Akebono G37 Sport Big Brake Kit Upgrade Review and Tips

I know this Kit has been talked about before, but after reading posts from various websites, I was still not sure about one thing: the spacers and spacer installation. I want to let anyone who is wanting to install the Kit know about my experience in this regard, and the Kit as a whole.

I purchased the Akebono G37 Sport Big Brake Kit from tunerzstore.com during their Black Friday sale for my 2006 Infiniti M35 Sport (Stock Sport 19” Wheels). Link is below:

http://www.tunerzstore.com/index.php?p=1_218

The Akebono G37 Sport Big Brake Kit consists of:

Complete Kit includes the following options:
Akebono front calipers - INFINITI Silver, NISSAN Gray or NISSAN Red
Akebono rear calipers- INFINITI Silver, NISSAN Gray or NISSAN Red
*front hardware kit
*rear hardware kit
Stoptech Standard, Slotted, Drilled or Slotted/drilled 14" front rotors
Stoptech Standard, Slotted, Drilled or Slotted/drilled 13.8" rear rotors
DBA 2pc Slotted 14" front rotors
Centric Posi Quiet, Stoptech Performance. HAWK HPS, HAWK Ceramic or Project MU NS front pads
Centric Posi Quiet, Stoptech Performance, HAWK HPS, Hawk Ceramic or Project MU NS rear pads
Stoptech Stainless steel brake lines
Shorter banjo bolts/washers (USE WITH OEM LINES)
*hardware kits only include caliper pins, retaining pins & spring clips*

This is the Kit that I purchased from tunerzstore.com.  I use the Stoptech brake pads instead of the Project Mu front pads and Hawk rear pads:



Not pictured is the billet bracket for mounting the larger calipers.

To make the installation complete, I also purchased from Michael@ tunerzstore.com:

Stoptech STR 600 DOT4 Brake Fluid - 1/2 liter bottle (3 bottles)
2065662-H&R Trak+ 10mm DRS Wheel Adaptor
1993-2008 Infiniti M35 M45 M30 J30 I30 H&R DRS Track+ 15mm Wheel Spacer H and R (from ebay.com) Link is below:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271083168281?ru ... 26_rdc%3D1

Everything stated above came to a total of a little over $2,000. Installation at Allen Tire Company in So Cal (with in-store discount) came to $283 plus tip to installer. Installation took 4-5 hours.

Is it worth paying that much for the Kit? I personally see it as this: using these brakes can ultimately save you from an unfortunate incident by being able to stop the car faster, so I thought purchasing this Kit is a lot better than possibly having to pay for car collision repair bills/insurance premium increase, or worse, paying for my medical bills!

The Rotors – By default, you will receive the slotted/drilled rotors, but I changed the order with [email protected] to slotted rotors. I know that purchasing the slotted rotors was the better choice because:

1) Slotted rotors have more surface area than slotted/drilled, meaning the brake pads will have more material to use to stop the car.

2) The slotted/drilled rotors can crack if you are tracking the car or extensively using the brakes, as opposed to slotted which keeps the integrity of the rotor material by not having holes going directly through the rotor and the ability to cool the rotor better by the slotted vanes.

The Spacers - I purchased the spacers in separate widths based on the posts that I have read, and everything turned out for the best. I have the 06-07 M35/M45 stock 19” sport wheels, so if you have these or have wheels with the same offset, this setup will also work for you. After much research, I wound up going with the H&R TRAK+ 15mm DRS Wheel Spacers for the front wheels. Once the spacer and wheel are installed, there is literally a 2mm gap between the caliper and the front wheel! Very close fit, but there is absolutely no rubbing, so everything is all good. 15mm is flush with most of the fender but looks like the tire is out just a little because the bottom part of the fender/bumper flares inward, exposing the tire just several millimeters. Anything wider than 15mm I feel will make the car look like a BMW M3, so you can install 20mm or wider spacers if you are going for that look. After much research, I wound up going with the H&R TRAK+ 10mm DRS Wheel Spacers for the rear wheels. Once the spacer and wheel are installed, there is a little more than an inch gap between the caliper and the rear wheel. You technically do not need to install spacers for the rear wheels, but I think the car would not look very good with 15mm or wider front spacers and no spacers in the rear. I also read from a forum member (who only installed spacers, not the Kit) that he wished he installed 10mm rear spacers for the rear instead of purchasing the 15mm rear spacers. After installing the 10mm spacers, I agree that 15mm would look a little too aggressive (again the BMW M3 look), and I think tramlining has slightly improved (stays in straight line better) since there is now a slightly staggered tire tread on the pavement.

