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UPDATE 8/26/18
Turned the rotors for the second time. Plenty of material left on them. Installed new Akebono pads
Finish on the rotors still holds up very impressive
This is a great thread. I don't care too much about stopping power, but I do care about longevity and my parts being rust free. Are these the "Blackdash Series Sported 1-piece rotors"?
https://ebcbrakes.com/product/usr-slotted-rotors/
These
Yep, I just realized that my first post with these brakes was in 2012.
6 years later I still have them and they still perform. Car has 240k miles I think
I had the Brembo pads on my '05 G35, ordered through AutoZone (IMC). I was not a fan of the braking performance. Took a lot of pedal travel to initiate braking, plus they faded with some spirited driving, and my rotors warped within a year. My 2004 G I have Akebono proact pads and I'm quite happy with them.
For the brakelines, if you want to replace them, you may as well upgrade to stainless lines while you're in there. Anything you buy from a reputable seller should be alright (Z1, ConceptZ, Enjuku, etc)
Honestly it depends on what you're using the brakes for. AutoX or big track use you're going to want something really aggressive, 1/4 mile not necessarily unless you're hot-lapping a lot and there's no line. Daily driving just get a mild OEM pad.
If you're using some grippy pads then expect to go through rotors, I personally don't have any reason to use expensive rotors and I kept my last set, got them turned, and now they go with the a pair of DTC-60 (I think, might be 50 though) pads that are dedicated for track use. Daily pads I switched to the R1Concepts OEPlus pads which are super for normal DD duty.
Number 1 reason for warping rotors, coming to a stop (after the rotors are hot) and keeping your foot on the brake, it creates a hot spot that doesn't dissipate at the same rate. With an auto tranny if I am coming down off a long hill or something where I know the brakes are hot, or after some aggressive hard brake use I will stop quite a bit earlier (2 full car lengths) and creep forward slowly while waiting for the light to turn. Manual it's not an issue because you can just let off the brakes on the flat, or hand brake to keep yourself steady on an incline.
Number 2 reason for warping rotors, improperly torqueing the wheels, I like to snug everything up, then follow the correct pattern and estimate about 1/2 to 3/4 the torque value (so guess like 60-70 lbs) then go around once more with the correct pattern to hit final torque. Always use a torque wrench, never just guess it unless it's an emergency roadside flat and you don't have a torque wrench.
Thanks for this write up Joker. Bought myself some EBC rotors last year for my 06 Coupe 6MT and I love them. Along with the Brembo swap, and the red pads, makes the perfect combo for my driving style.