use a torque wrench and you shuold be fine!

 

I just did my brakes about 1000 miles ago. I got the brembo blanks based on what .orgers said about them. slotted/drilled were waaaaay out of my budget (besides the fact their performance gain is neglible for daily drivers). I also opted not to get the Hawks for mometary reasons in addition to compaints about noise/vibration. So, copped Akebono ProActs from Tirerack (based on RAVE reviews on the forums there). These pads are super silent and dont dust very much (or the dust is very light colored). They just dont BITE very hard. They stop just fine and I feel completely safe ...they just dont have that "stop on a dime" feel. So, Id say its a good choice if you want value, decent stopping, silent operation and long life (ceramics are purported to last a long time).

 

I used Performance friction carbon metallic's on my 4th gen with my 300ZX BBK kit, minimal dusting, no noise. completely happy and almost half the price as the Hawks:

http://www.nationalfleetparts.com/

 

What is the advantage of Brembo blanks vs. generic blanks? As long as they're both not drilled or slotted, what makes the big difference? Is it really worth the extra cost (which is high)?

 

Better materials so they dont warp like the oem ones.

 

Its not so much that the rotors are warping, it is the OEM pads that are transfering material and causing an uneven braking surface.

 

My Axxis/PBR Ultimates seem to be similar to the Hawk HPS. They stop well, but just as some of the Hawk users have said, they dust more than OEM pads, and they make some noise on slow stops. The Hawk HPS users seem to describe their noise as a grinding sound. With the Axxis/PBR Ultimates, the noise is more of a light squealing. Passengers sometimes tell me that I must need new brakes. I got tired of correcting them, so I just say "Yes, you're right. I'm driving on worn pads that could get us killed at any moment." Then I smile.

 

Oh, another thing about my Axxis Ultimates...

They don't deposit material on the rotors like the OEM pads do, but they actually seem to be removing material from the rotors. I've heard that this can be a problem with really aggressive pads. Do the Hawk HPS pads do this to your rotors too?

 

i like the hawks, but they didnt grip as well. Dirt cheap though

 

They didn't grip as well as what? As OEM? They should grip better than OEM. Be more specific, please.

 

Oh, ok. I hate to pose a newbish question, but if I were to buy high quality pads like the hawk hps, is it possible for marterial transfer to the rotors?

 

lololololololololololololol..........

 

I will not say,NO THEY WILL NOT!! But I dont think anyone on here has a had a problem with material transfer and Hawk HPS. I have made several highspeed stops (110-->0mph ) and I did not get one bit of shimmy or shake out of the brakes and on OEM pads if I had to make a quick stop from 60-->0mph, they would shake and shimmy for days.

 

i personally like ebc green stuff on power slot cryo rotors, i do not race so any issue of to much heat never comes up, but as for everyday use i couldn't ask for better.

 

HPS FTW!!!!

 

I put a set of Axxis Ceramics on my 00 Max along with cross drilled and slotted blanks and I couldn't have been happier with the stopping power. They had zero fade in heavy braking and what little dust they created, you could barely see on the wheels. I ran them for over 50K miles and they were still stopping the car like a champ when I sold it. I will by the Axxis ceramics again when I need new pads for my 03.

 

Contact www.internetautomart.com he used to be on Maxworld under internetautomart....great prices on brembo blanks and will get you some great ceramics cheap!

 

I got a 2001 max and I have also owned a 2000 max and I always got the material transfer. I just put on brand new blanks and Hawk HPS pads. I cant wait to see what happens!!!

 

lol, thats foul


i have Hawks HPS on my stock rotors now after the dealer lied and said that my OEM pads were good when i would get squealing constantly.....i also have a set of HAWK's on the side for the Slotted rotors im gonna use in a bit

but by far, i like HAWK. they grip damn well, especially at high temps

 

so....question, did i waste 230 bucks on front powerslot slotted rotors from custommaxima.com?

or should i have just gotten brembo blanks all the way around instead of just for the rear?

 

http://www.porterfield-brakes.com/

Performance Friction is the lower end (available in stores) brand of Porterfield, and Hawk is also their brand. R4S is the Porterfield street pad.

