Successful
Track Combinations for
the SVT Cobra
-Hawk Blue (frt)
-Hawk HPS+ (rr)
-Good rotors (OE Ford or OE Ford/Brembo)
-Ford HP fluid
-3" cooling ducts (different from the setup at the link above)
-SS lines
-Stock bias
<this setup has ZERO problems all day in full race conditions>
Compliments
of Carlo "will race for food" Sparacio
carspar@email.msn.com
BRAKE
COOLING a SVT Cobra
-
All SN95 Cobras come standard with 4 wheel anti-lock brakes consisting of a vented 13.0" disc, with a two piston caliper in front, with a vented 11.65" disk and
single piston caliper in the rear. This system is great fo street, autocross and occasional road course duty. But if you want to get serious about pulling your car down
from triple digit track speeds, you need to do a few things to keep the car happy.
Fluid: The first modification on the list is changing the brake fluid. If you car is not brand new, its time to change it. When the fluid gets stale, it absorbs moisture from
the atmosphere. When the brakes get hot from race duty, the moisture in the fluid boils and turns to a gas. Once the fluid boils the pedal begins to feel spongy, and in
sever cases the brakes wont work at all. Changing fluid is a cinch. First suck the fluid out of the master cylinder with a small pump. Then refill the master cylinder with fresh fluid. Get some good fluid for this.
Dont get the cheap Al's auto supply junk!. Then bleed each brake cylinder until you see the new fluid displace the old stuff. Start with the right rear, then move to the
right front. Next do the left rear and finally do the left front. Oh...keep an eye on the master cylinder. Dont let it run dry!
Backing Plates: Removal of the backing plates behind the disk is very important for reducing heat build-up. These plates can be removed by removing the caliper
and anchor plate. The front backing plate is held on by 3 rivets, and the rears are held on by 2 small screws.
Air Ducting: If you dont want your front brakes to go into Chernoble mode, air ducting is a must. Cobras are set up perfect for ducting. The fog lamp holes in the
front facia make great scoops. All you have to do is remove the fog lights from there mounts. They are held in by two bolts. Next disconnect the wire harness and
tape the connector to keep water and grime out. Finally tie up the harness to keep it out of the way.
Now its time to build the ducting assembly. To build the assembles you will need two long, deep funnels, some duct tape, a bunch of zip ties and 6 ft or so of 3 inch
silicon duct material and 8ft of 2 inch ducting. First you need to cut off the end of the funnels so the small end is a little smaller than the ducting. Fit the ducting over
the funnel and secure it to the funnel. I used duct tape. Next run the ducting from the fog light "scoop" to the swaybar. Tie the duct to the swaybar. From there split
the ducting by running 2- 2 inch ducts to the rotors. Route one in front of the strut to the rotor, and the other up, over and around the strut to the rotor. Try go get them as close as possible to the rotor center without
interfering with wheel lock, or suspension travel, making sure it does not come in contact with the tire at full lock. Also try to install a screen at the front of the duct to
keep debris from being ingested and shot straight at the rotor.
Brake Pads: Always use the stock PBR brake pads from your Ford dealer for street use. Using cheap "part store" brand pads is a bad idea. I have tested both
Ford pads and "cheap" pads side by side. The Ford pads last about 90 laps in hard race duty with minimal fading. The "cheap" pads did not make it that long, I had
to remove them after 30 laps of hard race duty due to sever fading. They began fading severly after about 6 laps. I'll have more on race pads soon. More testing is
nesessary. Update: testing continuing. Pads tested: Stock PBR pads, cheap store pads, Hawk Black race pads and Hawk HP street pads. Results coming soon.
Braided Lines: Braided lines are a great addition to the brake system. They add safety because under the harsh conditions, and heat of racing, stock rubber lines
can burst under pressure. The expansion of stock rubber lines can cause a spongy brake pedal and even some loss of intial braking force. These lines will help give
you car a firmer pedal, quicker braking response, and easier brake modulation. Baer makes a nice braided hose set for the SN95. These lines are a real easy
upgrade and only take an hour or so to do all four. The only modification needed to install these lines in the front is to file the little tab in the bracket where the hard
line meets the flex line. On the rears you have to diconnect the lower shock mount to access the torx fastener that holds the brake line bracket to the rear axle. You
have to remove the bracket when you remove the line (they're one piece). Make sure you bleed the brakes properly after installation. The part #'s are
8PAM03016A27 (front), 8PAM03010A03 (rear) the cost is about $165.00 for both kits.
Compliments
of Carlo "will race for food" Sparacio
carspar@email.msn.com
http://www.tcmotorsports.net
Visit-
http://www.tcmotorsports.net/ for the latest updates on SN95 brake
cooling INFO.
Click
"race tech" or "mustangs" at the above website for the most recent
information.
