Hey guys,

This might not be an issue, this could only be in my head, but ive been having some second thoughts regarding the brakes on my car.

The thing is this, this car weighs 1600kgs which is 3500lbs, and has 300hp (as infiniti advertises the 07 coupe 6mt) so i would expect it to have good brakes.

Now my problem is such, say im driving at 60-70 Mph/100-110km/h if i press on the brake pedal. nothing really happens, the car starts braking but gently, the pedal is not too soft (as to indicate that brakes need to be bleeded) nor is it hard. In order to really get a feel of braking you have to press the pedal beyond 3/4 of the way, and still then the deceleration is not that fast.

If however i slam my foot on the brake with all my force, indeed i can induce the ABS to kick in. But still i feel as if something isnt right.

Since its a sportscar and the brake needs to be progressive, i dont expect it to be like in other cars where you pinch the brake and your head is through the wind shield but it seems like either the brakes are not suitable for this car, or there is an issue with mine.

I changed the brake fluid recently, thinking that this would be an issue, but still... im not liking the feel of the brake pedal.

Mind you its an 07 Coupe with standard brakes which features 2 pot front calibers and 1 pot rear calipers. I have stoptech drilled rotors, with hawk performance pads. Yes ive also read that the hawk pads need to be warmed up being that they are ceramic, but still it seems bad.

Not to mention that brake fade is quite an issue with this car, sincer it doesnt have special vents to channel air from the front to the front rotors, for cooling.

 

Bleed the brakes in the proper order and see if that makes a difference.

 

im sorry for being such a noob, but what is the proper order to bleed the brakes.... (mind you i cant relly on the technicians here to know this, as there are only 7 G35s in bucharest)

 

I have the same rotors and pads and sometimes my pedal goes further to the floor than other times.. I have to double pump the brakes to get them to bite.. I'm gonna upgrade to brembos or akebonos when its time to replace my brakes..

 

I plan on going for Akebonos as well when the time comes to change the brakes, but im affraid that the problem is somewhere else not with the calipers/pads/rotors. It may be the booster pump at fault.

 

Bleed air in the following order. Right rear brake → Left front brake → Left rear brake → Right front brake


Could also just be your choice in brake pads. If your Hawk pads need to be warmed up, then there's your problem. I'm using Carbotech 1521 street compound pads and couldn't be happier.

 

Bleed brakes carefully and thoroughly. While you are there, check all pads, make sure no pads are stuck, take out caliper pins and grease them.

Could be a leaking master cylinder - but bleed and check everything else first because I replaced my master cylinder and the problem ended up being a caliper.

 

It might be air in the brake fluid, but I'm willing to bet it's just the brake pads. If they weren't prepped properly for install or if they weren't properly broken in, even street pads can glaze and perform like you're mentioning.

Since you brought up Akebono, you will be better off with some performance street pads. Project U have always been good to me, but the cheap Akebonos that I currently have on my IS don't feel so good. It's great that they don't dust and get loud, which is something that car has an issue with, but they feel pretty soggy as well.

 

I did exactly as they said in the manual, as far as breaking them in.

In case they are glazed (which im not quite familiar with the term, but i think i know where your getting at) is there anything i could do regarding this?

I stll have my old pads, (oem INFINTI) which were at 50% when i upgraded to the hawk HPS pads.

I think im going to install them to see if there is any change/difference in brake feel/effort.



On the other hand im very happy that i managed today to change my oil, (last oil change, i used Castrol, which sucks over here in Romania, and the engine started making wierd noises, its as if the metal was louder, and you could hear the rockers) now i put 5w30 mobil 1, ESP, which i understood from infinti europe that its what they recommend, and instantly the sound diminished, and its seems to be going away. So im happy on one part

If your in europe, especially romania, stay away from castrol edge sport 5w30. it fails.

 

Hawk pads are your problem. Hawk pads are notorious for a poor initial bite. To be quite honest with you, if you don't track, basic OEM pads will do just fine.

If you must get a performance pad, Project Mu B-Spec or Type NS pads offer much better initial bite than Hawks and don't fade as easily from my personal experience.

 

hawks do brake better when warm... mine are also a little soft before they get sufficient force on them.. i just chalk that up to the ABS... i hate ABS

 

I always sand off the top layer of the brake pads before I install them. Use a large flat and very stable surface so you sand it down evenly (those black non-slip pads on stairs and such stuck to the ground work great). Modern manufacturing techniques supposedly eliminate the need to do this, but you will still see and feel the difference.