Brake Pedal and Chassis - The brake pedal feels a lot better to modulate, doesn’t travel down as much, and the car stops exponentially better and faster than the stock brakes. The car is confident, no shaking of the wheel or chassis, and is ultimately compliant. Coupled with the Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires I use and love, I would feel self-assured taking the car to the track if I wanted to.

Weight - I personally feel the Kit is not much heavier than the stock calipers, and rotors. Holding both the stock and Akebono calipers, both the Brakemotive rotors and Stoptech rotors, there wasn’t much weight difference at all. Actually, there is some difference, but not enough for me to feel any change in how the car feels when it accelerates or handles. Here are the weights of the Akebono components:

Hardware, front: 2 lbs (reuse existing rear hardware)
Front Calipers: 10 lbs each
Rear Calipers: 5 lbs each
Front Rotors (14" Stoptech Slotted): 27 lbs each
Rear Rotors (13.8" Stoptech Slotted): 18 lbs each

(These are off a 2004 Nissan 350Z so I'm pretty sure the weight difference is similar to the M series):

Front OEM Caliper: 13.25 lbs each
Rear OEM Caliper: 6.5 lbs each
Front OEM Rotor: 15.5 lbs each
Rear OEM Rotor: 11.75 lbs each

The weight difference between OEM and the Akebono Kit is:

Front Caliper: -3.25 lbs x 2
Rear Caliper: -1.5 lbs x 2
Front Rotor: +11.5 lbs x 2
Rear Rotor: +6.25 lbs x 2

Add weight for spacers:

Front Spacers (15mm): 1 lb each
Rear Spacers (10mm): 10 oz each

For a total of 29 1/4 lbs weight gain going from OEM to the Akebono Kit.

Installation - I was worried that the H&R DRS Spacers would have to have the stock wheel studs cut to make the spacers fit correctly, and that is just plain wrong. All you need to do is use a mallet to pound/take out the stock studs, and then insert the new, longer studs that H&R includes in the spacer set!

The rear rotor shield has to either be cut off or bent vertically to allow installation of the larger rear rotors.

The brake fluid was upgraded from DOT3 to DOT4 Stoptech STR 600 fluid by using the powered brake fluid flush system.

Everything else is a direct OEM swap, easy installation, but takes a while to install.

Pictures –

Front Driver Side:



Front Passenger Side:



Front Passenger Side 2mm Gap:



Front Passenger Side 2mm Gap:



Rear Passenger Side Over 1” Gap:



Rear Driver Side Over 1” Gap:



Rear Driver Side Over 1” Gap:



Front Driver Side Tire and Fender:



Front Driver Side Looking From Top to Below:



Rear Driver Side Looking From Top to Below:



Front Driver Side Tire and Fender:



Rear Driver Side Tire and Fender:



Rear Driver Side Tire and Fender:



In the end I am happy with the purchase, and if you always wanted to get the Kit, save your money and purchase it, or receive the Kit as a gift from your significant other Remember, YOLO!

I hope this review and tips are helpful to anyone wanting to upgrade to the Akebono G37 Sport Big Brake Kit.

Looks great man and nice write up! I have two sets of 15mm spacers for my 08 M35 Base, I am wondering if the rear tire will jut out from the car or if the tire will stay inside the fender? How much space do you have between your fender and your tire in the rear? I also have 08 OEM 19's, I wonder if these are the same offset as the 07 version...

timothy.kelley86 wrote:Looks great man and nice write up! I have two sets of 15mm spacers for my 08 M35 Base, I am wondering if the rear tire will jut out from the car or if the tire will stay inside the fender? How much space do you have between your fender and your tire in the rear? I also have 08 OEM 19's, I wonder if these are the same offset as the 07 version...

Thanks, timothy.kelley86. Depending on what angle you look at the rear, the tire is just inside of the fender, but if you look at the bottom of the tire it looks like it is just flush with the fender. It basically looks like what the car should have looked like stock - pretty sporty, but not BMW M3 sporty. As for if they are the same offset, I'm not exactly sure, but the offset should be similar even though the wheel design of the 08 stock 19" wheels are slightly different from the 06/07 stock 19" wheels. You won't need to worry about that because you will not need to fret about clearing any larger calipers, as you are just installing spacers. I would just add 15mm to your rear and/or front tires using a cardboard tire mock-up, measure and eyeball it and see if it would jut out to your liking. You can also use this guide to help you out with the gap and spacing: http://www.trakplus.com/measure Hope this helps, and let us know how the install went (pics would be nice as well!)

