Flygirl,
I love.. BIG BRAKES AND I CAN NOT LIE!!
With that said:
The PBR caliper is a very good piece and a good choice for a Cobra. Simple, efficient, cost effective. They have very narrow out-board profile which makes it fit in almost every wheel of sufficient diameter. That’s why many OEMs used them. They were a significant improvement over the GM and Mustang II single calipers that preceded them. With braided lines, solid slider bushings and good pads, they offer excellent performance, honestly, more than most people can use on the street. Especially given the light weight of a Cobra, they will meet most owners needs.
The disadvantage of the PBR design became apparent on the race track with the Mustang, Camaro and Corvette guys of SCCA. The weight of the cars (3k lbs +) and higher HP (400+) numbers were more than the caliper could deal with. The lack of outboard mass heat soaks fairly quickly and its smaller (relative) surface area does not allow them to shed the heat, resulting in fade. The cure was to run a higher temp pad. The problems is high temp pads have poor “cold” performance the opposite of what a street car needs. So you had to switch pads before and after events. Kind of a pain because you have to remove the caliper to do it.
They also suffer from stiffness issues at extreme pedal pressure. The result is spongy pedal feel.
The advantages of a Wilwood (or any opposed piston caliper) are its mass, stiffness and the ease of pad replacement.
But again, in my opinion, if your not going to use the brakes that hard, their is no reason to worry about it bigger brakes now. and you can always upgrade them later if you feel the PBR’s aren’t doing it for you
On a side note, its dam cool that you want a Cobra.
Women in Cobras are just dam sexy!! I love it when my girl friend drives mine. I love to watch the men’s faces when she is behind the wheel! LOL. I wish you good luck in your search.
Jason