Shadowman's AP/Stillen Brake Evaluation

[Ed Sims]

Stillen/AP brakes

I just put 200 miles bedding in the brake rotors. I can notice the power already. Not grabby but a solid feel with some massive braking G-forces there. I'll be taking them out for a real road workout soon with a track eval on July 4.

Ed

PS A great feature is having the rotors sold separately when it comes time to replace them. Also the vanes are correctly shaped on the Stillen APs but not so on the FRRP Brembos.

 

[kmillen]

Can you replace just the rotors with the AP setup, or do you need to buy the complete set of rotors and hats as from Ford Motorsports (which is really annoying)?

You are able to replace just the rotors and re-use the hats that come with the kit originally. We usually like to see people install new hardware when they do replaceme the rotors but that's just a good practice with two piece rotors.

 

[kmillen]

I just put 200 miles bedding in the brake rotors. I can notice the power already. Not grabby but a solid feel with some massive braking G-forces there. I'll be taking them out for a real road workout soon with a track eval on July 4.

Ed

PS A great feature is having the rotors sold separately when it comes time to replace them. Also the vanes are correctly shaped on the Stillen APs but not so on the FRRP Brembos.

Glad to hear that you're already seeing the benefits Ed! I am sure you will enjoy them while on the track.

By the way, what brake fluid are you running and do you have any brake ducts?

 

[Ed Sims]

Ed's brake fluid

Shadowman - what brake fluid do I have?

Ed

PS Kyle - we've tossed the brake duct idea around but as of right now I have no brake ducts.

 

[Shadowman]

Shadowman - what brake fluid do I have?

Ed

PS Kyle - we've tossed the brake duct idea around but as of right now I have no brake ducts.

Super Blue brake fluid at this time and we have discussed the brake ducts; I see this on the list of to do's to come.

Shadowman

 

[roketman]

What pads are you using ? What is the recommend pad for the system .Assuming for track use.I was just out at Watkins Glen for 2 days and warped my left front rotor.I even have brake ducts and super blue with pagid blues. So now the question is what should I use to replace my stock rotors ? Ford racing or AP ?And do I need to replace the rears too?

 

[tpraceman]

I always marvel at your abilities and how well you inform us on the process. :thumbsup

Tell Ed they now need the machined and engraved lug nuts to complete the look.

 

[kmillen]

Ed- I would highly recommend the brake ducts. They help tremendously. In the 2006 Targa rally we ran without ducting and we boiled the Motul RBF600 fluid a couple of times and kept having to bleed the brakes. In 2008 we switched to the AP Racing 600 fluid and fabricated a set of brake ducts. We did not have to service the brakes at all the entire week. In fact, I don't even remember changing pads...

These brake systems come loaded with the Mintex Xtreme brake pads.

http://www.stillen.com/product.asp?id=MNTXXTRP1&c=BR

 

[dbackg]

How can one install front and/or rear brake ducts?

This is a great feature on my 08 Shelby GT500 Super Snake.

 

[Ed Sims]

project car forever

Roketman - I haven't tested them on the track but I am thinking this is the time for you to switch to the Stillen/AP brakes.

dbackg - Shadowman is working on the brake duct system for our cars. There are a few other projects also in the works. I'm sure you'll see my GT on this forum when each & every project is done to it. I don't foresee an end to the projects any time soon!

Ed

 

[t32b]

FWIW, I just snapped a new set of brake 'ducts' on to my 997. The reason for the quotes is that, unlike true ducts piping air in from the front end, these affix on to the lower leading edge a-arm, and just route air that is rushing by that piece in to the direction of the nearby disk. Simple, low tech, and doubtlessly less effective than a true duct. But given that real ducts on our FGT's seems like a real challenge, and these snap-ons, used on GT3's are remarkably simple to install, I thought it was worth mentioning. I should note that the GT3 pieces won't come close to fitting the FGT because they rely on the I-beam style of the Porsche a-arm to snap in to place. The smooth oval finish of the GT would be a bigger challenge.
Again, just an FYI.

 

[RALPHIE]

How can one install front and/or rear brake ducts?

