The Great Brake Pad And Rotors Thread.
 

other mods: Please DO NOT sticky...n00bs don't read the stickies! I'm going to bump this thread often (if needed) to keep it on top.

Post all discussion of brake pads and rotors in this thread. Stop posting new threads every 2 days asking which pads or rotors are the best (all of you!)


Here, I'll start:

What are the best replacement rotors?

- Most people prefer Brembo blanks as OEM replacements. OEM rotors are just fine too. Other options are frozen rotors and iRotors, though nobody has conclusively proven that they are any better.


What rotors won't warp?

- Most rotors do not "warp." Most rotors get uneven pad material transfer/buildup due to using crappy OEM or cheapo pads. Use a good quality pad and you will drastically reduce the chances of this happening.

- To avoid "actual" rotor warping, make sure to:
1. bed pads properly
2. seat rotor on hub properly
3. torque lug nuts to spec - NO IMPACT GUNS


What are the best pads out there?

- In my opinion, Hawk HPS are the best for street driving and light track duty because:
1. low dust
2. quiet
3. good heat ratings
4. no/minimal pad material transfer onto rotors
5. good initial bite, cold or warm
6. little to no fade

DO NOT BUY OEM PADS or "OEM REPLACEMENTS" or other cheapo pads from your local Autozone or Pep Boys.


Should I get slotted or drilled rotors?

Only if you want them for looks. They DO NOT help your braking AT ALL. A few comments:
1. slotted is superior to drilled in terms of pad and rotor life
2. both will wear your pads quickly
3. both "can" cause noise when braking (though not always)
4. both can still "warp" due to pad material transfer
5. drilled are more likely to develop hairline cracks after time.

In my opinion, blanks are the best choice out there.

carry on....

:rofl: Amen and good luck to that.... :spit:

Good info Josh. Maybe this will help to cut down on repeat threads...........maybe.

I'd like to add that HPS pads NEED to be bedded-in correctly to work at full potential. Or else they are going to squeek a few hundred miles down the road, like on my car last car.

how to bedded-in properly? explain plz^^
i think i screw mine up.....

Brake Pad and Rotor Bed-In Procedure
 

From TireRack - http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/tech/....jsp?techid=85 (This is just one reference)


Brake Pad and Rotor Bed-In Procedures

All brake pads must be bedded-in with the rotor they will be used against to maximize brake performance. Recommended bed-in procedures for newly installed brake pads and rotors are as follows:

AKEBONO

400 to 500 miles of moderate driving is recommended. Consumer should avoid heavy braking during this period.

BAER

See SBS procedure below.

BREMBO Gran Turismo

In a safe area, apply brakes moderately from 60mph to 30mph and then drive approximately 1/2 mile to allow the brakes to cool. Repeat this procedure approximately 30 times.

EBC

400 to 500 miles of moderate driving is recommended. Consumer should avoid heavy braking during this period.

NOTE: If a higher than normal amount of brake dust or excessive pad squeal from EBC pads and rotors is experienced, they may be glazed. Remove this glazing by decelerating aggressively from 60mph to 20mph in a safe area. This should be repeated 3 times. Then allow the brakes to cool by driving normally.

HAWK

After installing new pads make 6 to 10 stops from approximately 35 mph with moderate pressure. Make an additional two to three hard stops from approximately 40 to 45 mph. Do not allow the vehicle to come to a complete stop.

NOTE: Hawk racing pads (Blue, Black, HT-10, HT-12) may require a different bed-in procedure. Contact your sales specialists at The Tire Rack for racing application information.

KAZERA

Follow the brake pad manufacturer's recommended break-in procedure taking care not to produce excessive heat in the system. Avoid heavy braking for the first 400-500 miles.

POWER SLOT

Follow the brake pad manufacturer's recommended break-in procedure taking care not to produce excessive heat in the system. Avoid heavy braking for the first 400-500 miles.

SATISFIED

For Gransport GS6 Carbon Ceramic Pads —

Step 1: Make 10 stops from 30 mph (50 kph) down to about 10 mph (15 kph) using moderate braking pressure and allowing approximately 30 seconds between stops for cooling. Do not drag your pads during these stops. After the 10th stop, allow 15 minutes for your braking system to cool down.