Hey great writeup! We needed this and I hope a mod stickies it!

Just one point to make. The DRS spacers are designed so that the stock studs are always banged out and replaced with the longer studs. The DRM spacers are the ones that are offset and those you may have to shave the OEM studs down.

Thanks all. Cool car!

msvara wrote:Hey great writeup! We needed this and I hope a mod stickies it!

Just one point to make. The DRS spacers are designed so that the stock studs are always banged out and replaced with the longer studs. The DRM spacers are the ones that are offset and those you may have to shave the OEM studs down.

Thanks all. Cool car!

Thanks, msvara! I was getting tired of being confused by having to read various posts, contradicting opinions and facts, so I thought having everything on one thread would be optimal for everyone.

As for the H&R DRS and DRM spacers, you are correct. I chose the DRS spacers because I read that they are stronger than the DRM spacers and whenever I used H&R's website to show me which spacers would fit on my car, they only referred me to DRS spacers! I guess they knew as well that the DRM spacers "don't fit the front" (they can fit if you shave the OEM studs down).

Very nice review, Maurice and glad everything worked out as it should.

We have added this kit to our website, along with the H&R Spacers and BC Racing Coilovers.

The Stillen Exhaust systems will be added in the near future.

As always, any questions or concerns, give me a shout on here, email or AIM(HybridB13).

Thanks, Michael, for your kind words and helping me throughout the Akebono G37 Sport Big Brake Kit Upgrade purchasing process.

So far, the Kit has served me well. Stopping a lot faster (suddenly) for pedestrians that need to cross the street, for cars that dart past me or for cars that stop suddenly in front of me, the Kit has been well worth the time and effort to obtain.

^hey Maurice!!! nice brake set-up....looks really good bro!!

for the fronts, so the 2mm clearance is good? I'm on the fence of getting the kit due to the spacers that I'm running with the stock sport wheels (like you have)...I have the H&R DRM 15mm spacers.

I'm concerned of doing hard braking or if/when the rotors get old and start to warp, will the 2mm clearance be an issue... just thinking outside the box.

Unless I pick up 20mm spacers

Anyways, great set-up!!!

You will never have 2mm of warpage...without serious other issues.

CPJ LB wrote:^hey Maurice!!! nice brake set-up....looks really good bro!!

for the fronts, so the 2mm clearance is good? I'm on the fence of getting the kit due to the spacers that I'm running with the stock sport wheels (like you have)...I have the H&R DRM 15mm spacers.

I'm concerned of doing hard braking or if/when the rotors get old and start to warp, will the 2mm clearance be an issue... just thinking outside the box.

Unless I pick up 20mm spacers

Anyways, great set-up!!!

Hey Anthony, thanks for the compliments! Bigger is usually better, right?

2mm clearance has been fine for me. The only thing that I have seen is a small mark about a half inch long which looks more like a dirt mark that can't be cleaned on the edge of the driver side front caliper. I can not verify if the mark was due to installation, the nuts being loose a little or what, but I haven't experienced any rubbing that I would have thought "what the heck was that?" Nothing of the sort! Anyways, I have some silver touch up paint, so I'll use that to touch up the millimeter-width mark so the caliper will look absolutely perfect again. The only thing that can have an adverse affect regarding the caliper to wheel gap is after installation, the nuts can get loose; and will need to be tightened again. For this concern, I purchased an adjustable torque wrench with a deep 21mm socket, and set the torque to 87lbs (I know that 80 is the standard torque, but I would rather have it tight [but not too tight] than a little loose). After installation you should always re-torque the wheels (as low as 25 miles after installation, as much as 60 miles after installation). I will continue to re-torque my wheels every month, just to have that piece of mind.

You can get the 20mm spacers if you want, if you don't mind the tires being a little wider, but you will do just fine with the 15mm spacers you currently own.

Thanks for the advice moedawg, I definitely want to do the BBK some time in the near future and this will certainly help me do so. I'll certainly come back with pics as soon as I get the spacers mounted...

timothy.kelley86 wrote:Thanks for the advice moedawg, I definitely want to do the BBK some time in the near future and this will certainly help me do so. I'll certainly come back with pics as soon as I get the spacers mounted...

No worries, just happy to help. Make sure to save your old parts in case you ever want to go back to the stock brake configuration. Look forward to seeing pics.

