that seems like a cool price.

 

I used EB Greens on my Cooper S and they work like champs - virtually ZERO break dust and worker better than stock and at a good price. Just my
.02

 

I have RB's slotted rotors, so cant comment anything about the drilled/slotted.

But my experiences have been nothing but good with the slotted rotors. I put about 10k on them with Hawks HPS pads so far and they are wearing very well.

Make sure you get the correct rotors for your model year (03-04) and (05-06)

 

Every brake manufacturer makes different pad compounds and materials, some with more grip that tend to create more dust and squeal, others with average grip that create less dust and noise. What you go with should be determined by your particular driving style and what you plan on doing with the car. If the OEM pads worked fine for you and all you want to do is reduce dust, then Hawk HPS pads will accomplish that. If you want something that stops your car significantly better, why? For example, autocrossing runs average only 40-75 seconds or so, and even if you're on the brakes half that time, you don't need to worry as much about a high heat index or fade, but you want good initial bite. Road racing on the other hand, can keep you on the track for 20-30 minutes or more at a time, so you definitely need to worry about fade and rotor/fluid temps. But if you're doing either of those things, I would advise at least dedicated pads, if not rotors too, just for racing.

Switching to coupe brembos would be great, assuming that 1) you have $2k+ to spend on a used set (once you find them); and 2) that they do fit behind your wheels. Sometimes all you need are spacers. And unless your ex-Nissan Corp friend can still hook you up with parts, you're dealing with USED BRAKE PARTS. Not always the safest way to start improving your stopping power.

My $.02 on rotors would be to stay away from cross-drilled. Sure they look nice behind the bling rims, but they'll fail earlier than blank or slotted rotors due to thermal cracking, potentially in a hazardous way.

 

I just replaced the stock fronts today with Hawk HPS pads (I left the stock rears alone since there's plenty of life on them and I really wanted to counter the dust issue on the fronts). Even though I've only had the pads for one day, the Hawks seem to have a little more biting power than the stocks. As far as reduction of brake dust, I'll have to wait and see what happens after I drive the car around for a week.

Hopefully these Hawks will last a long time (the material of the stock front pads seem pretty brittle and have worn through halfway after just 9,000 miles).

 

You'll love them...difference is night & day when is comes to brake dust. I too have OEM pads in the rear w/ the HAWKs up front. Enjoy them!