Brake pads for m4

[Mike Garrett]

I am wanting to replace my front and rear brake pads with Hawk brand HPS. I have a Mark 4 with standard brakes that came with the complete kit but they don’t stop that well, the pedal requires lots of pressure. I have heard that the pads for a 1999 Mustang GT will work. Is that correct and does someone have the part numbers for the front and rear? Thanks for your help.

[ggunter]

Hi Mike, I have the same issue with my car. I have 200 miles on iit and I still hate the brakes. I finally bit the bullet and switched to the Wilwood brakes. To answer your question the front brakes are 87-93 Mustang and the rear are 87-88 Tbird.

[BEAR-AvHistory]

Take a look at Hawk pads, no real need to change calipers. FFR factory pads suck not the calipers.



There are newer versions available

[BradCraig]

Take a look at Hawk pads, no real need to change calipers. FFR factory pads suck not the calipers.



There are newer versions available

HPS vs HPS 5.0 thoughts? They seem comparable...

[Mag]

The Hawk HPS pads are awesome. Front part # HB274F.610 Rear HB580F.627 My mk4 actually stops great now. It was pretty scary before I got the Hawks.
Talked to the tech guy at Hawk and he said the HPS 5.0's were better. But after looking at reviews of people that used them, I went with the HPS.
The ratings were higher on the HPS. More break dust than the original pads that came with the kit, but that's a small price to pay for being able to stop safely.

[Mike Garrett]

Thanks Mag, you answered my question perfectly.

[Joel Hauser]

So I have a question. I am using off-the-shelf stock (read inexpensive) brake pads, maybe wagner, in my roadster, which is equipped with the stock front and rear brake calipers and master cylinder from my 1996 donor mustang When I built the car, I figured that since it weighs about half what the mustang weighed, loss of the power brakes would not be a problem.
I find that the stock pads work fine for slowing the car down, and it stops...eventually….but it could be better. I have braked hard enough on gravel to lock up the wheels, but I haven’t done so on pavement. I think they would lock up, but I haven’t really tried.
I know that Hawk HPS and EBC greenstuff pads are highly recommended. But they are really expensive, like 5 -10 times what stock pads cost. I know safety comes first, and it can be expensive. And as I drive the car less than 1000 miles a year, I know that the pads will probably last 20 years. But has anyone come across a more reasonably priced pad that has a comparable braking force/coefficient of friction? I don’t care about dust, but I’d prefer no squealing. Any recommendations - other than Hawk and EBC?
Thanks

[Sdonnel]

I'm running the Powerstop Z26-804 on the front and just ordered the Z26-347 for my 8.8 rear. Great braking power from the front. Almost no dust and a good price. Once I get the rears installed and the rims washed (80 miles with stock pads and they are black), I will let you know how they work. I bedded them in per the procedure and they work great with normal peddle pressure.

Scott

[Paul2STL]

So I have a question. I am using off-the-shelf stock (read inexpensive) brake pads, maybe wagner, in my roadster, which is equipped with the stock front and rear brake calipers and master cylinder from my 1996 donor mustang When I built the car, I figured that since it weighs about half what the mustang weighed, loss of the power brakes would not be a problem.
I find that the stock pads work fine for slowing the car down, and it stops...eventually….but it could be better. I have braked hard enough on gravel to lock up the wheels, but I haven’t done so on pavement. I think they would lock up, but I haven’t really tried.
I know that Hawk HPS and EBC greenstuff pads are highly recommended. But they are really expensive, like 5 -10 times what stock pads cost. I know safety comes first, and it can be expensive. And as I drive the car less than 1000 miles a year, I know that the pads will probably last 20 years. But has anyone come across a more reasonably priced pad that has a comparable braking force/coefficient of friction? I don’t care about dust, but I’d prefer no squealing. Any recommendations - other than Hawk and EBC?
Thanks

The reason some people are having to go to a super aggressive pad is they are running stock mustang calipers that are not boosted. Since you are using the hydroboost you wont see the lack of braking that a lot of builders using PBR calipers/wagner pad with out boost are. The griping force for these calipers are not designed to not have boost applied to them. You can buy upgraded pads for a 04 mustang they are not that expensive as the Hawk pads. I'm sure you would see a real improvement over the stock pads that FFR sends. https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...425024&jsn=996 These are what I am running and brakes work great. Never ran the pads from FFR so cant compare. And of course they are not as good as the Wilwood setup, but I didn't spend no where near what that would cost.

