Thanks for bringing this issue up because I need to change my brake pads too. I did a search and didn't get much in the way of help, but I didn't want to ask this question again. I went ahead and ordered some Hawk HPS pads. The Brembo pads are just too expensive. I'm going to take my car to my mechanic friend and he'll change them for me, if my rotors need to be turned, then he'll recommend it and have it done. It's nice to have a friend who is a mechanic.

 

I swapped out my OEMs with Axxis ceramic pads, then i swapped those out with 30 dollar wagner thermoquiets. Unless you track your car, I doubt you will notice a difference.

Labor is usually 50-80 bucks per axle. I changed it myself, took 3 hours the first time, the second time it took 30-45 min. Havent changed my rotors yet, i have 38k on my brembos.

 

Cal and others -

regard the 6MT with Brembo brakes:

First, there are great brake threads throughout this site, and for people who want DIY, there are posts with step by step pictures. It is a pretty easy job, but I have the garage do it, because I am not fast enough to make it worth the time it would take me.

I good garage should charge $80 for the front and $80 for the rear - it is only a 2hour job or so for each (actually less if you are doing front and rear because some stuff is for both). If the garage want to charge upwards of $110 for each, still probably worth it if you like the guys, but you can probably get it for less.

I recommed geting the HAWK HPS pads should be about $105 front, about $75 rear. Good deal. Great pads. And very little dust. Make sure they use a break pad quiet gel, like the orange CRC Brake Quiet ($4). BTW, pep boys carries them at just about the best price around (special order item takes a few days to get).

There are other good pads out there, like Nismo and Project Mu, but they start to get more expensive and may not be the right match for your driving style. EBC pads have been rated highly, in general, but some people have complained that they fade more than the Hawks.

So to answer your questions, you should be able to do front for $185 and rear for $155.

 

thanks for the comprehensive answers... would the $80/hr or so per axle include turning/resurfacing rotors? or is that price assuming that it wouldnt need to be done? whats the deal on resurfacing our rotors vs. just replacing them? i'll probably do the fronts and the service advisor at infiniti oakland upon initial visual inspection (with wheels still on) said that there are some signs that i might need to replace the rotors. how much do the rotors generally run and if im having my pads replaced and rotors replaced rather than rotors RESURFACED, would there be an additional cost, or is the labor time basically the same? thanks!

 

Good rotors cost a pretty penny man. XD

 

I hate to resurrect an old brake pad thread. I installed a set of Hawk HPS pads in my '04 6MT, and they suck!!! They squeal like crazy, they don't stop as well as the Brembo pads, and my mechanic said the front pads don't fit right, so when I go into reverse and step on the brakes, they move and I get this loud clicking noise. I wish I just spent the money and got the stock Brembo pads.

 

I'm now in the same boat, looking to buy replacement pads, and possibly rotors for my 04 coupe with brembos. Thanks for the heads up re hawks, I'll stay away from them. So I guess my choices are get the brembos pads again or go with the mu's. Which MU is comparable with the stock brembo? ( I couldnt' find the friction coefficient on the stock brembo's to compare to the project MU's.)

Also, do the MU's last longer / or shorter than the brembos? I have about 27k on my car, and already teh brembos are out....

Thanks

 

Looking into the Wagner Thermoquiets for my sedan. Any further input? Yours still working fine?