Add Performance And Style To Your S550 With Baer EradiSpeed+ Upgrade

Add Performance And Style To Your S550 With Baer EradiSpeed+ Upgrade

When we started upgrading our new S550 earlier this year, one area that we focused on was the car’s stopping power. Our 2018 Mustang GT came equipped with the Performance Package Level 1 which features the larger Brembo brakes. However, we knew that once we had found the ideal wheel and tire package for our build, the plain stock rotors would eventually have to be replaced with something befitting the S550’s new attitude.

For over 20 years Baer Brakes has been pushing the boundaries of modern performance brake technology. Baer developed a direct replacement rotor upgrade specifically designed to work in sync with the 2015+ Mustangs equipped with the Performance Package.

The Baer EradiSpeed+ rotors are designed to be a direct bolt-on replacement to the factory brake system… – Rick Elam, Baer Brakes

Once we had picked our wheel and tire combo for our vehicle, we contacted Rick Elam of Baer Brakes to find out more on the Baer EradiSpeed+ premium rotor upgrade.

“The Baer EradiSpeed+ rotors are designed to be a direct bolt-on replacement to the factory brake system that does not require any bleeding of the brakes,” Rick replied. “The EradiSpeed+ feature slotted cross drilled zinc plated and directional veined units. These are also purpose cast specifically for their application. These high-quality rotors deliver performance that is far greater than the factory units.”

Once we told Rick which direction we wanted to go with our build, he agreed that the EradiSpeed+ rotors upgrade would significantly improve the stopping power of our build.

Baer EradiSpeed+ Features and Benefits

  • Compatible with the OE 6-piston Brembo caliper (rront 15-in. 2261042) and OE single piston caliper (rear 13-in. 2262023)
  • Can be used with your existing stock brake pads
  • 15-in. diameter with a drilled and slotted rotor ring
  • Anodized black 6061-T6 aluminum center hat
  • 2-piece design with directional vanes
  • Zinc plated for corrosion resistance
  • 10 lbs. lighter than factory front rotors (each) and 5.75 lbs. lighter than factory rear rotors (each)
  • Sold as a pair

Bolting on the Stopping Power

Once our EradiSpeed+ rotors arrived, we decided to install our wheel and tire combo and the rotors at the same time. We knew that this would be a relatively easy install because they are a direct replacement rotor.

Once we removed the stock 19-inch performance package wheels, it was time to remove the stock rotors. As soon as we removed the rotors, we could immediately see the difference in quality!

Before we could remove the stock rotors, though, we had to first remove the front and rear calipers of the stock system. They are held in place by two bolts, and they are very easy to remove with just the use of some simple hand tools.

With the stock rotors removed, we put them on the scales for comparison. Our stock front rotors came in at 33.4 pounds each with the rear rotors weighing at a little over 17 pounds.

By installing the new slotted and drilled rotors from Baer our S550 shed a total of almost 25 pounds! That is a significant amount of rotational mass that was removed from our vehicle.

Installing the new rotors was extremely easy. Each rotor came labeled with a left and right side sticker and we had no issues reinstalling the calipers.

When it came time to install our new wheel and tire package, it was easy to see the visual appeal it added to our vehicle. The cross-drilled, slotted and zinc plated finish of the EradiSpeed+ looked great on our new wheel and tire combo.

Seasoning Our New Rotors

Before we could test out the performance advantage of the new rotors, Baer recommends seasoning the newly installed system. Baer says the idea is to relieve “internal stresses within the material” created during the casting process by gradually heating the rotors. Otherwise, the rotors can deform and cause vibration. At the same time, you also want to burn off the machine oil and establish a wear pattern with the pads. Ideally, you want this wear pattern to be smooth, that way the pads don’t grab then slip repeatedly.

Baer provides detailed instructions on the recommended seasoning procedure for the new rotors. After completing 5-6 days of normal driving, we followed the procedure which included a series of stops from 60 to 15 mph using varying pedal effort and letting the brakes cool overnight. This ensured the new rotors would give our s550 the best possible performance advantage come track day.

We now have over 2,000 miles on the new rotors and have not experienced any issues with our setup. The visual appeal alone was definitely worth the upgrade, and we have noticed the increase in performance with these new rotors installed.

For the complete line of Baer Brakes for your 2018+ Mustang, you can click on the company’s official website here.

Article Sources

About the author

Kelly Getzelman

Kelly is a SoCal car enthusiast and skilled driver. His “get out and drive” obsession began after attending his first high-performance racing school while serving on active duty. Since then, he has attended numerous military and civilian driving schools across the country to help fuel that passion.
Read My Articles

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