2011-2019 Ford Fiesta Brake Upgrade Options

By Core Brake Parts Tech Team — Circleville, OH warehouse

On a 2011-2019 Ford Fiesta, a brake "upgrade" is really three separate decisions: the pad compound, the rotor, and whether you change the hardware behind them. For most Fiesta owners the pad is the whole upgrade, because the pad is what sets bite, fade resistance, dust and noise. A bigger caliper and rotor package only pays off if you are running the car hard enough to cook what is already on it.

Here is how to work through the options in order, and what the manufacturers actually claim for each one.

Start by matching the compound to the temperature you actually reach

Every friction material has a window. Below it the pad is lazy and the pedal feels long; above it the pad fades. Manufacturers publish those windows, and they are the single most useful number when choosing a Fiesta pad.

Read the optimal column, not just the headline range. Hawk lists HP Plus as reaching from 100 F but says its optimal band is 300-600 F, which is why it is described as ideal for autocross rather than for a commute. A pad whose useful range starts at ambient, like the Hawk Performance Ceramic front set for the Fiesta ST, is the one that behaves properly on a cold morning at the end of your street.

EBC publishes a friction level rather than a temperature band for its street-and-track compound. Bluestuff NDX is rated at 0.52 Mu, and EBC positions it for fast road and lighter track work, specifically full track days and entry-level club racing. It is R90 approved for most applications, though EBC asks you to check your own before buying. The Bluestuff NDX front set for the later Fiesta is the choice if you want one pad that does both jobs.

If you drive the car to work and take it to two track days a year, HPS 5.0 or Bluestuff NDX is the sane pick. If the Fiesta is trailered or only sees cones and lapping sessions, that is where HP Plus and the DTC-30 race set start to make sense. Browse the rest of the range in brake pads.

Bed the new pads in, or you will blame the wrong part

Most complaints that an upgrade did nothing are really bedding complaints. EBC bedding guidance for street driving is that after the first 100 miles or so, unless you are going to drive aggressively, there is nothing more to do. Drive harder than that and expect odor or even smoke as the pad burns off surface volatiles the first time it sees rotor temperatures of 400-500 C, which EBC puts at a 300 mile minimum.

Bluestuff is one of the compounds EBC says can be street bedded and then driven to the track and raced, which is exactly what you want from a dual-purpose pad. By contrast EBC does not recommend Yellowstuff for track use because of excessively long bed-in times, so the compound you choose changes the procedure, not just the bite.

EBC also points out why rotor condition matters: even if the discs are flat and smooth, the pad and rotor have to square up to each other and achieve 90 percent surface contact. On a grooved or unevenly worn disc that takes far longer, which is the practical argument for replacing rotors with pads rather than bolting new friction onto tired discs.

Rotors: what the slots and the iron are doing

Rotor upgrades on a Fiesta are about heat management and consistency, not about making the disc bigger. EBC BSD blade-style discs are made from precision GS3000 grey iron casting blanks, heat-treated and precision-balanced, with a bi-directional blade slot design EBC says is engineered to evacuate hot gases so pads run cooler and wear evenly. EBC also claims the overlapping slot geometry minimizes wind noise. They are supplied with a corrosion-resistant finish. Fitments exist front and rear for the Fiesta: the BSD1963 front pair and the BSD280 rear pair.

DBA takes a different route. The 4000 Series is cast from high carbon alloyed iron and put through Thermal Stability Profiling, which DBA describes as heat treatment cycles that realign the microstructure of the iron for increased rotor stability and durability. Its vented rotors use the Kangaroo Paw internal design of 144 diamond and teardrop patterned pillars, which DBA credits with a 20 percent improvement in cooling efficiency against a traditional straight vane design. DBA recommends the T3 bi-directional slot for high performance applications.

One detail worth knowing before you order: the rear DBA 4000 Series T3 rotor for the 2014-2019 Fiesta ST is DBA42109S, a 253 mm disc, 10 mm thick new with an 8.9 mm minimum thickness, 33 mm tall, four bolt holes, and solid rather than internally vented. Kangaroo Paw vanes are a vented-rotor feature, so on a solid rear disc like this one the gains come from the iron, the heat treatment and the slots. It also means that rear rotor has only about 1.1 mm of wear in it from new before it reaches the stated minimum, so measure rather than guess at the next pad change. More options are in brake rotors.

Fiesta trims are not all built the same at the back. Confirm whether your car has rear discs or rear drums before ordering anything rear-specific, and check the rotor diameter against what is actually on the car, because ST and standard Fiesta parts are not interchangeable.

Fluid and flex hoses: the cheapest pedal improvement

If the complaint is a soft or long pedal rather than a lack of stopping power, new friction will not fix it. Old fluid absorbs moisture and boils sooner, and aging rubber flex hoses swell under pressure, so some of your pedal travel goes into expanding the hose instead of clamping the pad.

Use the DOT specification printed on your Fiesta reservoir cap and listed in the owner manual, and follow the factory service manual for the bleed sequence and for every torque value on the job. If you are adding a track pad, fresh fluid should go in at the same time. Replacement flexible lines are in brake hoses.

Big brake kits: what 12.19 inches actually buys

The largest step available for the front of a 2011-and-newer Fiesta is a Wilwood Dynapro 6 front kit. The published specification for kit 140-11899-DR is a 12.19 inch diameter rotor, 0.81 inch thick, in SRP drilled and slotted form, clamped by a six-piston Dynapro 6 caliper with 1.62, 1.12 and 1.12 inch piston bores, running the BP-10 compound on a 6712 pad plate.

