Tires/Brakes for 2003 Sedan

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Sep 12, 2009 | 05:53 PM
  #1  
Hey All,

I have an '03 sedan with 85k miles on it. I have approximately 35% life left on my tires and brakes (hopefully don't need rotors!). I use my car to drive me to work everyday, run errands, and make roadtrips. I don't need excellent performance, I just need a reliable set of tires and brakes. Do you gent's have any suggestions?

Thanks,
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Sep 12, 2009 | 10:01 PM
  #2  
I have the Yoko Avids and am pretty happy with them, esp for the price. I stick with Stock Pads and rotors
Reply 0
Sep 13, 2009 | 04:04 AM
  #3  
I counter that and say definitely don't stick with the stock pads. While they offer great performance, they certainly don't last long and generate a ton of brake dust. If you're not regularly cleaning your wheels or enjoy doing so, I'd advise you to try other brands of pads. I've had really good experience using Akebono ProAct ceramic pads. The ceramic material is quiet and provides similar to stock stopping power. I didn't do a measured test so I can't say for sure its the same, but in panic stops, I never felt like the car was unexpectedly taking longer to stop than the 4 years before I changed over. The pads are supposedly gentler on the rotors as well so you can expect longer life and some costs savings there. But for me a big bonus was the almost complete lack of brake dust. I used to wash my car and by the second or third day the wheels were already dark, especially the fronts. With these pads, I can easily go 2 or 3 months without the dirty wheel look. I think they probably generate some sort of dust but I can't tell. Perhaps the dust doesn't stick to the wheels as much or the color is more similar to the wheel color that its not apparent. Cost wise, they were about 40% cheaper than the price the dealership quoted me for stock pads. I live in Canada though so you'll have to verify that yourself locally. I regret not switching to these ceramics earlier because if I did, I wouldn't have bits of dark brake dust stuck to my wheels that I can scrub off. I think Akebono also makes a more aggressive ceramic pad that is suitable for occasional track or auto-cross use. I bought them from Tirerack. You can check them out and read more reviews there.

As for rotors, I swapped out my fronts for a slotted design. I also bought those from Tirerack. There are lots of options to choose from. I stuck with stock rotors for my rear cause they really don't contribute much to braking. I did use the ceramic pads on all wheels though.

One small note, slotted (and presumably drilled rotors) will generate a bit of hum when braking. Its not bothersome and when I heard it, I initially thought it was from my exhaust cause it sounded like engine braking. I only occurs at a certain speed range as the car decelerates. If you're travelling above or below this range, you will hear nothing when braking.

A final downside might be that Infiniti dealerships will not use non factory parts for your brake service. If that's an issue I guess you'll HAVE to stick with stock parts. Again, I know this to be true in Canada and it makes sense that its a general rule for all dealerships since they warranty any work using parts they aren't familiar with. I ended up going to standard brake shop for the work.
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Sep 13, 2009 | 12:55 PM
  #4  
Quote: I have the Yoko Avids and am pretty happy with them, esp for the price. I stick with Stock Pads and rotors
+1

For a daily driver I would go with Avids. I ran them before and they are a very quiet tire on the highway. In fact i beleive they are highly rated for having low noise. One of the bigger factors in why i chose them.

My G35 will need tires this winter, and i'm debating a set of Avids or a dedicated set of snow tires for it. I will only go snow tires if i pick up a set of 18's or 19's for the summer...otherwise i'll stick with my OEM 17's and go with all-seasons.


As for brakes, 2003-2004 brakes are notorious for brake dust. My '06's brajes dust very little, so I stuck with the stock rotors and pads when mine needed a brake job. Im my opinion, slotted/drilled rotors are not an upgrade of any kind on a daily driver vehicle. Changing the pads however will reduce the dusting.
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Sep 14, 2009 | 03:06 AM
  #5  
How many times are you going to post the same thread?
https://g35driver.com/forums/g35-sed...es-brakes.html
https://g35driver.com/forums/g35-sed...003-sedan.html
Reply 0
Sep 14, 2009 | 05:49 PM
  #6  
Quote: How many times are you going to post the same thread?
https://g35driver.com/forums/g35-sed...es-brakes.html
https://g35driver.com/forums/g35-sed...003-sedan.html
Ease up pal. I thought I posted in the wrong section. Thankss for all your help...
Reply 0
Sep 14, 2009 | 05:55 PM
  #7  
Quote: I counter that and say definitely don't stick with the stock pads. While they offer great performance, they certainly don't last long and generate a ton of brake dust. If you're not regularly cleaning your wheels or enjoy doing so, I'd advise you to try other brands of pads. I've had really good experience using Akebono ProAct ceramic pads. The ceramic material is quiet and provides similar to stock stopping power. I didn't do a measured test so I can't say for sure its the same, but in panic stops, I never felt like the car was unexpectedly taking longer to stop than the 4 years before I changed over. The pads are supposedly gentler on the rotors as well so you can expect longer life and some costs savings there. But for me a big bonus was the almost complete lack of brake dust. I used to wash my car and by the second or third day the wheels were already dark, especially the fronts. With these pads, I can easily go 2 or 3 months without the dirty wheel look. I think they probably generate some sort of dust but I can't tell. Perhaps the dust doesn't stick to the wheels as much or the color is more similar to the wheel color that its not apparent. Cost wise, they were about 40% cheaper than the price the dealership quoted me for stock pads. I live in Canada though so you'll have to verify that yourself locally. I regret not switching to these ceramics earlier because if I did, I wouldn't have bits of dark brake dust stuck to my wheels that I can scrub off. I think Akebono also makes a more aggressive ceramic pad that is suitable for occasional track or auto-cross use. I bought them from Tirerack. You can check them out and read more reviews there.

As for rotors, I swapped out my fronts for a slotted design. I also bought those from Tirerack. There are lots of options to choose from. I stuck with stock rotors for my rear cause they really don't contribute much to braking. I did use the ceramic pads on all wheels though.

One small note, slotted (and presumably drilled rotors) will generate a bit of hum when braking. Its not bothersome and when I heard it, I initially thought it was from my exhaust cause it sounded like engine braking. I only occurs at a certain speed range as the car decelerates. If you're travelling above or below this range, you will hear nothing when braking.

A final downside might be that Infiniti dealerships will not use non factory parts for your brake service. If that's an issue I guess you'll HAVE to stick with stock parts. Again, I know this to be true in Canada and it makes sense that its a general rule for all dealerships since they warranty any work using parts they aren't familiar with. I ended up going to standard brake shop for the work.
Thanks for such an insightful post!
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