Originally Posted by athens

As I said on my 1997 E36 M3 rotors lasted likely to 70K miles and the pads to 55K miles. And the Z rated Michelin SXX3 lasted to 40K miles without irregular wear issues.

That said, the G35 in 2003 still did not offer the performance capabilities of the E36 M3.

I realize that some contributors to these threads demand more from their cars performance-wise than others (myself included).

Those contributors who either drive hard or mod (or both) can reasonably expect early wear rates for wear and tear items like brakes and tires.

For the rest of us the G35 was marketed as a premium luxury sporty touring car. They way the car was marketed by Nissan.

Some of us don't change our own brake pads. We go to service shops, whether dealers or indies.

When you go from an M3 to a G35, as I did, and you are getting half useful life for these wear and tear items, with less performance, it does not fall within one's reasonable expectations. Our reasonable expectations are based upon our past experiences with similar products.

If worn brake pads at 20K miles is so normal why did Infiniti offer the pad replacement warranty on the 2002-2004 G?

In designing a car that can be manufactured and marketed for a profit there are always compromises in design. With the G the "Achilles Heel" in design has been brake component specs.

See Car and Driver's August 2008 issue: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...top_tech_stuff

Originally Posted by DaveB

The E36 weighs about 250lbs less than the G35 and comes with .6" larger front rotors. That's quite a bit more swept area. The E36 M3 and G35 (standard 11.8" rotors) both stop in the 110' 60-0 range. On a road course, I'd expect the M3 setup to be better suited to fighting fade.

Originally Posted by athens

Exactly. When it could have offered a larger and thicker rotor and a more powerful single piston caliper Infiniti "cheaped out". Instead Infiniti substituted a real soft brake pad with a high friction coefficient to make up for the smaller swept rotor area with thinner walls and weaker (Maxima) calipers.

That is the brake design compromise, at least in the non-Brembo models, that I am referring to. Apparently the issue was partially rectified with 2005 models so much so that the Brembo option was no longer deemed necessary. And the premature brake pad warranty was not extended past 2004 non-Brembo G35s.

Originally Posted by G35fromPA

Though even with the 03-04 Brembo calipers, larger and thicker rotors, etc., you still have the early wear issue for pads and rotors.

Originally Posted by athens

Why didn't Nissan send some engineers on a tour at the ATE plant in Germany that makes the rotors and single piston calipers for the BMW M series?

Perhaps they could have learned something.

Originally Posted by G35fromPA

Because they're more expensive...would have killed margins.

Originally Posted by athens

So rather than pass on the increased cost of a better component in a consumer good at the initial point of purchase, you just simply install an inferior component? That way the customer pays three to four times that purchase price increase to maintain the product in the first 5 years of ownership. How about the inconvenience to the average, gentle driving consumer just for taking the car to be serviced for brakes every 25K miles?

Remember the G35 is supposed to be a "luxury" consumer good.

As Infiniti is a relatively new entry into the U.S. luxury car race (1990- with sales only really haven taken off in 2002), perhaps it still has a bit to learn about this market segment.