Hi all,

Longtime lurker who recently had powerslots installed in front and back with Hawk pads up front and raybestos quietstops in the back.
My daily driver is a 2k2 GLE Max and I went 67k miles on stock pads and rotors before I hit the screechers so you can probably tell that I do alot of distance driving with minimal and very early braking.
Warped rotors suck and I am still unhappy with Nissan for having chosen our poor combo of rotor and pads. I especially feel bad for those of you with SE 6-speeds because i'm sure you ran into the warpage problem way sooner than any of the Autos.
For those of you who have managed to keep your rotors intact all these years, my hats off to you because I thought my grandma-driving style was more than gentle enough on my brakes.

On to my first impressions:
This is my first mod and I must say that the rotors looks pretty cool
After waiting 3 hours for the rotors and pads to get installed, I finally got behind my new brakes and compared my previous warped rotors with the new.
(i'm banking on the theory that 3 hours of sitting in the waiting room didnt ruin my 45k mile memory of warped rotors).
My first stop was at the stop sign down the street from the installer and it felt weird. I felt that the first time I stepped on the pedal for my powerslots, the brakes felt mushy(for somewhat comparable brake feel experience, drive your max over to subaru dealership and test drive brakes on a legacy or outback).
In fact, it feels like my old OEM setup stopped me faster than the new brakes.
Right now, I am attributing the mushiness to the fact that the rotors and pads are new and will hopefully reach a point where they like each other enough to "bite" sooner and stop "faster", but it is still a little mushy 80 miles later.
Perhaps I need to find someplace where I can really bed them in and do several loops of 0 to 60 to 0.
Any other thoughts from other powerslotters or have you guys had them for so long that you forgot what it felt like the first time?

Oh, and most importantly, applying the brakes doesnt wobble/shake/rattle/roll the car any more. Thank you, jeebus.

 

Proper seating is important. This is what you should do immediately!

1)After installing new brake pads, make 6 to 10 stops from approximately 30-35mph applying moderate pressure. Make sure to rest approximately 2 minutes before each run.
2)Make an additional 2 to 3 hard stops from approximately 40-45 mph.
3)DO NOT DRAG BRAKES!
4)Allow 15 minutes for brake system to cool down.
5)After step 4 your new brake pads are ready for use.

 

and i've heard the opposite....be nice for the first 100 miles....let them bed in, then use them to your comfort.
also, most pads, or most that i've had the pleasure of working with, dont' bite as strong when cold. as they warm up, they bit harder and harder. you'll see that after 10 minutes or less of driving, they'll feel a lot stronger. you did your "test" immediately after getting them, at the first stop down the block. they couldn't have been any newer. let them settle. you should be happy. enjoy and good luck.

 

PoLo is correct. Powerslots need to be tempered for the first 200-500 miles by moderate braking. After which point you can bed-in the pads using the instructions Virus posted above.

Also, take note that the first couple of miles the Powerslots are basically useless as the zinc coating is still being flaked off (e.g. where the pads meet the rotors).

Give it some time and make sure you follow the proper procedures for *both* the rotors and the pads. You'll be fine.

 

Thanks for the advice guys.

I think the rotors and pads are slowly getting better. Definitely not as mushy as when I first got them, but they are slowly approaching the "bite" of my old warped OEM rotors and pads.
All I know is that my car doesnt vibrate any more whenever I brake and the stopping is linear and even.
I'm a believer already.

 

OEM is just fine in my opinion...Never had warping problem, but i would think it would be more of a problem on autos cause with manual transmisson you use the brakes less because you downshift to slow down

 

Not that I have any personal experience, but I always guessed that manuals had it tough because you guys need to use your park brake whenever you flip the car off or your car might roll off somwhere.
I imagine after a hot day of braking in stop-and-go traffic, you then go home to park on your inclined driveway and pull up the park brake on your hot and malleable rotors...
Isn't it inevitable that your rotors warp?

 

Parking brake activates the rear brakes. Manual have better brake pad life than auto because of the downshifting so less stress on the front rotors..

 

I think you should bleed the brake fluid to really cure the mushy feeling plus you already have 67k miles.

brake fluid should be flushed out every two years or 30k.

 

i actually try not to downshift too much although its a habit. but id rather replace brake pads than replace a clutch.

jim

 

Anyone else with more experience using slotted/x-drilled rotors?
I am in the market for some right now but dont know if its worth it, my stock rotors are working just fine.

 

If your OEM's are working out fine, keep it.

Then again, i don't know how you drive your Max. Slotted and x-drilled these days are mostly for looks and don't really give you any more performance than the OEM's in daily driving (and even in more enthusiastic driving).

I got Powerslots because my OEM's started warping and the Powerslots were the only ones available for 2k2's then that were of good quality and came at a good price.

 

A downshift, done properly, will put little to no added stress on the clutch.

James

 

I did the same thing. The Powerslots are good decent rotors, but they still warped on me and it's very hard to find a shop that knows how to turn slotted rotors. I just purchased Brembo Blanks (Brembo just released them this month) and will install them this Thursday. I can honestly say that I noticed no better stopping ability with the Powerslots over the OEM.

 

Of course it will put stress on the clutch....

Your flywheel is moving very fast, and you want it to move slower..
The "braking" is the grinding of the clutch against the flywheel..

Therefore the clutch gets worn.

 

Done properly, the flywheel and clutch are moving at the same speed.