I guess this is a few weeks old now (3 already?) but I'm finally getting to post pics of my stoptech slotted rotors/hawk HPS/stainless brakelines/G2 black painted calipers. . .the final product is my "small brake" kit. LOL I was a little bummed that there are only six slots per rotor. . .I wonder if I was sheistered? (I doubt it!) I'll have to check with stoptech. . . Anyway, here's the front, the rear, and the car now with the all black setup:

-drew

I'm starting work on an all inclusive DIY (with pictures ) for the 5AT brakes that will include changing the pads, replacing rotors, changing to stainless steel brake lines, and finally painting the calipers. . .more to come in the next day or so!

 

Very nice. Did you change out the fluid too for a higher boiling temp fluid? Fluid is a major cause of brake fade.

 

Oh yeah. . .this upgrade kit comes with Motul 600. . .I flushed my old fluid and replaced it with this stuff.

-drew

 

Drewer, did the upgrades improve your stopping power? Thanks.

 

Yeah, let us know about difference in stopping power/fade and are you getting any squeaking?

 

I highly doubt stopping distance will get any better than over the OEM pads and rotors. Nissan already did a marvelous job with that as seen from testing in magazines and such. What will be better is resistance to fade after repeated hard braking because of the quality Stoptech rotors with slots and mainly the higher boiling point Motul RBF 600 fluid.

 

Hey there,
What is the diameter of the rotors? I'm guessing 13in? Are they the exact same rotors offered in the more expensive kit, which comes with the upgraded calipers?
I've been thinking of doing this upgrade for some time now. I'll be watching with great interest.
Thanks

 

Actually most people will experience fade from pad material vaporizing before fluid boil. Heat has to go through the pad material, the backing plate, the pistons(in many cases, stainless steel which is a poor medium for heat transfer) and then into the fluid. Considering rotors are cooling relatively quickly compared to all other brake parts, most of the heat will go into the rotors first. DOT 4 fluid is probably more than most people will ever need. In order to see fluid boil first, the pads would have to handle a very high level of heat before it starts to vaporize the pad material. Most OEM pads and most upgraded pads will start to vaporize well before fluid starts to boil. I'd expect you might see fluid boil first if the fluid is old and contaminated and/or you use some true race grade pads running on the high end of their heat rating. With all the parts the heat needs to get to before affecting the fluid, it is going to see slow and small changes in heat. Where as pads and rotors are on a on/off heating cycle with varying cooling cycles which are dependent on speed. The fluid will see more of an average temp. It is common to see pads overheat briefly and then be fine shortly after driving down a straight or in an area of track where braking is minimal or not needed(longer moderate speed turns, or quick successive switchbacks. In this type of case, fluid temp change will be small(relative to pad temp changes) as the rotor will dissapate most of the heat.

 

I think you missed the point I was trying to make. The car comes with DOT 3 from the factory, which has a lower dry and wet boiling pont, making it much more prone to fade. I was talking only about an upgrade to DOT 4 here, not to a racing fluid.

What you have to understand is that typical DOT 3 fluid has a lower wet boiling point, which is perhaps more important than the dry one. Because fluid absorbs water (it's actually supposed to so that water doesn't sit in the lines where it can corrode the system) it lowers the boiling point, which makes it much easier to achieve fluid fade. Yes, the fluid will come back again after you let it cool down a bit, but now you've boiled it, and reduced the boiling point yet again. So, DOT 3 and even slightly older fluid is much more likely to fade than new DOT 4. True, many street drivers may never experience it, but then again, the G35 is not like most other cars, and people do tend to drive it hard. The pads definitely do not have to vaporize for the fluid to heat up to its boiling point, especially the DOT 3 that comes with the car that's been in there for a year or two. However, you do need to change DOT 4 more frequently, and every fluid at least annually for best braking performance.

 

My impressions:

1.) I don't know about stopping distance, since I never floored the brakes with the stock setup, and problably never will with the new setup.

2.) I did notice fade with the OEM brakes/pads after driving for a while. With the new setup, this is the one thing that I could actually tell that was the most obvious. The brakes are just as potent after a few hours of "spirited" driving as they were when I started the car.

3.) Yes, I know this is something most people already knew, but the Hawk HPS pads produce so much less brake dust than the OEMs. . .I no longer have gunmetal front by weeks end. lol

4.) The rotors are the same size (front and rear) as the stocks, so they are a "direct replacement."

5.) Lastly, I haven't had any issues with squeaking at all.

I'll post any new thoughts when they come to mind. . .
Thx for the posts, everyone!

-drew

 

Did you use 2-part epoxy for painting the calipers? They look cool . What an
awesome black G35 with the tinted glass.