So... I was told by my Infiniti dealership (during my 60K service on my 2003 G35 AT Coupe) that I need new front pads and rotors. They want to charge me $6 to do this. Sounded steep to me (as are any of this dealer's services).

Plus I'd love to have squeal-free, low-dust wheels... so I decided to search these forums a bit. After reading 100+ posts, I was considering the purchase of the list below, and wondering a few things before I pull the trigger.


To Be Purchased:
A. Hawk HPS ($64 +s/h) -OR- Hawk Performance Ceramic ($71 +s/h)
B. RacingBrake Slot Rotors ($231 +s/h)


My Questions:
1. Any recommendations on the "Hawk HPS" vs. the "Hawk Performance Ceramic" pads? (please vote in poll as well)
2. Is there anything else I'll need to order?
3. What's the best way to find a good mechanic in my area to service my G? I'm tired of paying dealership price (especially since my warranty expired today ).


Also, if anyone has this combo and would be kind enough to comment on purchasing / installation / performance, it would sure be appreciated.

 

Hawk HPS pads are about as dusty as OE pads but perform a little better under duress (it's more fade resistant under heavy use). The performance ceramics give off a very light colored dust, so on silver alloy wheels it's virtually impossible to see, but on black wheels it'll actually show up. Performance wise, the ceramic is meant for street use, not for any track use. If you use the OE shims the ceramics are about noiseless and "dustless" as you're ever going to get.

Swapping out pads and rotors is actually quit easy if you have the tools. A hydraulic floorjack ($50-120), a typical Craftsman toolbox ($99), and a C-Clamp to press back the pistons and you're set. And a 1/2" drive torque wrench to torque down your wheels. A one time investment will save you thousands of dollars if you intend to avoid taking it to the $tealers.

By the way, I can get better prices than that on the RacingBrake rotors and Hawk pads (not the ceramic). PM me for more info. If you're located in So. Cal I can probably help you install all the parts, saving you labor.

 

I beg to differ on this. At least in the case of the 2003-04 models, the OEM pad dust is incredibly more than HPS pad dust (which I have). Probably 10 to 1 minimum!

Second, I have no evidence that the HPS pads are better under duress. Is there some test data on this? Beside less dusting, the only differences that I notice are (1) the HPS's don't have an initial grab nearly as aggressive as the OEMs, (2) the HPS cold performance isn't quite a good, (3) the HPS are dead quiet compared to OEM. I consider the tradeoffs to be acceptible overall.

 

I still don't have any idea what is the best way to go about this. I could buy aftermarket parts, but I cant install them myself, and I have no idea how to find a trustworthy, good mechanic.

The dealership wont install aftermarket parts, and they want $700 to install Hawks (? which are made by Stillen according to him ?), with drilled and slotted rotors. He didn't specify what model of Hawks they would use.

I think I'd rather have just slotted rotors (drilled are more likely to break), and probably the ceramic Hawk pads. That would put me around $300 for the parts, plus maybe $150 to get install somewhere? Sound about right? There's other things I've been told that I need, including:

1. Brake cleaner (in order to clean up brake dust on calipers)("Brakekleen")
2. Wheel cleaner (to clean brake dust off rims)("DuPont Teflon Wheel cleaner" or "Meg's Wheel Brightener" or "Power Wheel Cleaner")
3. Brake squeal lube (to coat the brakepad backing)("Permatex anti-squeal compound" or "Disc Brake Quiet")

Anything else? I'm in southern California (Simi Valley) if anyone has any recommendations on a mechanic!