05 G35 Sedan: Brake Pad recommendations needed

[SVTCOBRA]

I am sorely disappointed in the brake pads at 30K miles.The rears are even thinner than the front! The Sedan has not been tracked nor driven hard.The brakes have never been overheated.

The brake pedal feels mushy compared to the Coupe.The pulsating is unbelievable and the wheels have been torqued to specs from day one by me.

So, I was told by the Nissan parts manager to get ceramics.He also told me to get slotted rotors, but I'll turn these first.

I'm looking for a pad that is better than the crap that came on my car.I'm NOT looking for a super performance pad, just something with good performance and good life with min. dust. (note: do not have a dust problem currently).

I prefer to NOT order the pads from the internet, but would like to get them from one of the local parts stores: Autozone, Advance, O'Really, Car Quest...Has anybody had good/bad experience with pads from any of the above stores????

Thanks!!!

[Beancooker]

I am a huge fan of Hawk HPS pads. They're easy on the rotors, have almost NO dust, and grip like a hooker on a dollar.

http://www.tirerack.com/brakes...+pads

http://www.autopartswarehouse.....html

[Beancooker]

I know they sell Hawk at "Pep Boys"... None the less, they are well worth the hassle of online ordering.

[Jacko3]

When i first bought my car, when it did not have any mods on it, my rear brakes were wearing out faster than the front ones. Once I added mods to the car, and i started flogging it, my front brakes wear out twice as fast as the rear brakes and they work well. Also, driving with or without VDC also has an effect on how the brakes wear as well. I don't drive with VDC ON at all, except in the rain.

You have to flog the car. My honest opinion is that the factory brakes work very well, However, they are too soft, they create tons of brake dust, and they wear out quickly. In essence, i change brake pads every 6 months. So far, I am on my third set of front pads and 2nd set of rear pads, in 36K---doesn't cost me more than $40 bucks online for front pads, plus the regular $50 I give my Tech to throw them on. And, the rotors can be turned at least twice before you will need a new one.

However, I will be trying Hawk Pads with new factory rotors, next time. My advice for you is that, the G-35 requires you to really tep on the brakes when braking. If the rotors and brakes on your car are the original brakes the car came with, then such pulsation may normal, until you get to turn the rotor whne you install new pads. Remember that during test driving, some of those brakes were not bedded in, properly.

[RED_DET]

Project MU NS pads are what I run on the front my G. Very low dust and the same if not better stopping power.

[tollboothwilley]

Right now I'm running Posi Quiet brake pads all around. They are ceramic, low brake dust and grip well. They aren't as good as the Hawk HPS but they are good. I paid like $85-90 for all four corners.

I didn't like the stock brake pads/rotor setup. The pads are too soft and the rotors warp too easily. Swapping this out with better brake fluid is one of the best mods I have done so far. I'm glad I don't have to worry about the pulsations anymore.

When these wear out I'm going to be running Project MU's. I've heard a lot of good things from some friends.

[4drmadness]

how often should you change brake fluid?

[SteveTheTech]

I am sorely disappointed in the brake pads at 30K miles.The rears are even thinner than the front! The Sedan has not been tracked nor driven hard.The brakes have never been overheated.

The brake pedal feels mushy compared to the Coupe.The pulsating is unbelievable and the wheels have been torqued to specs from day one by me.

So, I was told by the Nissan parts manager to get ceramics.He also told me to get slotted rotors, but I'll turn these first.

I'm looking for a pad that is better than the crap that came on my car.I'm NOT looking for a super performance pad, just something with good performance and good life with min. dust. (note: do not have a dust problem currently).

I prefer to NOT order the pads from the internet, but would like to get them from one of the local parts stores: Autozone, Advance, O'Really, Car Quest...Has anybody had good/bad experience with pads from any of the above stores????

Thanks!!!

For some reason the rears tend to wear slightly before the fronts on the majority of Gs both sedan and coupe.

If you are going to go aftermarket from the bog box stores, just buy smart, get something from a name you know. It's a crap shoot regardless. Try the Akebono, they made/made most of Nissans OE parts.Hawk pads also last forever, as the traitor mentioned. I know your not looking to buy over the internet but you may want to think about those. And for normal DD use slotted/drilled rotors are not necessary and a waste of money, since they cannot be resurfaced.

[SVTCOBRA]

Thanks guys!!!I'm actually leaning toward Beaner's Hawks. I assume tirerack is the best place to get these.

Advance does carry several grades of Raybestos brakes.Does anybody have experience using these??

Steve, are the Akebono close to the Infiniti OEM? If so, I might want to stay away from them. But, I've seen others recommend them too.Advance has a Akebono ProACT Ceramic ($85), but it's even more than the Hawk.They also have a Raybestos Ceramic for $52 for the front.

Is there a reason for or against using ceramic??

Sorry for all of the questions...

[Sentientbydesign]

Rich,

Check with Pep Boys if there is one near you. The hawks pads were at Pep Boys than most of the online retailers and even a performance shop that I had a "connection" with. You also don't have to deal with shipping cost.

I've also ordered from an eBay member Sportstrailerz or something like that (reverse the ending s and z if that doesn't work). Great prices and customer service.

Last front pair that I bought were $45, but I can't divulge the source.

Rear pads on my coupe have been on since January/February of last year and are around 50% (tons of stop and go city driving and about 20k miles all together).

[SVTCOBRA]

Cool! Beaner mentioned Pep boys too. Will give them a call. Didn't see them on their website tho.I still have some time. Not going to do them til it warms up a bit. Yep , leaning toward them at this point...and $45!

[ldstang50]

I ran Raybestos performance friction pads a loooong time ago on an 87 Mustang GT I had. Pads worked great, went through 2 yrs of driving and about 20 track days. No noise, little brake dust. But then again, that was over 10yrs ago.

[SVTCOBRA]

10 years ago....lets see...we were excited about trading in the 90 Taurus wagon for a 98 Taurus sedan!! We had been hawling kiddie crap around for about 10 years. We also had the 88 Bronco II 4x4 5MTYes, we were a happy Furd family.

[SVTCOBRA]

Quick update....I spent WAY too much time searching different forums/internet for feedback on pads!!! Was leaning heavily toward the Hawks. Kept reading a few responses about noise. Wife said it better know make any squeeling noises like my Coupe!!!Hey, maybe I'll name the coupe Arnold....anybody old enough to know why??? Anyway, decided to try the Duralast Gold Cmax. Put them on the rear yesterday and haven't heard a peep.Will do the fronts next weekend and let you know.Had heard very favorable comments about Akebono, but they were just a bit too expensive...

Hawks would have been about $120 from Pep Boys.I will most likely go with Hawks on the Coupe when I need new pads.