I received a PM from a member who is planning on ordering the 15mm H&R DRS wheels spacers for his 06 M45S and later doing the G37S brake mod. The member wanted to know if I had any issues at all with using the 15mm spacers, and wanted to make sure before the member ordered the spacers. I answered the member already but would like to answer on here as well, because I want to update my experience with the Akebono BBK pertaining to the spacers, letting people know if the spacers have given me trouble to this day, and my experience with the BBK as a whole.

I, to this day, have had absolutely no problems with the 15 mm spacers (OEM 19 inch sport rims, front wheels) at all. There has been zero rubbing of the calipers and the rims, discoloration of the spacers themselves or anything like that. I have had the spacers and the BBK since Christmas 2013.

I love the fact that the Stoptech rotors are finished with black e-coating, with absolutely zero oxidation or that rust look issue. Per the website: "Sport Rotors are finished with black e-coating on both sides of the hat, inside the cooling vanes, and on the outside edge. E-coating is a superior electro-statically applied finish designed to withstand 400 hours of salt water exposure without rusting. This is especially important on both mounting faces of the hat where it touches the hub flange and back face of the wheel. Any accumulation of rust in these area can lead to installed lateral run out issues."

As for stopping power pertaining to distance comparing, I have read on this forum that similar tests with the Nissan 350Z BBK set yielded stopping 7 feet sooner than the OEM brakes. That may be the case, but I haven't found, nor read anything that says the Y50 M vehicles stop only 7 feet sooner (or any other distance when comparing brakes, for that matter.) There are so many variables when it comes to braking. The Y50 M weighs more than the 350Z, so that will automatically create differences in the braking distance. How hard the driver pressed on the brakes, what tires did they use on the test, what rotors and brake pads the BBK came with will affect braking distance as well. Even if the stopping distance was 5 feet sooner, or 3 feet sooner, that is still feet sooner than if you just had the OEM brakes, possibly saving you from a spinout, or a possible accident. Compared to the OEM, as well as the Brakemotive brakes that I owned before the Upgrade (which are still the best bang for your buck IMHO), the stopping attitude, and unrelenting power was night and day. I believe the car stops more than 7 feet sooner at 60 mph, and a lot sooner if I was travelling at a faster speed. The initial bite of the BBK is immediate and unforgiving if you slam on the brakes, at 5 mph or at a much faster speed. If you are worried about the price of the BBK, just get the Brakemotive brakes, as they are great brakes as well.

I wanted brakes that were not just great, but epic, and the Akebono BBK fits the bill! Coupled with the Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires that members on here, as well as myself have and adore, stopping is utter bliss.

Moe, thanks for this thread. I missed it so I will add it to the brake section of the FAQ thread now. Good work.

No problem, Ilya. Thanks for the nice words, and adding this thread to the brake section of the FAQ, I appreciate it.

@moedawg140 - thank you so much for posting the update on your brakes.
It was me that PM'd him asking for the most recent update on his BBK mod and spacers.
I went ahead and ordered the H&R 15mm DRS wheel spacers Part Number 3065662 for all four corners. I did A LOT of research trying to find the lowest price on these spacers and the best price that I have found are from modbargains.com. My order is in the process of being shipped as of right now. The total for all four 15mm spacers with shipping was $178.12. Here is the link to them: http://www.modbargains.com/hr-nissan-35 ... pacers.htm
I am planning later on to do the G37S BBK upgrade also.
Once I install these spacers I'll let you guys know how the car rides with just the spacers on.
Thanks again to moedawg140 for all of his info! I really appreciate it!

MY06M45S wrote:@moedawg140 - thank you so much for posting the update on your brakes.
It was me that PM'd him asking for the most recent update on his BBK mod and spacers.
I went ahead and ordered the H&R 15mm DRS wheel spacers Part Number 3065662 for all four corners. I did A LOT of research trying to find the lowest price on these spacers and the best price that I have found are from modbargains.com. My order is in the process of being shipped as of right now. The total for all four 15mm spacers with shipping was $178.12. Here is the link to them: http://www.modbargains.com/hr-nissan-35 ... pacers.htm
I am planning later on to do the G37S BBK upgrade also.
Once I install these spacers I'll let you guys know how the car rides with just the spacers on.
Thanks again to moedawg140 for all of his info! I really appreciate it!

Always happy to help, MY06M45S! You have the correct part number (3065662) for the H&R 15mm DRS spacers. If anyone wants to purchase the H&R 10mm DRS spacers, the part number is 2065662. The price you paid for your spacers is very low! I only received a discount on the 10mm spacers through tunerzstore.com (they were out of the H&R 15mm spacers at the time), so I wound up paying a little bit more on the 15mm spacers though ebay. Let us know how you like your ride with the spacers on, and of course looking forward to seeing pics of the Akebono G37 Sport BBK on your car once you install it.

