Cheap brake upgrade

Post by **D1SR240** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 12:15 pm

I'm looking for a cheap brake upgrade, i have to replace my front rotors on my s13, what should i get to make it a little better than stock, that's around a reasonable price? then what brake pads should i get for the front and back, like what should they be made out of and wehre could i get them for the cheapest? I don't really know the drifference between the materials the brake pads are made out of, so if someone could maybe explain that to me i'd greatly appreciate it.

Thanks in advance.

Post by **Exar-Kun** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 12:15 pm

cheapest brake upgrade would be a good set of pads, then better fuild and lines...and lastly slotted rotors(in terms of cost/benifit)-chetKVR, HAWK, and AXXIS all make great pads that hold up under agressive driving better than the stockers.

Post by **D1SR240** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 12:15 pm

like what kind of fluid?

Post by **Nismo_Freak** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 12:15 pm

Motul is very good fluid...

Post by **Exar-Kun** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 12:15 pm

MOTUL, ford "high performance" is pretty good, and most other synthetic brake fluids work very well....

when I do my brake upgrades(again..bigger and better) I'll be running motul.-chet

Post by **Altiman94** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 12:15 pm

I would like to switch my rotors all to 1st gen altima 4wheel disk set-up. My old altima stopped on a dime.

Post by **Grant@tirerack** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 12:15 pm

I'd look at some Hawk HPS pads and Powerslot rotors for the best bang for the buck. On a related note, beware of some of these folks selling 'Brembo' slotted and drilled rotors online. We have seen some cases where these rotors are tearing up brake pads on some applications. These shops are taking the stock style Brembo rotors and are drilling and slotting them in-house and selling them under the Brembo brand. The problem is many of them are not machined correctly and the holes and slots are not properly chamfered on the edges. This caused the edge of the slots to snag the leading edge of the brake pad compound and very quickly leads to pad failure and rotor failure. We have notified Brembo of this situation and they are looking into the problem. They are likely not too happy this product is being sold under their brand name. For the record, Brembo does not make a slotted [FONT=times new roman]and [/FONT] drilled rotors for these cars. You can tell by looking at the rotors. The stock rotors do not have a gold anodized finish like the Brembo made slotted or drilled rotors.

Post by **Mayhem_J30** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 12:15 pm

IMO you should just get standard vented rotors (not slotted or drilled) and get some better pads. Porterfield, carbotech... and use better but cheap Brake fluid. Valvoline Synpower is cheap, good and easily available.Making your own brake ducts is cheap and easy too if you need additional cooling.

Post by **D1SR240** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 12:15 pm

where can i get some powerslot rotors and hawk brake pads for cheap?

Post by **Grant@tirerack** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 12:15 pm

Give me a call and I can work up a price for you:thinker You can also check them out here:

http://www.tirerack.com/a.jsp?...x.jsp

Post by **96_240sxSE** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 12:15 pm

Quote »MOTUL, ford "high performance" is pretty good[/quote]

is this fluid readily available at your local auto parts tore (i.e, Pep Boys, etc.)? what's the going rate?

Quote »On a related note, beware of some of these folks selling 'Brembo' slotted and drilled rotors online. We have seen some cases where these rotors are tearing up brake pads on some applications. These shops are taking the stock style Brembo rotors and are drilling and slotting them in-house and selling them under the Brembo brand. The problem is many of them are not machined correctly and the holes and slots are not properly chamfered on the edges. This caused the edge of the slots to snag the leading edge of the brake pad compound and very quickly leads to pad failure and rotor failure.[/quote]

wow...i sure wish i could've seen/known this prior to purchasing my drilled rotors online (like 2 months ago...hahaha)! :doh let's hope the shop i bought them at (irotors.com) did the drilling RIGHT or else i'll be kissing my metal masters good-bye sometime in the near future. :xfingers hey grant...when you say "pad failure"...do you mean they will wear out REALLY FAST?? and as for "rotor failure"...wadya mean exactly?

jun

Post by **Exar-Kun** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 12:15 pm

neither of those fluids are avilalbe at your parts store..check PDM-racing for the motul, and a for dealer for fords stuff...

you can use valvoline synthetic, also(its good and cheap, and availalbe everywhere)

he means it can cause the pad to stress fracture and fall apart, and that if they drilled wrong, it can cause a rotor to crack when it heats and cools.-chet

Post by **BadMojo** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 12:15 pm

Personally, I'm going with some Brembo rotors (not slotted or drilled), Hawk HPS pads, some Valvoline Synpower fluid and some stainless steel lines.

