New brakes: any suggestions?
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Joined: Jul 2003
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From: NJ
New brakes: any suggestions?
Hey all,
The dealer recently announced me that I will need new brake pads and rotors on my car. They also quoted something around $600 for front rotors and pads (parts & labor). Since the brakes are no longer under warranty, I was thinking that maybe there are better/cheaper options than the standard equipment. The car is a stock 2003.5 G35 sedan with sport suspension package. I'm using it for pretty much everything, including commute, errands, trips, etc. The car has about 52K miles.
Do you have any suggestions? I live in central NJ, so if you know any good brake shops around here, I'd be glad to hear about them.
Thanks
The dealer recently announced me that I will need new brake pads and rotors on my car. They also quoted something around $600 for front rotors and pads (parts & labor). Since the brakes are no longer under warranty, I was thinking that maybe there are better/cheaper options than the standard equipment. The car is a stock 2003.5 G35 sedan with sport suspension package. I'm using it for pretty much everything, including commute, errands, trips, etc. The car has about 52K miles.
Do you have any suggestions? I live in central NJ, so if you know any good brake shops around here, I'd be glad to hear about them.
Thanks
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 2,514
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From: Marietta, Georgia
Rotors are critical because they depend on quality metallurgy.
The are dozen of cheap low quality foundaries in the world.
All oem [Nissan] has extremely high quality control standards.
Most afternarket rotors are just made to fit.
The are dozen of cheap low quality foundaries in the world.
All oem [Nissan] has extremely high quality control standards.
Most afternarket rotors are just made to fit.
Originally Posted by Texasscout
For now I am just going to change the pads and machine the rotors.
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I did this write up. It might help
Originally Posted by Stoptech
I figure a lot of people might find this useful. Here at StopTech we have probably tried out more brake pads on the same car than most. I need to preface this post with a few things.
1. Tires will have more effect on stopping distance than brake pads. Brakes stop the wheels from turning.
2. These are all street pads. None of these pads are intended for track use. On the track brake temps are much higher than they would ever be on the street or a spirited back road drive. One of the guys here went out to a track day on street tires and Axxis Ultimate pads. He had them fade in every session, and it was his first track day!
3. With performance comes the dust. There isn't a brake pad that can give you the most performance and have no dust. If that pad existed, we'd all be using it. With more performance pads also comes with noise sometimes.
4. When considering pads, try not to focus on what materials the pads are made up. The chemicals can be deceiving. Instead, focus on the pads' characteristics. What is their temp range? How much bite do they have? How much dust do they put out? etc.
5. Finally, all brake pads need a good bed-in to work properly. Here is why. http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/faqs.shtml#15
Axxis ULT (formerly Ultimates) - These are are great for the price. They are used as the standard pad in almost all big brake kits we ship. They have good high bite and a good temp range for a street pad. These have more bite than the Hawk HPS or Axxis D+ pads. The down side is that these pads are by no means a "low dust" pad.
Axxis D+ - Low dust low noise solution from Axxis. Great for the everyday driver. The bite might be a little better than stock. I have not been able to compare back to back which is the only real way to tell.
Hawk HPS - Lower dust Lower noise pad from hawk that a lot of people like. Doesn't have as much dust as the Axxis ULT, and definitely doesn't have as much bite. The temp range is ok, but the ULT pads go higher.
Hawk HP+ - High bite and high MOT(Max Operating Temp). Has a little more bite than the Axxis ULT, but doesn't quite go as high a temperature. It is close though. It does go higher than the Hawk HPS, and it also puts out more dust.
Hawk Perf Ceramic - oooooohhhh aaaaahhhh this has that buzz word "ceramic" I gotta say these are some nice brake pads. I just put them in my car last night. They have more bite than the Hawk HPS, and seem to put out less dust. I haven't had them long enough to really make a judgement. They temp range is that close to the Hawk HPS. In stock caliper form, they are only available for the rear. I have a big brake kit upfront is how I got them up there.
If you are doing Auto-x, Axxis Ultimates or Hawk HP+ are a great choice. These are also good for performance street use.
If you would like something lower dust, I'd go with the Axxis D+ pads. These are low dust, low noise, very compliant pads.
I would say that Hawk HPS and Axxis Metal masters are pretty middle ground. They don't have the most performance, and they don't put out the least dust.
JDM pads (Pmu, Endless) - Can't comment since we have not had any direct experience with them.
When reading recommendations, consider the person who the recommendation comes from. What is best for one person may not be the best for another. Hopefully this will help out some people with their pad selections. Most of these pads are available from most stores, especially the ones that sponsor this forum
1. Tires will have more effect on stopping distance than brake pads. Brakes stop the wheels from turning.
2. These are all street pads. None of these pads are intended for track use. On the track brake temps are much higher than they would ever be on the street or a spirited back road drive. One of the guys here went out to a track day on street tires and Axxis Ultimate pads. He had them fade in every session, and it was his first track day!
3. With performance comes the dust. There isn't a brake pad that can give you the most performance and have no dust. If that pad existed, we'd all be using it. With more performance pads also comes with noise sometimes.
4. When considering pads, try not to focus on what materials the pads are made up. The chemicals can be deceiving. Instead, focus on the pads' characteristics. What is their temp range? How much bite do they have? How much dust do they put out? etc.
