off-gassing of the assembly adhesives in the pad, which combined with particles of brake pad get deposited on the rotor surface, making a much stickier interface. After 6-8 reps of the 40MPH routine, slow the car to a stop using as little brake as possible, and park it for at least 20 minutes to let the pads and rotor cool, locking the pad material into the rotor face. DO NOT use the parking brake. Put the car in park, or shut off and leave it in second gear with a manual. After the initial cool down, you’ll do one more cycle of 6-8 near stops, but this time from as close to race speeds as you can get. I would suggest at LEAST 60-70MPH, with aggressive braking to around 15-20, then back up again. Once done with the fast reps, park the car for at least an hour to let it all cool, crystallize, and become one with itself. NOW you’re ready to go rocking, and your brakes will have good initial bite, that only gets better when they come up to temp.
10/3/07, 05:59 PM
#5
Good post! I'll give another big thumbs up on the Earl's solo-bleeds. Thanks for the comparison pic of the Steeda vs. Earl's brake lines. I have the Earl's, but when it comes time to replace them I'll go with the Steeda versions. That caliper mounting block (like the stockers) is easier to deal with.
10/3/07, 06:54 PM
#6
Nice Dave, I have been toying with changing my brakes myself (never did brakes before) but I won't be changing fluid, just rotors and pads. I don't need to bleed them for just rotors and pads do I? It's the bleeding part that makes me nervous.
10/3/07, 10:03 PM
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When you get the car back together, initially the brake pedal will dive on you while the pistons are all getting themselves back into position. Slowly pump the pedal a few times, and you should be rewarded with a nice high, firm pedal.
Good luck!
10/3/07, 10:05 PM
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I'm not 100% positive, but I think I got them from Summit. They were around $2 a piece, and I grabbed four. Two for the shop, one for home, and one for the "go kit" in the trunk. Those and the Earls Solo Bleeds make brakes a particularly painless activity...
10/3/07, 10:19 PM
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Nice write-up Dave! How are the HP+ pads? Do they squeal? I've got Carbotech Bobcats on my car and they squeel a bit, but stop really nice when heated up. Fade is totally gone.
10/4/07, 06:11 AM
#12
10/4/07, 06:57 AM
#13
If you don't open the hydraulics (remove a line, or pull the bleeder), then there's probably no reason to bleed. Doing just pads and rotors is really pretty simple. 12MM, 13MM and 15MM sockets are all that are required. You will probably have to compress the pistons to clear the new (thicker) pads, but that's the hardest part. Just be gentle and slow when you're compressing the fronts, and borrow/rent the tool for the rears, and you'll be fine.
When you get the car back together, initially the brake pedal will dive on you while the pistons are all getting themselves back into position. Slowly pump the pedal a few times, and you should be rewarded with a nice high, firm pedal.
Good luck!
When you get the car back together, initially the brake pedal will dive on you while the pistons are all getting themselves back into position. Slowly pump the pedal a few times, and you should be rewarded with a nice high, firm pedal.
Good luck!
Thanks Dave.
10/4/07, 07:40 AM
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So far, there's just a faint squeel upon initial application that dissapears with any real applied pressure. That said, I really just got them bedded in. I'll let you know after the weekend. I've got a couple hundred miles of driving to do on Saturday, and then Monday I'm off to Autobahn for a NASA HPDE day. I figure that will be the real test. The HP+ so far seem to like a little heat in them, with the initial application being a bit on the "greasy" side. They definately stop, but they don't have full authority when cold. After a stop or two, though, they feel like they're trying to launch me through the windshield... Let me live with them for a few days, and I'll report more impressions. The Bobcats of yours are essentially the same application as the HP+, no? How do you like them for daily street use?
10/4/07, 07:54 AM
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Wow, great post. I've already done my lines/pads/rotors and that made me glad I already did it, LOL! Those Steeda lines do look 5 times better. I'm a cheap and went with the Earl's, and just a note, if anyone goes with the Earl's, you will have to "flip" the brackets, since they are on backwards. You'll see what I mean if you have them.