This is a great feature on my 08 Shelby GT500 Super Snake.

http://www.fordgtforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=180768#post180768

 

[kmillen]

FWIW, I just snapped a new set of brake 'ducts' on to my 997. The reason for the quotes is that, unlike true ducts piping air in from the front end, these affix on to the lower leading edge a-arm, and just route air that is rushing by that piece in to the direction of the nearby disk. Simple, low tech, and doubtlessly less effective than a true duct. But given that real ducts on our FGT's seems like a real challenge, and these snap-ons, used on GT3's are remarkably simple to install, I thought it was worth mentioning. I should note that the GT3 pieces won't come close to fitting the FGT because they rely on the I-beam style of the Porsche a-arm to snap in to place. The smooth oval finish of the GT would be a bigger challenge.
Again, just an FYI.

On our race-car we actually did something very similar to what you are describing. I wish we had taken some photos of our setup while the car was out here because it turned out great. The engineers used our rapid prototype machine to print out a platic pipe that came off of the front fascia brake ducts (opened up to be functional) and routed through the frame rails. From there we also added some piping to direct the airflow on to the brake system and we also fabricated a shield system that covered the spindle and caliper and allowed the air to flow right in. We also fabbed up a little rubber strip very similar to what you are describing that was drilled into the lower control arm to help deflect a little more air into the brakes.

 

[Ed Sims]

brake eval

It looks like we have a thread under Tech with a question that should be in this thread. The question is what is the update? I am going on a serious road test on Saturday up in the mountains where I really be able to test the brakes. The track test will be at Sears Point in a few weeks. The eye test was at a car show last week where the brakes definitely are massive & strong looking. I had more than a few comments on how cool they look. Of course, the real test is coming up. Stay tuned.

Ed

 

[Ed Sims]

Steve Millen checks on the brake project

Steve Millen from Stillen called me to ask what I thought of the brakes. He was very nice & pleasant to speak with on the phone. Some of you may have had the pleasure to have met him at Rally 2.

He was very interested in how my GT performed with the brakes & also he stated how much he respected GT owners for modifying their GTs & taking them out & getting them dirty! Cars are for driving!

Ed

 

[t32b]

It would be great if we could get a few pix of it all. The way you describe sounds very interesting but the car may be too buttoned up to get a good set of snaps.
On a related note, I happened to have spent some quality time under my Porsche re-calibrating the suspension ride height. I'm no famous 'hand model' but this is within my skill range. Any way I was surprised to see the extra ducting that comes with the GT3 bumper that I had grafted on to the nose of my 997S. It includes two diffuser looking parts just ahead of the front wheels that allow some of the laminar flow from under the car to vent past the new brake deflectors (also from a GT3) and doubtlessly add to brake cooling.
So it's the moral equivalent of what kmillen is describing, though without the complexities of opening up the front bumper. Nice hack.

On our race-car we actually did something very similar to what you are describing. I wish we had taken some photos of our setup while the car was out here because it turned out great. The engineers used our rapid prototype machine to print out a platic pipe that came off of the front fascia brake ducts (opened up to be functional) and routed through the frame rails. From there we also added some piping to direct the airflow on to the brake system and we also fabricated a shield system that covered the spindle and caliper and allowed the air to flow right in. We also fabbed up a little rubber strip very similar to what you are describing that was drilled into the lower control arm to help deflect a little more air into the brakes.

 

[Ed Sims]

photos

t32b - the first page of this thread has lots of photos of the brakes.

Ed

 

[Ed Sims]

Great review

Thanks Matteo for the review. I agree with you on all points.

Ed

http://www.fordgtforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=191072&postcount=9

 

[Ed Sims]

road test completed

I just drove 275 miles with at least 200 of those miles being very twisty. I took my GT with the new AP/Stillen brakes from the California big valley to Lake Tahoe (100 feet above sea level to 7000+ feet) & gave the brakes the max test. The brakes performed amazingly. There were some fast sections then some tight corners so the brakes were never warmed up but they were great. Very firm feel & extremely strong. I thought it would be hard to improve on the OEM Brembos but the AP/Stillen brakes are phenomenal. I can't wait to test them out in 2 weeks on the track.

Ed

 

[sandman]

A drive in the GT and a drink at Homewood, a nice day indeed!