I got the rotors from NOPI for a good price (I was a bit worried about the reputation that NOPI has for poor customer service, but it worked out well). I'll be getting the pads from Tirerack. Not quite sure where I'll be getting my brake lines yet.

Also got some Russell Speed Bleeders off of Ebay.

Post by **96_240sxSE** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 12:15 pm

thans for the info chet!

Quote »he means it can cause the pad to stress fracture and fall apart, and that if they drilled wrong, it can cause a rotor to crack when it heats and cools.[/quote]

with regards to either of these scenarios...is it instantaneous or is it gradual? any signs to hint at either scenario?

jun

Post by **Mayhem_J30** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 12:15 pm

96_240sxSE wrote:thans for the info chet!

with regards to either of these scenarios...is it instantaneous or is it gradual? any signs to hint at either scenario?

jun

could go either way.

Post by **WongFeiHung** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 12:15 pm

Tonight I'm doing the altima/maxima front brake swap...99 Altima rotors94 Maxima calipers94 Maxima pads

Everything bolts up. Bigger rotor, much bigger caliper...Just have to remove/mod the heat shield...

Get new/recon parts from Autozone....incredible valule for this brake upgrade...

I'll probably post pics tonight...

Post by **rico05** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 12:15 pm

I Just finished my brake setup:Front:Brembo vented rotors (cross drilled too bling for me)Goodridge SS linesAxxis MM padsRear:OEM rotorsGoodridge linesAxxis MM padsEtc:New OEM booster/master cylinderSynthetic DOT4 fluid

Man o man do these things work WELL together! I am still breaking them in, but pedal feel is AWESOME!!!!

Total investment: $400ish

Post by **deftdrummer** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 12:15 pm

i want good brakes too! i dont pay attention enough when i drive so i have to jam on the brakes all the time. I never rear end anyone though so i guess that's good huh?

Post by **Exar-Kun** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 12:15 pm

:thumbup

nice job man, those brakes should hold up great for an agressive driver with limited(short duration) track use maybe..-chet

Post by **drivens13** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 12:15 pm

I just got a new master cylinder the other day to start my brake upgrade from advanced auto and it leaks already.I tried to tightning the front hex bolt and it still leaks(looks like i won't be completing this upgrade any time soon)woot!

Post by **Grant@tirerack** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 12:15 pm

The failures we have seen on customer's cars involved large (1/8" or larger) chunks of pad breaking off the leading edge of the pads and actually burning holes in the clear coat of the wheels. The rotors also show signs of cracking like those pictured above as well as small chunks breaking loose from the edge of the grooves.

Post by **Exar-Kun** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 12:15 pm

hey grant, check your e-mail I got some odd news I need your opinion on.-chet

Post by **93RPS13** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 12:15 pm

why dont you do a Q45 brake upgrade bolts right up

Post by **rico05** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 12:15 pm

I looked, couldn't find a donor Q.

Post by **93RPS13** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 12:15 pm

buy new from autozone

Post by **solarex** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 12:15 pm

get oem spec brembro rotors; they're much better.

Post by **Jookmasta** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 12:15 pm

well lemme atest to the brembo rotor thingy. i wish i had also known that information but about two years ago. lol. i still have the supposed cross drilled and slotted rotors and they have held up. i still stop on the dime and i havent seen any decrease in braking performance. just givin yall the heads up. IMO, save up or borrow some money from a friend and do either the q45 upgrade or the 300zx upgrade. you want to get that bigger rotor and u dont really need the venting or crossdrilling. spend the money on the pads and on the lines and you should be happy with ur results. i wish i had done the upgrade instead of just gettin new rotors.

Post by **punch** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 12:15 pm

I would suggest going with a strong pad. I have used Carbotech Panther + for about a year and a half. Great street and autocross pad that is rotor friendly - the only problem is that they dust a-lot.

Post by **rico05** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 12:15 pm

I am super happy thus far with the Brembo vented OEM style rotors. The SS lines give great feel, and the pads are wonderful. Quiet, low dust, and great stopping power. This may not the most impressive track setup, but for a street car that will be Autox'ed like 3-4 times a year, I think it is great:)

Post by **hyb force soldier** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 12:15 pm

Hi all. What is everyone's opinion on the Porerfield RS4 brake pads? I would also like to know a set up in which the rear brakes would lock up first during hard braking. I am probably only going to get upgraded front and rear brake pads, DOT 4 fluid, and upgraded brake lines. Also probably rebuilt calipers and new/ turned brake rotors. L4t3r5.

Cheap brake upgrade

Cheap brake upgrade

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