Well I just took my car to a local tire place and they say I need to turn my rotors and get new front brake pads. I am sure that I need this too since the fronts are past due and the rotors feel warped. My question is where is the best place to buy pads. I have searched and found some good brands but I am unsure about where to buy then. How hard are they so install? I asked a friend of mine and he said since I don't have ABS they will be harder to do? Thanks!

 

Well I guess it depends on what kind of braking you want and if you hate the squealing. Portersfield(direct to the company) is pretty much the best for our Maximas, for performance. Stock Nissan(dealer) OEM pads are also one of the best due to the fact that they have pretty good stopping power. And there are the other brands that are a little better then OEM which are Axxis pads(online/autoshops) and Raybesto (pepboys)

Portersfield - Cheston got a group deal going for R4S series for $69 plus shipping for the fronts. Goto maximadriver.com and groupdeals on the right.

The other pads range from 50-80 dollars.

Hope that helps.....

 

Brakes are super easy to change. Get a Haynes manual and do it yourself, save the $$$ for another mod...

 

check out www.eatricezone.com for the axxis front pads. i got mine there for $45. i haven't had a chance to test them out but i loved my porterfield R4S on stock rotors but i think they got my rotors too hot and warped them. i haven't had a chance to try out my new brake setup yet but if i don't like the axxis, i might try out hawke pads or go back to the R4S and be happy

 

Its acutally easier to do brakes w/o ABS. When yuou ahve ABS, you will have to open teh bleeder & let the brake fluid **** all over till the pistons (in the caliper) are pushed all the way back in. W/o ABS, you can just squeeze the piston back in. BTW, you will need a special tool for the rear brakes. FOr the rear disk brakes (on 4th gen) you will have to turn the piston back in. Like i said, they maek a special tool, or you can use pilers or flat head & hammer to turn it back in. I personally use the Nissan OEM pads. I find when i use semi-metallic pads, they tend to squeek. Best of luck.

 

My local Nissan Dealer replaced the pads and resurfaced/turned the rotors for $130. No more squealing. I though that was a rather good deal.
-Cyrus

 

Are you 100% sure about this? I talked to my friend again, the one who says that w/o ABS is harder to do for the same reasons above that you say w/ ABS is harder, and he swears he is right. He told me about working on a Land Rover and how it had ABS and he was able to just push the piston back in. He has never worked on brakes w/o ABS. If you are sure about this I have no problems doing this myself since all I need is fronts. Anyone else is welcome to clarify this too. Thanks!

 

Do them yourself. Also, paint your calipers while you have them apart. Now your only question is what color?

 

The front pads are a piece of cake. Like it was mentioned earlier, get a Haynes manual to help you. It has a bunch of pics for the brake jobs . I haven't tackled doing the rear yet but I plan on doing so this spring/summer.

 

ABS or non ABS - Replacing your brake pads is a very simple operation. The only difference with ABS brakes is you should open the bleeder when you push the piston back in. With non ABS, you really don't have to open the bleeder. When I change my pads, I always flush my brake fluid as well. Keeps the system nice and clean. So really, there is practically no difference in changing pads in ABS vs non ABS equipped cars. Everything comes apart exactly the same. You never even touch the ABS sensors, there mounted on the inner side of the hub.

The guy who told you non ABS brakes are harder to change then ABS brakes should not be working on cars.

 

Exactly.

I am positive that Non-ABS are just as easy if not easier. ABS you will need to open up the bleeders when you push the piston back. When you dont have ABS, you will not need to open the bleeders. Maybe your buddy shouldnt be working on cars. Like stated above, its always good to drain all the brake fluid & fill with new.

 

i've never replaced the brakes by myself before, but i've seen my neighbor do it a few times - shouldnt really take more than 1-2 hrs.