10/4/07, 10:04 AM
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So far, there's just a faint squeel upon initial application that dissapears with any real applied pressure. That said, I really just got them bedded in. I'll let you know after the weekend. I've got a couple hundred miles of driving to do on Saturday, and then Monday I'm off to Autobahn for a NASA HPDE day. I figure that will be the real test. The HP+ so far seem to like a little heat in them, with the initial application being a bit on the "greasy" side. They definately stop, but they don't have full authority when cold. After a stop or two, though, they feel like they're trying to launch me through the windshield... Let me live with them for a few days, and I'll report more impressions. The Bobcats of yours are essentially the same application as the HP+, no? How do you like them for daily street use?
10/5/07, 04:38 AM
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Sounds like the HP+ are similar to the Bobcats. The Bobcats stop well when cold, but grip much harder with heat in them. The reason I chose them over the HP+ is because their MOT is 150 degrees higher. The S197 is heavy and suffers from brake fade. I wanted to get rid of brake fade. Another reason is that the HP+ brake dust is caustic, which causes rim damage. The Carbotech Bobcat’s ceramic material is rim friendly. The only thing I don’t like about the Carbotech’s are that they squeal. The were dead quiet until about 2K miles of usage.
On a side note, I use HP+ on the street but they were not adequate for me on the track. I experienced a couple of brands on the track and this summer I tried the Cobalt Friction XR2 in the front (XR3 in the rear). Wow, great brake torque, no fade, rotor friendly (OEM) and last pretty long. I got 6 track days out of them and I probably have 1 or 2 left of pad material. These are dedicated race pads so you need to remove them because THESE will stick and bake on your rim. The only way I could remove the brake dust was with some oven cleaner ...
10/5/07, 05:10 AM
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BTW, here is a post I just made with some videos of my tracks days this summer:
http://forums.bradbarnett.net/showth...18#post1017918
http://forums.bradbarnett.net/showth...18#post1017918
10/5/07, 10:52 AM
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HP+ do not cause rim damage. I have use them on my last 3 Mustangs and never experience any damage. They do cause a lot of brake dust and squeal. A tip to eliminate the squealing for a while is to give a good abuse by stopping a couple of times hard and they will stop ... for a while !
On a side note, I use HP+ on the street but they were not adequate for me on the track. I experienced a couple of brands on the track and this summer I tried the Cobalt Friction XR2 in the front (XR3 in the rear). Wow, great brake torque, no fade, rotor friendly (OEM) and last pretty long. I got 6 track days out of them and I probably have 1 or 2 left of pad material. These are dedicated race pads so you need to remove them because THESE will stick and bake on your rim. The only way I could remove the brake dust was with some oven cleaner ...
On a side note, I use HP+ on the street but they were not adequate for me on the track. I experienced a couple of brands on the track and this summer I tried the Cobalt Friction XR2 in the front (XR3 in the rear). Wow, great brake torque, no fade, rotor friendly (OEM) and last pretty long. I got 6 track days out of them and I probably have 1 or 2 left of pad material. These are dedicated race pads so you need to remove them because THESE will stick and bake on your rim. The only way I could remove the brake dust was with some oven cleaner ...
10/5/07, 11:22 AM
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I put some miles on the brakes yesterday and today after bedding them in and then curing them for 24 hours... There is brake squeal, typical of high-metallic content pads, but not excessive, and yes, virginia, these are DUSTY pads. Of course, having installed the brake ducts and pulled the dust shield, I really have no comparison to make versus stock pads, but my gut tells me that the maintenance interval on the wheels just went up. Initial bite, when cold is very good, and when warmed up a little really gets aggressive. I haven't run them hard enough to try to fade them, though. I'll save that for Autobahn on Monday...