q45 brake upgrade questions

Post by **Jookmasta** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 4:44 pm

first off, i did my research but there is alot of missing info that i couldnt find out. I just got my hands on some q45 calipers and some money for rotors to go with em. I know that i can use my stock brake lines with these calipers so thats outta the way. My first question is rotors. What do yall suggest as there is a slew of them on ebay and on other sites. I really wouldnt mind buying from a sponsor as i would also be purchasing pads and rotors at the same time so maybe a NICO discount could be applied . I know that im definitely leaning towards the hawk pads that i saw on spl's site so that has my attention at the moment. I plan on buying the rebuild kit for these as the kits only cost 17 bux per caliper. Also i plan on powdercoating or painting these calipers since they are off the car. Obviously powdercoating would be better but is there any prep that i need to do or just remove all the screws and pads b/f giving it to em right? Last but not least, i would like to see pics of people with q45 brakes on their car...............................o ya, im only upgrading the fronts btw.

Post by **corn322** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 7:38 pm

Post by **Jookmasta** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 9:40 pm

where did u get ur rotors from? also what pads did u go with? how does it feel and did u rebuild ur calipers? if so, was it hard and did u just source a rebuild kit?

Post by **hannibal** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 3:18 am

#1 Parts (NOPI) in Atlanta sells Brembos at great prices ($50 per front rotor)

Where did you find the rebuild kit for $17??

Post by **skydragoness** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 4:07 am

How much do the Q45 calipers weigh? And the rotors? I'm curious

Post by **Jookmasta** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 3:07 pm

judging from a guess, the calipers weigh as much as the z32 26mm aluminum ones. i actually found the rebuild kit for the calipers for 5 bux for each side from autozone. the kit only comes with new seals so i guess thats all u really need right? thanks for the pic corn. i have also did some more hw on the upgrade and i have found some ebay guy that will sell me crossdrilled rotors, axis metal master pads for the front and rear for 174 shipped. thats so far the best i can come up with. Also, when cleaning off these calipers, is there any special procedure or do i just spray away with the cleaner and have a bunch of towels ready?

Post by **Chingon** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 5:53 pm

I thought the things were iron and bigger than stock? No way in hell that'd be the same weight as 26 mm z32.

Post by **Jookmasta** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 8:16 pm

well the z32s are big and i just recently traded z32s for these so i think they weigh about the same. i might be wrong tho as this is just a "feeler estimate". nonetheless, yes they are bigger than stock. any advice with cleaning of these calipers?

Post by **RobertsnewQ** » Sat Jul 23, 2005 8:04 am

Blow the piston out with compressed air (use a block of wood to prevent dings and don't get your fingers in the way). Clean with brake cleaner. Use tons of the stuff.

Use a scotchbrite pad (lightly!) in the piston bore to remove any "crap" (dark deposits) from old brake fluid. If there is rust pitting, hone the bore slightly, but if the pits are deep enough to feel with your finger you won't be able to hone them out and you will need a better caliper.

Post by **Jookmasta** » Sun Jul 24, 2005 7:21 pm

thanks for the advice, i guess ill get two cans of the stuff to clean em up. the compressed air is also a good idea but there isnt much grime on em. onto searching on how to paint these things. thanks again.

Post by **thekawaii** » Sun Jul 24, 2005 7:58 pm

I have a pair of q45 calipers too, i think it's 90's. i currently stoped rebuilding it, have no time, and that @@@@ brake cleaner or whatsoever never gonna clean that calipers.

Post by **Jookmasta** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 8:23 am

really? what condition were ur calipers in?

Post by **elwesso** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 11:42 am

Q45 rotors are about $80 each from the factory..... PErsonally,i would recommend getting OEM rotors... They are of the highest quality.....

Q45 brakes are good, i dont understand why more 240 owners dont use these.

Post by **Jookmasta** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 9:16 pm

dang thats considerably more expensive than what i was going to pay for my crossdrilled ones. any real advantage to the oem ones over the aftermarket ones tho?

Post by **elwesso** » Tue Jul 26, 2005 5:12 am

Well I think you can be a ltitel more lenient on the 240, but on the Q, a cheaper rotor means more frequent replacement..... The 28mm thickness is really insufficent for a heavy car like the Q...

The main thing you want to prevent brake fade is weight. Nothing can replace weight. Say OEM rotors weigh 20lbs, you will find that aftermarket ones will weigh less, say 15-18lbs... Slotting and cross drilling only further reduces mass... So besides looking cool, for thin rotors it is detrimental...

On the 240 you can get away with is because the brakes dont have to work nearly as hard to accomplish the same thing..

I know a loit of the Q guys use the Irotors off ebay with some sucess, and the brembo blanks are hard to go wrong with.....

i would dare say that if you get 2 new OEM rotors you wont have to worry about them for a LONG time......!