[Joel Hauser]

Paul, I misspoke/forgot. I am not using the stock mustang master cylinder. I'm using a dorman M39637, which is for an 87-93 Mustang. I don't have powerboost; all the power comes from my legs. Do you guys think I will see improvement with the powerstop Z26 pads? They are definitely more reasonably priced.
Thanks

[nuhale]

The reason some people are having to go to a super aggressive pad is they are running stock mustang calipers that are not boosted. Since you are using the hydroboost you wont see the lack of braking that a lot of builders using PBR calipers/wagner pad with out boost are. The griping force for these calipers are not designed to not have boost applied to them. You can buy upgraded pads for a 04 mustang they are not that expensive as the Hawk pads. I'm sure you would see a real improvement over the stock pads that FFR sends. https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...425024&jsn=996 These are what I am running and brakes work great. Never ran the pads from FFR so cant compare. And of course they are not as good as the Wilwood setup, but I didn't spend no where near what that would cost.

So I have a thread open as well on the topic. I have boost with the "stock" 99 mustang PBR fronts and old IRS rears (been reported 95 mustang GT). I get stop.. but feels like a F150 with a bed of bricks. I did some trials yesterday on a utility road and I could NOT get the tires to lock from 30-40mph. It's ok but could be better. Upgrading to Hawk HPS. I do have a Wilwood prop valve and purpose for my trials was to see if I was front or rear bias.

I just bought these pads on Amazon yesterday and they were not terrible.

HB580F.627 - $79 (REAR)
HB274F.610 - $69 (FRONT)

[cv2065]

More break dust than the original pads that came with the kit

Man that's hard to believe. My FFR brake pads are TERRIBLE with dust. I have to clean the wheels after every ride.

[BEAR-AvHistory]

Some people have different levels of dust sensibility. I ran HPS & HP+ pads. The + pads have a better grip but were very dirty. The HPS are pretty normal in dusting.

Regardless a very good product is Armor All "Outlast". You spray it on clean wheels & makes dust easy to remove. Pics are HP+ after a week of daily driving. Second is a single pass with a dry paper shop towel.

[Paul2STL]

So I have a thread open as well on the topic. I have boost with the "stock" 99 mustang PBR fronts and old IRS rears (been reported 95 mustang GT). I get stop.. but feels like a F150 with a bed of bricks. I did some trials yesterday on a utility road and I could NOT get the tires to lock from 30-40mph. It's ok but could be better. Upgrading to Hawk HPS. I do have a Wilwood prop valve and purpose for my trials was to see if I was front or rear bias.

I just bought these pads on Amazon yesterday and they were not terrible.

HB580F.627 - $79 (REAR)
HB274F.610 - $69 (FRONT)

Sounds like you may have air in the system or you are not getting a long enough throw on your booster. Are running hydoboost or vacuum boost? I have 93 mustang vacuum boost and can lock mine up pretty quick. I know on the vacuum booster you can adjust the arm attached to my brake pedal. I am running the kit from Whitby Motors. Not sure on the hydroboost one.

[nuhale]

Sounds like you may have air in the system or you are not getting a long enough throw on your booster. Are running hydoboost or vacuum boost? I have 93 mustang vacuum boost and can lock mine up pretty quick. I know on the vacuum booster you can adjust the arm attached to my brake pedal. I am running the kit from Whitby Motors. Not sure on the hydroboost one.

I have the Forte Hydroboost. The adjuster rod was set near perfect and I both bench bled the master cylinder and pressure bled the system with rigor. I won't rule this out of course and will give it some more bleed when I change the pads just in case. I know Mike has sold a bunch of the hydroboost setups but my experience has not been great.

[Sdonnel]

Just installed the Z26-347 pads and anti moan brackets this morning. Pads went in perfectly. Had to tweak the brackets a little to get the to fit on the tubes, but nothing too hard. Time to clean up the rear wheels and bed the brakes in.

[RogerDM]

The Hawk HPS pads are awesome. Front part # HB274F.610 Rear HB580F.627 My mk4 actually stops great now. It was pretty scary before I got the Hawks.
Talked to the tech guy at Hawk and he said the HPS 5.0's were better. But after looking at reviews of people that used them, I went with the HPS.
The ratings were higher on the HPS. More break dust than the original pads that came with the kit, but that's a small price to pay for being able to stop safely.

Alright, we will take a look at Hawk HPS pads when we start working on the MK4. We'll just finish installing the suspension, fender flares, and bumper on the truck this week before we can clear the garage.

[AdamIsAdam]

I have the PowerStop Z26 on my GT350 and LOVE them. I'm ordering them for my MKIV 11.65" rears, which shed a ton of dust. But for the front I have 1993 Cobra R 13" rotors and calipers. I'd like to go with Z26 up front but am not sure which are the right pads.

Can anyone confirm if these are correct up front: https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...=8346&jsn=8346

These are the rears: https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...17569&jsn=6875