Powerstop Z23 Front and Rear Kit

[EsTea]

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinf...4c21O8rrklHfN+rmHb/pgYBLUPs2+PAa6b7pTR4KGVrRx

Rock Auto has this kit for $200 right now, super good deal or is there a reason it's cheaper than usual? Relatively new to the Fiesta ST experience so if someone could breakdown if this is good or if there's a better replacement it would be highly appreciated.

 

[Ford ST]

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=8746980&cc=3308782&pt=13824&jsn=948&_nck=Ekt6BqBF1pwlXdx0gYlm1esw98pF26vehMm/GG3C/l2QOXSJubi7WSpUmUSdg3OxWOs2f5z9h422EONy36O0PjCuaadDqI1r86y/vJ1lBqxeBNhI9mMX8J0jIvc2PdNO3nlEwo2eopj3gto7weBgCXo5u3WlWVhWC2hFp/ZbSIT/3cm82Ru0I3g27uCsIWnlxkTTRPDYCb29cJmpdmWiPcS3zKFKwxJY412HOmAs2rTDn9bkTG3uC1SPUNZ6rQq37dbNJQ+Lt8YUdT0joN0of0FiLzRSb3Zzddqcq2tT14wNjhvUyEWPiah6IVNomombUAChafeEWvffdHfXyiD4c21O8rrklHfN+rmHb/pgYBLUPs2+PAa6b7pTR4KGVrRx

Rock Auto has this kit for $200 right now, super good deal or is there a reason it's cheaper than usual? Relatively new to the Fiesta ST experience so if someone could breakdown if this is good or if there's a better replacement it would be highly appreciated.

Personally I am a big fan of the OEM pads that come on the car with summer tires, and are the only pads I will install on my car.
I am very familiar with that brand and I have installed multiple brake pads by them. They are okay, I would say they are a mediocre ceramic break pad. Definitely better options out there but far worse options as well.

This would be my choice.

 

[Cneu]

Personally I am a big fan of the OEM pads that come on the car with summer tires, and are the only pads I will install on my car.
I am very familiar with that brand and I have installed multiple brake pads by them. They are okay, I would say they are a mediocre ceramic break pad. Definitely better options out there but far worse options as well.

This would be my choice.

Lol i love how rockauto nearly always breaks up your shipments. Why wouldn't they stock the rotors in the same warehouse?

Thanks for the recommendation. I'm ordering these vs all the random brand name pads.

 

[wcnST]

I have that kit and it is 1000 times better than stock.

 

[esp_martin]

I have that kit and it is 1000 times better than stock.

what about this setup makes it significantly better than stock? honest question.

 

[Ford ST]

I have that kit and it is 1000 times better than stock.

I definitely would not agree with you on that especially if your car came with summer tires from the factory.

 

[CSM]

I personally hate all of the PowerStop pad compounds except for their track day spec. Not a lot of good pedal feel compared to stock pads.

Also I really would advise against drilled and slotted rotors. Negligible gains compared to Blanks and they will wear out faster due to inevitable cracking.

 

[SST]

i installed the Z23 front and wont work on track, now on stock summer pads and problem solved, hope i did my job to convince people here not to use Z23

 

[wcnST]

what about this setup makes it significantly better than stock? honest question.

They are just faster to heat up but dont seem to overheat for me. The initial bite isnt overwhelming and holds through. We will truly see at TOD next week. I am taking 3 sets of pads with me. I have been there before with pad issues and it isnt pretty.

 

[faust]

just got to drive an 01 Focus with a set of Powerstop Z23s in front. They definitely don't bite anything like the summer FiST pads. I'm also in the OEM pads for street / autox / track day camp.

 

[wcnST]

What are all these OEM track pads people are talking about?

 

[vivix]

I like the z23 pads for a street car. Great upgrade from the summer tire pads the car came with because they dont dust or destroy rotors like the stockers did. Initial bite is slightly less but comparable for me in daily driving and back road fun. I kept the stock pads if I ever do a track day though, they may have worn the rotors like crazy in 19k miles of mostly highway driving but there is still a ton of meat left on the pads.