The plain-face version, 140-11899-R, uses the same 12.19 inch by 0.81 inch rotor dimensions and the same caliper, with a total piston area listed as 4.04 square inches. It ships as left and right red Dynapro 6 calipers, a pair of rotors, an aluminum drag hat with shallow offset, and bolts. So the practical choice between the two is drilled and slotted faces versus plain faces, not a difference in size or clamping force.

Two facts decide whether this is even an option for your car. First, Wilwood lists a 15 inch minimum wheel diameter and notes the kit may fit 15 inch wheels, with a wheel clearance diagram to check your specific wheel, so measure before you buy. Second, Wilwood states each kit is engineered vehicle specific to maintain full compatibility with the OE master cylinder output and factory ABS functions, which is what keeps the car ABS behaving normally after the swap.

Both versions are listed for the Fiesta: the drilled and slotted Dynapro 6 kit and the plain-face Dynapro 6 kit.

What to replace at the same time, and how hard the job is

A pad and rotor change on a Fiesta is an ordinary front brake job: wheel off, caliper unbolted and supported so the flex hose carries no weight, bracket off, rotor off, everything cleaned and reassembled to the factory torque values. Plan on a couple of hours per axle the first time.

• Pads and rotors together when the old discs are grooved, since a new pad still has to square up to the disc and reach 90 percent contact before it works as intended.
• Abutment clips, shims and slide-pin boots from a brake hardware kit, because a pad that cannot slide freely in a tired bracket will drag and taper-wear no matter what compound you bought.
• Fresh fluid, especially before a track day.
• The condition of the other axle, checked. Adding a much grippier front pad without looking at the rear changes how the car behaves under heavy braking.

A big brake kit is a bigger job: caliper, bracket, rotor and hat, plus a wheel-clearance check, and it belongs on a car whose fluid and hoses are already fresh.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a big brake kit for my Fiesta?

Only if you are fading what you have. If the pedal goes long after a few hard stops or a track session, you are exceeding the temperature window of the pad, and a higher-range compound plus fresh fluid usually solves it for far less money and weight. A Wilwood Dynapro 6 kit makes sense once you have already done that and still want more thermal capacity.

Will a big brake kit upset my ABS?

Wilwood states its kits are engineered vehicle specific to maintain full compatibility with the OE master cylinder output and factory ABS functions. That is the manufacturer claim for a correctly matched kit; a mismatched caliper and master cylinder combination is what causes trouble.

Will performance pads fit under my stock wheels?

Pads and OE-diameter rotors do not change wheel clearance. A big brake kit does. Wilwood lists a 15 inch minimum wheel diameter for the Dynapro 6 Fiesta kit and supplies a wheel clearance diagram, so check your specific wheel rather than assuming.

Are track pads usable on the street?

Look at where the optimal range starts. Hawk rates HP Plus at 100-800 F with an optimal 300-600 F band and positions it for autocross, while HPS 5.0 is rated 100-750 F and described for street use. A pad that wants to be hot before it works well is not the one you want on a cold commute.

How long do performance pads last on a daily-driven Fiesta?

It depends far more on the compound and the heat you put into it than on the brand. A street compound rated from 100 F, such as Hawk Performance Ceramic or HPS, is built to live with stop-and-go driving. A race compound such as the DTC-30, rated to 1200 F, is built for consistency at temperature rather than for mileage, and it is not the pad to fit if the car mostly commutes.

Do slotted rotors wear pads out faster?

EBC positions its BSD blade slots as a way to evacuate hot gases so pads run cooler and wear evenly, and says the overlapping slot geometry also minimizes wind noise. Pad life is driven far more by the compound you choose and how hot you get it than by the presence of slots.

Sources

1. Wilwood Disc Brakes - Front Brake Kit 140-11899-DR - rotor diameter and thickness, SRP drilled and slotted rotor type, Dynapro 6 six-piston bores, BP-10 pad on 6712 plate, 15 inch minimum wheel, ABS and master cylinder compatibility statement
2. Wilwood Disc Brakes - Front Brake Kit 140-11899-R - plain face rotor version, 4.04 square inch total piston area, kit contents including the aluminum drag hat
3. Hawk Performance street compounds - operating temperature ranges for Performance Ceramic, HPS and HPS 5.0 and their intended use
4. Hawk Performance motorsports compounds - DTC-30 operating range and its medium-torque, good-cold-effectiveness description
5. EBC Brakes product focus: Bluestuff NDX - 0.52 Mu friction figure, fast road and lighter track positioning, R90 approval note
6. EBC Brakes bedding-in guidance - first 100 miles street seating, 300 mile minimum before aggressive use, 400-500 C surface volatile burn-off, Bluestuff street-bed-then-track note, Yellowstuff track warning, 90 percent surface contact requirement
7. EBC Brakes BSD rotors - GS3000 grey iron blanks, bi-directional blade slot gas evacuation, overlapping slot geometry and wind noise, corrosion-resistant finish
8. DBA 4000 Series brake rotors - high carbon alloyed iron, Thermal Stability Profiling, Kangaroo Paw 144 pillars and 20 percent cooling improvement, T3 slot recommendation
9. DBA rear 4000 Series T3 rotor DBA42109S - 253 mm diameter, 10 mm new and 8.9 mm minimum thickness, 33 mm height, four bolt holes, solid construction