Better
SHO Brakes through Science
We all love our SHO's, but wonder why Ford put 10.1 inch front disc
brake rotors on this car. These rotors were originally sized for four cylinder
Tauri with 14 inch wheels. Unfortunately the brakes on the 140 mph SHO
weren't upgraded until 94 and later.
Many SHO owners report problems with brake fade and rotor warping, with
a severity ranging from barely noticeable to severe. Recent SHO's from
94 and 96 up have rotors as large as 10.8 to 11.6 inches, offering greatly
increased braking performance. Many owners have even upgraded these larger
brakes onto the earlier cars. However, there may be another way, if we
apply a little science and race car expertise. The lowly brake pad can
be upgraded in much the same way you would upgrade to a set of high-performance
tires. Racing pads are a much less expensive upgrade than a 12 inch rotor
conversion, but how do you compare the two? The stumbling block in comparing
different brake pads is getting good information. Most of the real data
and facts are scarce or not published. In an effort to remedy this situation,
I asked several brake engineers some questions to get their theoretical
viewpoint. And I took a survey from fellow SHO owners to see what their
real life experiences were. And these are the results...
For a quick look ahead.. click here:
Expected Rotor Temperatures
Capabilities of Various Brake
Pads
Pad Part Numbers
DOT Pad Codes
Brake Survey Results
Upgrade Decisions - Rotors
vs Pads
On Rotor Warping
Other Brake Maintenance &
Modification Tips
Links
Admittedly, the SHO is not a race car, but there are times when it begs
to be driven like one....
However, because the brakes are so small, they get plenty hot. Driving
a SHO moderately aggressively on the street is harder on the brakes than
an autocross. The SHO is the highest performance front wheel drive car
around, and fairly full size to boot, and that puts more stress on the
front brakes than most sports cars would, whether on the street or track!
Swept area comparisons reveal that a SHO has similar brake swept area
per ton as a BMW, Trans-Am or Corvette. So why don't the brakes feel as
confidence inspiring? The answer is .....because the SHO is front wheel
drive and puts 30% more weight on the front wheels and it's front brakes
than any of those other cars. And unfortunately the brakes are not 30%
bigger either. So they get much hotter.
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