2003 M45 brakes

[jamestgk]

i read somewhere 300zx TT big brakes work on my m45... is this true and what parts do i need for the conversion frt and rr?

[elwesso]

Yes you heard right... Youll need the calipers and rotors and pads.

[jamestgk]

ok so do i get the aluminum 26mm or 30 mm. and of course there is a 30 mm iron caliper also. what year 300 am i dealing with so i can hunt them down? what is the diameter for front or rear. to make it even easier maybe you know awhere i can get some used frt and rear sets.

[elwesso]

Get the 30mm, either iron or aluminum, im not convinced one is superior to the other....

I got mine off ebay.

[jamestgk]

ok i just found some...JDM SLYLINE R33 BIG BRAKE SETUP FOR 240SX SILVIA S13 S14. it comes withrotors, calipers, backing plates and hubs. will they work and what about the caliper bracket

[elwesso]

Yeah those shoudl be what you want.. You dont need those hubs or anything.....

[jamestgk]

ahhhhh your da greates

[RAGTPZ]

I have both an 03 M45 and a 93 Z32 TT, most 300ZX guys ditch their brakes as they are mediocre at best. The aluminum calipers were found on the earlier Z32s and then were replaced by iron since the aluminum ones would heat up and cause rotor warpage. If you really have your heart set on them though they can be found by browsing the classifieds of twinturbo.net. I actually have the StopTech 13' rotors and matching calipers for my Z32 which are awesome but about $5000. The stock Z32 brakes are no picnic though as the M45 is also obviously a heavier vehicle. I find the stock M brakes to be adequate.

[maxnix]

Pretty much what Q45tech says. Only marginal improvemnt over stock.

Must have significant increase of mass in rotor and increase in swept area to obtain more stable rotor wear characteristics, especially in spirited use.

All Q45/Mx5 in particular and Infiniti brakes rotors in general are glorified pie pans.

[elwesso]

Twice the clamping force isnt enough up front?? Thats not signficant?? Hmm!

IMO too much time is spent on upgrading rotors... Find yourself a pad that meets your driving characteristics.. if your brakes are fading, dont spend a ton of money on new brake setups, get a pad that can handle the heat!

You may roast through rotors, but even 10 sets of rotors (at $320 per set of 4 from infiniti) is still much cheaper than the stop techs.

[auditech10]

Are the 300zx turbo and non turbo the same? I wouldnt think so but I found a set front and rear from a 92 non turbo for real cheap and I would like to upgrade on my 03 M45. What Im looking for is larger rotors and preferably calipers as well. What is the difference between M45 rotors/calipers and 300zx rotors/calipers. I thought about just slotted/drilled rotors but Im not looking for same size but larger diameter is possible. Thanks everybody!

[Q45tech]

The 300zx and 90-96 Q have the same FRONT diameter rotor, the 300zx is 2mm thicker and a little heavier.........not really significant maybe <1 pound or <5% more mass.

Real rotor improvement would need 32-34mm thick and significant diameter increases to add mass.

One needs to add 15-25% more rotor mass to accomplish much.

5% more rotor mass ONLY decreases temperature rise by 5% and even at a 600F rise that's only 30F different..........something like 100F lower rise would be noticeable.

[elwesso]

the non turbo and turbo calipers are different, the non turbo is 26mm and the turbo is 30mm...

I agree with tech that your not really gaining much in terms or rotor mass (if anything at all)...

however in my opinion with the Z32s you dont do it for that reason... I also believe that instead of trying to reduce your rotor temperature to fit the pads, its much easier and cost effective to find a pad that fits your idea temp range... if you never really do many hard braking stops in a row, then an OEMesque pad would be fine..... If you are hard on the brakes but still street, a Hawk HPS pad would be good... You see where im going with this..

The only disadvantage is that you will lose some driveability when the pads are not in their ideal heat range, and surely the rotors will last less long... however the Z32 rotors are pretty chepa so i dont worry about having to replace the fronts once every 1.5 years... Dont get drilled so you can have them trued.

[auditech10]

I think Im going to grab a set of those Porsche calipers and go from there. I am going for looks and functionality, but moreso for functionality. In the mean time I think Ill just grab a set of rotors and pads labeled for the M. On the same subject, when I was looking for 300zx brakes I found goodridge braided lines. Do they make a set for the Ms or should the 300zx lines be ok, or even if they made a set for the Q45. Thanks for the responses guys.

[Q45tech]

There is a relationship between engine horsepower and braking HP......think how hard and EXPENSIVE it is to increase an engine's power 10%. $50 to $100 per HP

Understand that oem brakes are already >>>>2 times more powerful than the engine.

A car that accelerates zero to 60 in 6 seconds and stops from same speed in 3 seconds requires >>>>>>>600 HP brakes.

http://www.teamscr.com/grmbrakes.html

[auditech10]

Ok but it is a known problem that these are inadequetely designed for this heavy of a car, that is why so many people have had brake pulsations due to warped rotors. That is why I will be upgrading. We have had the SAME problem with Audis over the years. These brakes are not properly suited for this car, period!

[Q45tech]

Before you assume oem 300zx parts will solve your problem please read this discussion about brakes warping on the lighter 300zxtt:http://kaosol.net/~mackys/z/mods/brakes.html

"Disc brake rotors are manufactured out of a material called grey iron. SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) maintains a specification for the manufacture of grey iron for various applications. For normal car and light truck applications, the SAE specification is J431 G3000 (superseded to G10). This specification dictates the correct range of hardness, chemical composition, tensile strength, and other properties that are necessary for the intended use.