Step 2: Make 5 consecutive stops from 50 mph (80 kph) down to 10 mph (15 kph). After the 5th stop, allow your braking system to cool for approximately 30 minutes. This completes the break-in of your pads to the rotor surface.

During Steps 1 & 2, a de-gassing process occurs which may produce an odor coming from your pads as they complete the break-in cycle. This odor is normal and is part of the process your pads must go through to achieve their ultimate level of performance. The odor will go away after allowing your braking system to cool for approximately 30 minutes.

As with any new set of pads, do not tow a trailer or do any hauling during the break-in period.

Full seating of your new brake pads normally occurs within 1,000 miles.

For all other Satisfied pads —

400 to 500 miles of moderate driving is recommended. Consumer should avoid heavy braking during this period.

SBS

400 to 500 miles of moderate driving is recommended. Consumer should avoid heavy braking during this period.

NOTE: SBS racing pads (ProTrack, ProRace) may require a different bed-in procedure. Contact your sales specialist at The Tire Rack for racing application information.

I'd like to add that I have TONS of brake dust from my Hawks. The stopping power if great, but the dust is rather annoying. I had far less dust from the ceramics I bought at Autozone (Hawks = needs to be washed off after 300 miles, Autozone = needs to be washed after 1,000 miles), but the stopping power was about 20% less than the Hawks.

ok...so i still have OEM pads and OEM rotors.........when i brake hard, and then pull off...i hear a constant squeaking noise for a few minutes, then it just goes away...my rotors were resurface from the dealership when i got the car... do you guys think its the pads or my rotors....OR BOTH...my rotors dont feel warped, they are smooth

but as replacements i purchased some HAWK HPS, and as rotor replacements i was going to get either powerslot slotted rotors, or their blanks

i would have to disagree with the dusting, i have had my Hawk pads on for a year and a half and i only noticed that brake dust was building up when i didnt wash my car for about 4,000 miles during a 2 month period. i also have PowerSlot rotors in the front, so i guess they could dust more as the pad wears down faster, but they didnt.

George, you drive like 300 miles a day......you don't wash your car every day!

Pads - the squeaking is probably the wear indicators rubbing the rotors (more of a squeal than a squek, but I think its what you are refering to)

hawk pads. my opinion on the dust. They dust alot on my maxima. I dont have any noise problems with them but the dust is the main downside for me. I will comment about the drilled and slotted rotors. If you buy cheap knock-off brands yes they will crack and make noise. Some companies take a blank rotor and drill or slot them and then resell them. Some companies dont counter-sync the holes either so noise becomes a problem. I been running drilled and slotted rotors for a long time already and I have no negative things to say about them.

...i'm going to throw my hat into the ring and nominate Irish for member of the year and request that he receive Lordship authority (mod power) :wall:. Always providing accurate and precise info as well as he's contributed to just about every area of this forum. Thanks for starting the thread. :nod:

Now my .02 on rotors, I have the Brembo crossdrilled and I must say it's a pretty dramatic difference from OEM and those POS ones from autozone, they are louder and after 11000miles i'm having to get new pads for the front. Other then that I only have positive things to say about them, or and they are great in high speed braking, that's were they really shine to me.

I have the RTP xdrill/slotted rotors bought from a GD and mid grade AutoZone pads. They work great together so far. Excessive dust is not a problem. I love the humming sound when I brake hard. As long as I don't have "warping" or hot spot problems, I don't care if the pads wear a little quicker than a stock setup. I'm also not worried about cracking at the holes because I don't drive hard.

back to the top! I think there's a n00b out there about to ask a brake pad or rotor question....just a feeling :grinno:

is this thread the replacement for the friday thread huh josh?:hmmph:

I never posted in the Friday thread and am overjoyed to see it gone......

Just adding to the hawk dusting topic... I have had the hawks on since maybe june or so, and never had a prob with dusting. I drive about 100 miles a day and about every 2 weeks of driving i wash the car, and my rims still look fine even before hand.

every other day....

Don't believe me on the dusting? Here's a pic. Washed it yesterday afternoon. They look like TE wheels after a day with all the dust!

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l1...0927061934.jpg

I should have wiped part of it to show it better, but there's a ton of dust. I've driven around 125 miles since the carwash.