Post by **matt4pl** » Tue Jul 26, 2005 6:57 am

http://www.ka24development.com/brake_upgrades.html

everyone doing any brake upgrades on 240's should look there first. has weights and all. as far as rotors... just use blanks or slotted, its been discussed many times why cross drilled rotors are all show. cleaning calipers will prolly be a huge huge pain cause chances are they're really dirty. at any rate, good luck, its a real easy upgrade to do. you might have to redrill the rotors to 4 lug, but that is pretty easy to do, as long as you're carefull and diligent, and don't even try it without a drill press. what year and model 240 do you have anyway?

Post by **Jookmasta** » Tue Jul 26, 2005 8:13 am

i have a 93 240sx. um ive also seen that the 97-01 q45s have a four lug pattern on the rotor? maybe this is just a wrong picture for one of the auctions. yes i will need to get em redrilled. Also do you guys usually use axis pads? i can get the metal masters for around 40 but ive heard mixed reviews on those and the hawk. i plan on tackling the cleaning caliper process today so i will see if i can get before and after pics.........

Post by **matt4pl** » Tue Jul 26, 2005 10:32 am

i had stock junkyard pads when i got my calipers, i upgraded to the axis pads, wanst impressed, i almost wanna say they got worse....

Post by **Jookmasta** » Tue Jul 26, 2005 1:11 pm

well that isnt good to hear. i guess no axis pads for me. anyone know where i can locate hawk pads for these things? btw, the rain has cancelled by cleaning appointment with the calipers..............

Post by **elwesso** » Tue Jul 26, 2005 1:12 pm

Ive seen hawk pads on ebay for the Q45 calipers.

Post by **matt4pl** » Tue Jul 26, 2005 1:43 pm

stoptech also carries the,, i wanna say spl might also

Post by **Chingon** » Tue Jul 26, 2005 2:05 pm

Get the OEM compound, much better.

Post by **Q45tech** » Tue Jul 26, 2005 3:30 pm

Oem 90-93 front has 2 compounds available xxxxxx-U91 [more metallic] and xxxxxx-U-93 more ceramic both work well with the single xxxxxxxx-U85 rear pad compound.............the 94-96 front compounds have no electronic wear sensor so they shoyld be less expensive.

Post by **Jookmasta** » Tue Jul 26, 2005 6:15 pm

well i still have the stock rear brakes so i think the axis metal masters are looking better and better. I called up tire rack and they didnt have hawk pads for them. I will try spl again. any real advantage with the ceramics tho? ive heard great things about the oem pads also. ill have to see how much they are. did the calipers change b/w 1990 and 1996? ill try asking for the 94-96 pads since they dont have that sensor as u say.

Post by **elwesso** » Wed Jul 27, 2005 3:23 am

The calipers are the same from 90-96..... HOwever the 97-01 brakes are slightly bigger in the front and rear......

Post by **turtl631** » Wed Jul 27, 2005 5:29 am

BTW, just doing Q45 fronts gives you massive front brake bias, worse than Z32 fronts only (around 77% vs about 70% OEM). I had this upgrade and I really wouldn't recommend it unless you get Z32 rears or something. Honestly, the Z32 route is teh better way to go unless you have wheel clearance issues. Less caliper flex, better bias, more pads available. If you already plan to pony up for SS lines, the only additional cost is the Z32 calipers, which isn't a big deal.

Post by **Jookmasta** » Thu Jul 28, 2005 10:10 am

well now its down to brembo blanks and "magnum" cross drilled rotors. they are the same price but i feel that if go with the brembo blanks, i might as well just get the blanks from bennet auto. another question that has been floating in my mind is the 97-01 q45 rotors. they are an inch bigger but will they work on our cars also? if so, i might as well get the inch bigger ones............any answers or comments on that issue?

Post by **elwesso** » Thu Jul 28, 2005 10:32 am

Jookmasta wrote:well now its down to brembo blanks and "magnum" cross drilled rotors. they are the same price but i feel that if go with the brembo blanks, i might as well just get the blanks from bennet auto. another question that has been floating in my mind is the 97-01 q45 rotors. they are an inch bigger but will they work on our cars also? if so, i might as well get the inch bigger ones............any answers or comments on that issue?

youd have to get the 97-01 Q rotors and calipers..... But theyre basically the same thing.. who knows, maybe just different brackets would work......

Turtl..... The Q45 brakes arent stronger than teh Z32s, so why would having the Z32s vs the Q45 in the front be better for brake bias!

Post by **turtl631** » Thu Jul 28, 2005 1:42 pm

Since the Q calipers have 2 big pistons and they're a sliding design, they generate a brake torque equal to a 4 piston fixed rotor with the same size pistons. This results in quite a bit of front bias. Here's a good thread on brake bias on Freshalloy:http://forums.freshalloy.com/u...art=1

Post by **Jookmasta** » Sat Jul 30, 2005 6:42 pm

interesting info turtl...............so then do u lock up abnormally? and to update yall, yes the brake dust color is officially built into the caliper. i tried cleaning these things with everything. i almost wanted to use concentrated acetone as it was beginning to bug me how the color really didnt change irregardless of what i used or did. i then proceeded as a last ditch effort to resort to sandpaper and there was ALOT of progress made with it. pics will be coming when im done. also it looks like i will be settling on the axis pads.

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