I am in love with Porterfield R4S pads, and won't buy anything else. My Max currently has Brembo slotted and cross-drilled rotors with the R4S pads.

I bought Axxis Metal-Masters once as a recommendation. They destroy rotors.

 

Any ideas on how the performance friction stack up against the hawk?

 

^^well its one thing i can say about the HAWKS is that they feel great while breaking, and THEy HONESTLY BRAKE HARDER AS THE PADS AND ROTORS HEAT UP. i have HAWK HPS Pads, 2 powerslot slotted up front, and 2 brembo blanks in the back. My pads squeal a bit, but i more than likely need to re bed them.

 

Is the 69.99 price for all four or just a front or rear set?

 

What's this business about bedding or burnishing hawk pads on the rotor? I just purchased a set of Hawks HPS and Brembo Blanks for the front, but can I have one of the local shops install it properly

 

How well do the Hawks work with the stock rotors? I'm sold on the Hawks but is there any real advantage to getting aftermarket rotors? I do only street driving and often have to make 70-0 stops on country roads.

 

Blank rotors are just pieces of metal, it'll work well with cheap NAPA rotors, factory ones, or Brembo, don't worry.

 

well considering i JUST HAD my stock rotors swapped out.brembo blanks in the back, and powerslot slotted rotors up front. THE BRAKING PROCESS FEELS ALOT SMOOTHER as opposed to those rusted to hell stock rotors.

 

thats what i did.but now my brakes squeal when not very hot...at LOW TEMPS......i rebedded them last night.....SO IM GONNA TEST EM OUT AGAIN TODAY, AND IF THEY SQUEAL, IM TAKING MY CAR BACK TO THE GUY THAT DID THE BRAKES AND HAVE HIM CHECK THEM OUT WHILE HE DOES MY OIL CHANGE

 

Well yes, any new rotor will feel better than rusted old ones of course. But can you stop typing in caps? It is like you are talking and then suddenly screaming ~_~

 

i just did the 6th gen upgrade with the hawk HPS, and I am very happy.

 

Now that I've had my new brakes for a few days, I can say this: Brembo blanks with Hawk HPS pads just flat-out STOP!

I've probably caused nearly 10 people to rear-end me in the past couple of days because stops that required a firm push with the stock brakes require only a tap with the new setup. And no more vibration! Just firm, smooth stops every time. A++

 

Follow the instructions on the box on how to "bed" the pads.

 

I had the Hawk Ceramics installed and haven't noticed much of a difference over the stock pads. I guess I will try the HPS in a year or so I guess.

 

What is everyone's favorite vendor for the Brembo blanks? One of the ones listed here doesn't have front rotors for a 2K2...

Any help would be appreciated...

 

hawks hps makes too much squealing and whistling sound while braking. i have a combination of brembo blanks with hawks hps. i made a very bad decision by going with hawks i would never ever use hawk pads anymore. i would rather go with akebono or oem pads i had akebono for over a years and never had any sound came from them at all. they are way quiter than hawks. hawks are terible. i am tired of this metal squeaking sounds even though i got new rotors and used that anti-squealing stuff on calipers. anyway i might remove the hawks and throw them in trash and get myself a new pair of akebono's.

 

You didn't break them in correctly.

 

i did bend them on lower speed.

 

i dunno how anyone can recommend hawk brake pads when they've ALWAYS been known to dust really bad and be noisy as a trade up for the excellent stopping power.

i'm using akebono brake pads and i think they are exceptional for non-performance applications.
btw, i've never used ebc green stuff for my maxima, but i did on my integra (which i did pretty hard driving on) and those brakes were EXCELLENT. stopped on a dime and dusted very little.

 

Exactly. That's not the right way to do it.

Have they really?

Dust, yes. They dust like hell. But noise, no. They'll make an occasional squeak when the temperature is just right, but other than that they're incredibly civil for a pad that performs at that level.

I've had Satisfied Pro Ceramic, EBC Greenstuff, Axxis Ultimate, Hawk HPS, and then Hawk HPS again. Of those, the HPS is the second-dustiest but definitely the quietest.