5. Finally, all brake pads need a good bed-in to work properly. Here is why. http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/faqs.shtml#15
Axxis ULT (formerly Ultimates) - These are are great for the price. They are used as the standard pad in almost all big brake kits we ship. They have good high bite and a good temp range for a street pad. These have more bite than the Hawk HPS or Axxis D+ pads. The down side is that these pads are by no means a "low dust" pad.
Axxis D+ - Low dust low noise solution from Axxis. Great for the everyday driver. The bite might be a little better than stock. I have not been able to compare back to back which is the only real way to tell.
Hawk HPS - Lower dust Lower noise pad from hawk that a lot of people like. Doesn't have as much dust as the Axxis ULT, and definitely doesn't have as much bite. The temp range is ok, but the ULT pads go higher.
Hawk HP+ - High bite and high MOT(Max Operating Temp). Has a little more bite than the Axxis ULT, but doesn't quite go as high a temperature. It is close though. It does go higher than the Hawk HPS, and it also puts out more dust.
Hawk Perf Ceramic - oooooohhhh aaaaahhhh this has that buzz word "ceramic" I gotta say these are some nice brake pads. I just put them in my car last night. They have more bite than the Hawk HPS, and seem to put out less dust. I haven't had them long enough to really make a judgement. They temp range is that close to the Hawk HPS. In stock caliper form, they are only available for the rear. I have a big brake kit upfront is how I got them up there.
If you are doing Auto-x, Axxis Ultimates or Hawk HP+ are a great choice. These are also good for performance street use.
If you would like something lower dust, I'd go with the Axxis D+ pads. These are low dust, low noise, very compliant pads.
I would say that Hawk HPS and Axxis Metal masters are pretty middle ground. They don't have the most performance, and they don't put out the least dust.
JDM pads (Pmu, Endless) - Can't comment since we have not had any direct experience with them.
When reading recommendations, consider the person who the recommendation comes from. What is best for one person may not be the best for another. Hopefully this will help out some people with their pad selections. Most of these pads are available from most stores, especially the ones that sponsor this forum
I would Recomend Project Mu B-Force or Endless Vita Nuova pads. Maybe even Project Mu NS pads. I heard some good things about NS pads.
The only thing about B-Force and Nuova pads are they are little pricey. If you want little more economical pads, go with Project Mu NS pads.
I tried many pads before including, Stock
,Satisfied Pro Ceremic, Hawk HPS, Project Mu B-Force, Endless Vita Nuova.
Here are some reviews I posted about the pads I used.
Project Mu B-Force and other pads
http://www.my350z.com/forum/showthread.php?t=117664
Endless Vita Nuova
http://www.my350z.com/forum/showthread.php?t=160706
The only thing I forgot to mention is on Hawk HPS, you don't have a good intial bite. The pads need to warm/heat up before they start biting. For street, I would not recomend Hawk HPS.
Just my .02
The only thing about B-Force and Nuova pads are they are little pricey. If you want little more economical pads, go with Project Mu NS pads.
I tried many pads before including, Stock
,Satisfied Pro Ceremic, Hawk HPS, Project Mu B-Force, Endless Vita Nuova.Here are some reviews I posted about the pads I used.
Project Mu B-Force and other pads
http://www.my350z.com/forum/showthread.php?t=117664
Endless Vita Nuova
http://www.my350z.com/forum/showthread.php?t=160706
The only thing I forgot to mention is on Hawk HPS, you don't have a good intial bite. The pads need to warm/heat up before they start biting. For street, I would not recomend Hawk HPS.
Just my .02
Originally Posted by GThIrtYFiZle
For how many miles does the warranty cover the brakes??
Somebody correct this if I'm wrong, but I do know the 05's don't have as long a warrenty as the earlier models.
I would recommend the stoptech stage 2 upgrade, basically you get a complete set of rotor's pads, brake lines, and new brake fuild for a very affordable price. Give us a call if you are interested.
Originally Posted by CreativeAutoworks
I would recommend the stoptech stage 2 upgrade, basically you get a complete set of rotor's pads, brake lines, and new brake fuild for a very affordable price. Give us a call if you are interested.
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Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 523
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From: Chicago burbs
Originally Posted by Texasscout
Someone here said that they don't make one to fit the 2005 (non-Brembo) brakes as they are a little larger than the > or = 2004 models.
Why such crappy brakes nowdays................?
My previous car was a 300ZX I purchased in '92. I
drove that sweet ride all over Ca. under all conditions
and didn't replace the factory pads until I reached
19,000 miles and never had a dust problem. I went
thru two sets of custom rims and several sets of tires.
Now I have this bitchen G35 coupe with a ton of mods and I can't drive two blocks before the Volks are
covered with $hitty brake dust.......why? I took it
in to have the dealer check pads due to splintering
crud on my wheels. I have new pads but still have
a ton of dust. Wish I had my '92 300ZX brakes on
this car! What's the answer?
drove that sweet ride all over Ca. under all conditions
and didn't replace the factory pads until I reached
19,000 miles and never had a dust problem. I went
thru two sets of custom rims and several sets of tires.
Now I have this bitchen G35 coupe with a ton of mods and I can't drive two blocks before the Volks are
covered with $hitty brake dust.......why? I took it
in to have the dealer check pads due to splintering
crud on my wheels. I have new pads but still have
a ton of dust. Wish I had my '92 300ZX brakes on
this car! What's the answer?
Last edited by gary c; Feb 8, 2006 at 01:07 AM.