 

[M-Sport fan]

What are all these OEM track pads people are talking about?

They are the factory Motorcraft pads which came on the cars equipped with the Potenza 050 summer tires.

My car was ordered by me with the UHP Pilot all season tires, and therefore the less grippy (and some say less dusting as well?) factory pads, so when I do my first brake job, it is getting the 'performance' factory pads as an 'upgrade'.

These pads/rotors have lasted me over 6 years, and 44K miles, and are still not near the backing plates yet, but then I habitually turn off the nannies as far as the button allows, every single time I start the car, so maybe that helped 'save' them??

 

[esp_martin]

I like the z23 pads for a street car. Great upgrade from the summer tire pads the car came with because they dont dust or destroy rotors like the stockers did. Initial bite is slightly less but comparable for me in daily driving and back road fun. I kept the stock pads if I ever do a track day though, they may have worn the rotors like crazy in 19k miles of mostly highway driving but there is still a ton of meat left on the pads.

just an FYI, @vivix explains what they mean by "better" so credit where it's due. for some people, especially those who can't stand brake dust dirtying their wheels, the performance of the OEM Motorcraft BRF1494 does not outweigh the negatives that come with that performance

just so @EsTea gets a clear answer, many on the best tuners/racers on the Forum agree the Motorcraft BRF1494 (summer OEM) brake pads are dollar-for-dollar some the best pads you can get for the FiestaST. they have amazing stopping power with great initial bite and are a great value. with the huge added bonus of the Ford engineers designing the car using those pads. to get a better quality stopping pad on factory rotors usually means paying more money and/or dealing with a pad that makes horrible noises when used and doesn't work until they heat up.

the trade off is an unholy amount of brake dust created and also eating through rotors. someone else please correct me if i'm wrong but i think the big reason the rotors get chewed through is due to all the heat that builds up and doesn't dissipate fast enough. this is a *good* thing cause it means the brake pads are transferring more of the car's kinetic energy into the rotor. it's a big reason why brake duct cooling is such a big thing here.

i too wanted to go down a whole bunch of different roads to increase stopping power on the Fiesta thinking it's a weak point. it's not. finding a way to manage the rotor heat and changing how you brake to reduce the heat created are the two things i'd recommend now. i don't even think BBK are worth the cost/install trouble unless you really push the car hot lapping.

but for some the tradeoffs of the OEM summer pad aren't worth it and they go for a dust-free setup that gives them enough stopping power for them. something to think about.

 

[Ford ST]

The OEM summer pads are great. Any aggressive semi metallic pad is going to be hard on rotors. I don't care, I replace them every time I do brake pads. I have done many brake jobs and have installed a few different brands. Powerstop pads are at the bottom of my list. Maybe give the OEM all season tire pads a try they are ceramic. Anyway just going to have to agree to disagree here, but I will never recommend them to anyone ever.

 

[wcnST]

Man I tried to find the difference in "OEM Summer" pads and just OEM pads. No matter what tires you got your car with they all came with the same brake pads and ANYTHING other then those are a step up.

 

[Ford ST]

Man I tried to find the difference in "OEM Summer" pads and just OEM pads. No matter what tires you got your car with they all came with the same brake pads and ANYTHING other then those are a step up.

No. You are completely wrong.

 

[Ford ST]

OEM summer tire pads.



OEM all season tire pads. Look at that A/S tires is even in the name.

 

[wcnST]

Rock Auto is NOT FoMC. Call a dealership or look up the builds. They will list ONE pad not an option of pads. I dont need to argue nor do I really care. Personally speaking however, I have never heard of a Summer Pad. Track pad, yes.

 

[Ford ST]

Rock Auto is NOT FoMC. Call a dealership or look up the builds. They will list ONE pad not an option of pads. I dont need to argue nor do I really care. Personally speaking however, I have never heard of a Summer Pad. Track pad, yes.

I have had the car for 6 years. It is known the cars came with different pads. Many of us still have the original pads on our car. We can read the part number. You are wrong end of story.