Update: I made a typo on the total price, I paid $198.12 for all of the spacers shipped, which is still a pretty good low price. I'm still waiting on them.

MY06M45S wrote:Update: I made a typo on the total price, I paid $198.12 for all of the spacers shipped, which is still a pretty good low price. I'm still waiting on them.

The price you paid ($198.12) is very close to the price I would have paid if I received discounts on both pairs of the spacers. Still a a good price for quality spacers.


On another note, I visited tunerzstore.com to see if there was anything new and/or changed regarding the BBK, and now they offer powder coating of the BBK calipers! You can choose to paint them yourself for significantly cheaper, as the service is $350.

Per tunerzstore.com's website:

"Powder Coating is now available in select colors for the Akebono Calipers. Add that option to your cart when you buy your Akebono Brake kit for the 350z, G35, G37 or 370z. Don't forget to select your custom style and color Logo's. Please allow 2-3 weeks for powder coating service. Available Logo's are: Nissan, and Infiniti.
A core program is also available for those with Akebono calipers already installed. The options are to send us your original calipers to get powder coated or we can send you a set already powder coated and you will have to return your calipers as cores. Once the working condition core calipers are returned, we will reimburse back a $1300 core fee that we bill on top of the $350 powder coating price. New caliper seals are available upon request.
Powder coating fee for core option includes return shipping via UPS ground service.

Powder Coat Color Options:
Red
Black
Silver
White"

I think the option to do this is only worth it if you aren't a really good painter and really want impeccable quality regarding the paint job with logo placement.

I personally love my silver powder coated with clear coat calipers with Infiniti logos (no extra charge), but I can see if someone would want to paint their calipers a different color; just not sure if they would jump for joy to pay that amount for the service...but having anything painted professionally is rarely inexpensive.

The powder coating part is not the expensive part. All calipers are taken apart, seals removed, chemically stripped and etched, then powder coated and reassembled after the powder coating is done. This is a time consuming process unlike painting. The powder coat will last quite a bit longer than paint in the long haul. We have a set of Candy Teal calipers when just had finished, which is two coat process. There are very fine imperfections in the powder on the back half of two of the calipers. We are discounting the powder coat service on them down to $200 plus price of calipers and hardware.

RED_DET wrote:The powder coating part is not the expensive part. All calipers are taken apart, seals removed, chemically stripped and etched, then powder coated and reassembled after the powder coating is done. This is a time consuming process unlike painting. The powder coat will last quite a bit longer than paint in the long haul. We have a set of Candy Teal calipers when just had finished, which is two coat process. There are very fine imperfections in the powder on the back half of two of the calipers. We are discounting the powder coat service on them down to $200 plus price of calipers and hardware.

Thank you very much Michael, for explaining in detail the steps tunerzstore takes to powder coat calipers. Now I can see exactly why the service is priced as such, and I can say as a result, is a good value considering the time and effort it takes to complete the entire process. Those Candy Teal calipers look absolutely legit! It would look amazing with just about any color of car, from a color like Black Obsidian (goes with everything) to a more rare color like Crimson Roulette Pearl (Ruby color)! I'm sure someone will purchase those calipers at that great discounted rate very soon....if those calipers were powder coated Crimson Roulette Pearl, I would be the one to purchase them in a heartbeat!

Thanks, Maurice. The only thing those candy teal calipers need are some white infiniti decals and a new home!!

Powder coating service still available. We have added "mirror yellow" to the line-up and also redesigned the website.

Tunerz Store Akebono Brake Kits

RED_DET wrote:Powder coating service still available. We have added "mirror yellow" to the line-up and also redesigned the website.

Tunerz Store Akebono Brake Kits

Looks great! I see that on the drop-down menu on your website, there is a White color option. Could you please post a picture of what the White looks like (or post a picture on the website)? Thanks in advance.

Working on ford dark blue to add to line up.

RED_DET wrote:

Working on ford dark blue to add to line up.

Do you mean this Ford Blue? (royal blue): http://www.autocarinterior.com/wp-conte ... e-View.jpg

RED_DET wrote:http://www.prismaticpowders.com/colors/ ... DARK-BLUE/

Nice, should look good with some M color combinations.

Still offering the best prices on these kits.

My BBK is still going strong. I haven't even had to replace my brake pads yet!