Historically disc brake rotors were manufactured throughout the world with a strong concentration in Europe, and America.

During the period from 1989 to 2005, manufacturing of brake rotors has migrated predominately to China. Today, almost 90% of brake discs and brake drums are now manufactured in China and exported globally.

Leading manufacturers in China include Laizhou Sanli, MAT (Midwest Air Technology), Winhere, Longji, and Haimeng.The following should allow you to derive the necessary brake system to suit your application:http://www.thermoanalytics.com....html

http://www.thermoanalytics.com...r.pdf

As you will see it takes a 30 pound front rotor to do the job.

Our 20 pound units are a compromise to reduce weight and meet the requirements of the average non performance lux driver.

[elwesso]

Tech is right. Switching to 300ZX brakes, while it may decrease your stopping distances, but it wont make the rotors last longer! They are basically the same as the M45 brakes as far as time between rotor turnings...

If you want to spend $5000 to get roughly the same braking improvement (as Z32) and have the rotors last 30k, thats fine... But $5000 will get you 15 sets of rotors, replace them every year, thats surely enough to lsat you longer than the whole car will last...

[jamestgk]

ok i got all that. first of all im not going for looks. the rims im going to use you can barely see the caliper. for heat reduction im plumbing the two vents in the bumper to direct air to the rotor. i treat my M with respect. its big beautiful and powerful and doesnt need to prove itself with the little guys. so, i wont be doing a lot of braking but, withthe 20 inch rims i cant imagine that larger wont help. though i do agree that pad type is significant. forget the high heat pads. my daughter, 18 drives it and she wouldnt know how to handle.

so is the r33 300mmx30mm worthit or not. as for the composition of the metal who makes the best rotor: oem, raybestos, jdm...? iron versus aluminum... which holds less heat.

[Q45tech]

Study the way Lexus/ Cadillac/ Mercedes solves the problem.

Their oem rotors are at least 32mm thick. You can add mass with thicker rotors and or increased diameter [diameter lower pedal pressure at the expense of moving weight out farther from center --bad].

Given a choice you always go for the thickess rotors obtainable then start increasing the diameter as need. to match master cylinder/foot pressure desired.

[jamestgk]

ok, im following you. all ifind are 30mm 4 piston frt two piston rear. are there 32mm avail? and what about composition that you were mentioning? im not trying to stop on a dime and im not headed to a race course. i work as a Jaguar tech and i sell pads all day to the 20-22 inchers. i just want to ease the braking. will i get additional braking performance or not with daily driving on the r33 set up?

[elwesso]

honestly you probably wont gain much from the Z32 setup over stock... maybea little, but not a LOT. The stock brakes are pretty damn good!!

[Q45tech]

As I keep pointing out 90% of the worlds rotors are made in China or Poland...........thanks to Brembo and others moving to low cost labor areas.

Without a metallurical study of the rotors cast iron hard to say which if any brands are better than each other.

"More than half of Brembo's 2,750 line workers are outside Italy, at plants in Brazil, Britain, China, Mexico, Poland, and Spain. The company is also building a foundry in Poland."..............from July 2005.

"a greenfield iron casting facility in Dabrowa, Poland. The 12,500-sq.-m facility will be constructed next to the company's recently built machining plant. Brembo expects 160 employees to work at the completed facility, which will produce automotive brake discs. " On line since Jan 3, 2006

http://www.iotech.com/etn_ae07_2005.html

"Even with the same recipe, linings will vary from batch to batch. Cast iron rotors will vary from ladle to ladle of iron. This variation in the materials can be expected to show up as a variation in performance, so this has to be taken into account when comparisons are made of cryo vs non cryo product."

[jamestgk]

you have said a lot of tech jargain and i thank you but, im still looking for a helpful answer to this statment... versus stock, will r33 (not r32) with 300mmx30mm rotors and calipers work better? if not, somebody find me some 32mm, though i cant imagine 2mm make that much difference. yes technically it will but, im dealing with life. oh by the way if id doesnt improve braking it sure as hel will look gangsta at the car shows and be original

[auditech10]

yes

[elwesso]

you have said a lot of tech jargain and i thank you but, im still looking for a helpful answer to this statment... versus stock, will r33 (not r32) with 300mmx30mm rotors and calipers work better? if not, somebody find me some 32mm, though i cant imagine 2mm make that much difference. yes technically it will but, im dealing with life. oh by the way if id doesnt improve braking it sure as hel will look gangsta at the car shows and be original

The R32 GT-R uses 32mm rotors... only nissan big brakes that use 32mm that is not on the trucks.

[maxnix]

you have said a lot of tech jargain and i thank you but, im still looking for a helpful answer to this statment... versus stock, will r33 (not r32) with 300mmx30mm rotors and calipers work better? if not, somebody find me some 32mm, though i cant imagine 2mm make that much difference. yes technically it will but, im dealing with life. oh by the way if id doesnt improve braking it sure as hel will look gangsta at the car shows and be original

In a word yes, but at what price for the incremental improvement? Read Q45tech's posts again if you don't get it.

Note that Nissan, like almost everybody else, goes to Brembo when they upgrade brakes past OEM stock.

All depends if you want to be a baller or a hauler.

[auditech10]

Ive got another Q, will 300zx turbo rotors work with M calipers?

[jamestgk]

i get his post dude and i even read the site he recommended. brembo is no improvement as others have said especially since the metal composition and the size is no better. drilled and sloted dont impress me and i dont need to worry about cracks or premature warping. besides they are nissan original equip... there is no better. i got the balls and im ballin, where you at.