lexx426

Hey guys, i just baught a set of 4 drilled/sloted brembo rotors, and now im looking for pads... My friend recomended "HAWK Performance". does anybody have these? And another question. Should i get ceramic pads, or kevlar pads?

unixadm

I've seen HAWK pads mentioned and recommended on the domestic forums I frequent. I think the recommend pad for the Maxima was either the PBR / Axxis pads or the OEM pads from the dealer. That's just my 2 cents. I don't know what kind of pads are on my used Maxima, but some days it sounds like a school bus when it stops. A brake job is on my agenda and I'll probably go with the AXXIS pads as they can be had on Ebay pretty cheap.

EugThinks

I've never heard of Hawk pads... I've got PBR/Axxis pads on mine, with slotted Brembo rotors, and they seem to work just fine (6 months in an area where suicidal deer jump into the road all the time), but they do scream like a **** star. I'm hoping anti-squeal will fix that, planning to slop some on when i do some other work soon... as soon as it stops raining.

So are the rotors drilled or slotted? :P Just curious.

adithius

I always went with ceramics without any problems. Stock are good, or Raybestos "Quiet Stop"

lexx426

they are slotted and drilled... my guess is best of both worlds

mzmtg

iTrader: (11)

http://www.hawkperformance.com/

98i30

Same here.

4 drilled/sloted brembo rotors + AXXIS pads,- BIG NO NO!

1. It's squick like hell.
2. Dust. (My front rims are black from dust)
Got what I paid for.

Better buy stock pads.

A32Matt

don't even bother with ceramics. i got some for my car in the fronts and the stopping power is horrible. ceramics are only good for Porsches and high end cars.

unixadm

Drilled rotors are not a good idea on the street due to stress cracks. Slotted is okay because it won't crack, but the whole slotted/drilled thing has more to do with looks than performance. I'd just go with some plated OEM style rotors and call it a day. No rust then, not a lot of bling, just good old fashioned brakes. Based on the squealing complaints, I'll go with the OEM pads.

EugThinks

The way I understand it, slotted and drilled rotors don't help you stop faster, they just dissipate heat faster (more open surface area, and slight ventilation throughout the rotor) so that you don't get as much fade if you do a lot of hard braking over a short time, like in autocross racing. I've heard the thing about drilled rotors cracking too, which is why I went with slotted, but theoretically they do help, just not with "stopping power" per se.

I've never heard of rotors being both slotted AND drilled... do you have a link I could look at? They sound... random.

EugThinks

Never mind on that link, I did a quick google and found some examples.

cam_honestiam

iTrader: (2)

Slotted rotors have disadvantages as well as cross-drilled. With cross-drilled, stress cracks are evident. Slotted rotors are meant to dissipate heat too, but they (supposedly) wear out your pads faster because of the "cutting" action that the slots create as they pass by the pad.

I did quite a bit of research and found that, unless you race your car on the track in competitions, etc, probably the best thing to do is replace your rotors with the standard, flat rotor. Look at BMW and Mercedes, and many/most of them are the flat, no-hole/slot rotor.

You can/should try to buy brake pads and rotors that are from the same manufacturer for less squeals and a good combination of grip & power. Squeals often come from lack of lubrication of the moveable parts, not necessarily the metal in the pad coming into contact with the rotor.

Raybestos offers a great rotor, and their Quiet Stop pads (ceramic) are excellent. I rebuilt my calipers and threw on a brand new set of front and rear rotors along with pads (the PG Plus rotors and the Quiet Stop pads). The ceramic/kevlar is not a bad mix, but the price makes them less attractive than the competition.

OEM pads are semi-metallic, and they offer plenty of bite. However, the composite material leads to more dust than ceramic pads. Ceramic pads operate better at higher temperatures because of their composition. They are less likely to warp the rotor in the event of hard, consistent braking. They (supposedly) do not last as long as semi-mettalic, but they are less noisy and less dusty. Make sure that any and all contact points between the pad and the caliper are well-greased with a high-temp, synthetic compound. You also may want to check the brake hardware for wear.

Bottom line: I have heard good things about Hawke, but I went with the Ray Bestos for convenience and reputation. The Quiet Stop ceramics are great and have plenty of bite. Satisfied makes a ceramic that is a step-down from the Quiet Stops. You can also get these at Kragen (Kragen/Checker will price match if you can provide a screen shot or invoice from the competition).

Good luck.

zachosz

I've tried KVR ceramic on my old car, pretty happy with them but they were a bit noisy, stopping power was the same, I couldn't feel any difference...