I also bought the RTP/EBC gd a few months back and have noticed that the brakes do squeak loud especially when its hot outside plus getting alot of brake dust. Lately when I wash the Max, it looks like the finish is coming off my wheels...does brake dust cause the finish to come off the wheels?

metalic brake pads can corrode your wheels. Another good reason to go with ceramic.

I was told to have even new-off-the-shelf rotors turned on the car before first use...any truth to this? Brembo blanks BTW...

:Orly:

whatever.....that's an old wives tale back when people had steel wheels with a couple coats of spraypaint on them. Modern finishes are resistant/immune to those issues for the most part, unless you buy cheapie wheels. Look around teh interweb and you'll see the only sites that say "brake dust corrodes wheels" are sites that are trying to sell something to "stop brake dust" or to clean off brake dust. I went almost all winter last year with the wheels dirty and the rims that were on the car are in perfect condition....

I like stopping. Ceramic pads do not stop as well. Bite sucks, and cold bite sucks more.

george, just get these, dork:

http://www.kleenwheels.com/about_kleenwheels.htm

wait, I thought you were a young guy :scratch: not an old lady who drives with one foot on the brakes all the time and the other foot on the gas. I hate those people who are going 65 on the highway uphill and their brake lights are on :nono:

Have to comment about the HPS pads. They dont make noise, they grab nicely and grab even better when you've been beating on them.

In my opinion, They create more dust than stock FOR SURE. I bedded them in properly. I didnt get a chance to wash my car before going to a new england maxima meet and people there were having fun tagging my rims writing their names and drawing stuff in the brake dust with their finger.

Guys, are the rear pistons the screw in type or just the regular push ins? I know I've done a brake job on a Infiniti Max that had the screw in pistons.

Edit: I have a 2K3 SE Max (6M)

screw-in.

what is an "infiniti max?" an I30/35? If so, the Maxima and the I30/35 are the same cars with different skin. My front left spindle is off an I30.

I run the Hawk HPS pads with the Brakepros xdrilled (Brembo blanks Machine xdrilled and anti-corrosion plated before shipping)

I really don't have an issue with dusting. Overall I think i might be getting even less dust than stock pads. Occassionally they'll squeal a little when they're cold. My results are slightly varied from irish but overall the same result.

1) A little soft initially
2) INSANE bite when hot
3) No warping and quality work on the Rotors
4) look hot behind the Ti edition rims

Yes, that's the one. I don't care for the screw in pistons. I need to buy more tools now ;-) Honestly, why do they do the screw in piston, it's just a pain for no good reason that I can tell. Doing these brake jobs is a pain in the...

They arent that much of a pain I used needle nose pliars to screw the piston in my rear calipers in. Its not a big deal at all

Go to Autozone or any other car store and buy the tool. They're around $5 and the attach to a 3/8" ratchet.

Maybe I just brake harder than you because I'm a better driver. Ever think of that?


For the rest of you: Irish and I will be autocrossing in October. Just to prove a point, I'll clean my wheels before I run and then we'll take a look after I get my three rounds in. I'll bet Irish (1) happy meal that I have a lot of dust when I'm done....

Heard it on Goss's Garage two weeks ago. Besides, I'll have to take a pic of mine and my wife's wheels where they both have corroded slightly. :calder:

i'm sorry, but i personally HATE hawk pads. i don't think they're practical for daily driving as they:

a. dust more than most pads
b. are prone to squealing

from experience and working at autoparts stores, i have noticed the people are most pleased with EBC green stuff and akebono for day to day driving, although, Hawk has been known to be better for light-duty track pads.

if you look closely at most new rotors, they're already "etched" so that you don't have a completely smooth surface and you can just "plug and play"

another good thing to do is make sure that you use some form of brake cleaner on new rotors to remove that anti-corrossion crap they put on thme.

Just MO, but the screw in type isn't any harder to do than the push in.

I worked in a garage and most of the time I did a car that had screw in pistons it was a Chev Lumina, those were a complete PITA. I know I did an Infiniti, I don't remember it being hard or easy, I just remembered it had the screw ins.

I think the screw in piston has something to do with the parking brake, if they are nice and free they are a piece of cake. On an older car they can be a PITA with the cheap tool that fits on a rachet.

I just bought my third set of Hawk HPS pads, IMO great feel and stopping power, no noise and dust does not seem to be bad at all :gotme:

I am considering getting pbr axxis ultimate pads(since I can get a good deal on them). Has anyone had any experience with them?