Hi Guys,
I need suggestion for the rotors and brake pads.
Recently I heard some clicking, metal-metal contact noise from my right front wheel area. Today I went to a shop to replace the belts and rotate the tires and had the mechanist checked the noise. He said it may be caused by the brake.
My front brake pads almost run out and the inner side of the front rotors are rusted. The rear brake pads and rotors also need to be replaced. In addition, the left side rear caliper is not working properly. The pad does not evenly contact the rotor. Only A small area of the rotor is used.
So now I have to replace all four rotors and pads. Should I get the stock rotor and pad or aftermarket one? If I use aftermarket, which brand should I choose? Where is the cheapest place to buy them?

 

irish44j wrote:
>stick with stock for the back brakes (not breaks, >btw)....
>
>for the front, IMO your best solution is a >compromise...not stock, but not aftermarket >really...check out the link.
>
>http://www.mattblehm.com/relocation_kit.html
>
>btw this will only work if your rims are 17" or >larger.
>This is the setup I have and it works great (and >not very $$)

Thanks, irish44j. I will correct the words. My wheels are 16" stock, so I may not be able to use the setting you suggested.

 

no you won't...sorry! you won't be able to fit any aftermarket BBK on your car, so just go with some Brembo or iRotors rotors

 

get the brembo blanks from automax95, and either get axxis pads for decent performance, or stick with the stock ones if u want them quiet while also durable.

 

Thanks.
I think i will get some brembo blanks and stock pads.
But do I need the hardware kits?

 

its a good idea to replace hardware when you do the brakes....that way you don't have to do it later.

 

Another question. Is it hard to replace pads and rotors (for the people who never did this before)? Anything special I have to pay extra attention when I do it?

 

I have had very good success with Raybestos OEM style replacement rotors and Porterfield R4S high performance pads. The pads are easy on the rotors (read: no warping) and they offer much better performance than the OEM ones did. The rear rotors should last a very long time without needing replacement since they wear very slowly. Something like 70% or more of your braking should come from the front brakes alone. Also, if your car is an '02 or newer, then Brembo does not yet list any blanks for your rotor replacement on their web site. For pre '02, I think they are available. Good luck.

 

If your not mecanically incline then my first suggestion is to find someone who did brakes job before and give you a hand so you can see the steps.

If your the average hobbyist then you should be able to do it , sorry but I dont have the time right now to make a write up but I'll give you a couple of ideas.

First you need to remove the two big bolts behind the rotor, those bolts hold the caliper assembley where it is, once the bolts are done the caliper assembley is some how easy to remove but unless you remove the brake line, you will be some how limited by the travel of the assembley which is retain by the brake line. If you want to entirely de-assemble the caliper there is 2 more bolts to remove. You will need a C-clamp to compress the piston back in the caliper asembley for the front brake and if I'm not mistaken you will also need to turn the piston clock wise to allow it to fully integrate the caliper assembley and being even. Dont forget to remove the cover of the brake fluid container before you compress the piston, this will let the pressure goes out, as for the rotor a 3lbs hammer or a rubber one would do the jobs, you just need to hit the rotor by the inside, you may need to hit it like a man.

I suggest that you change the the brake shim at the same time, you also need to check every seal to be shure water and salt doesn't get there. One of the not so fun part is to clean and remove rust on the caliper assembley, if you pads are not even, it is because they dont slide easily, then you would have to pay attention and clean all the parts, you can use some brake cleaner, a metal brush, a drill with different size metal brush, a dremmel can very usefull where bigger tool cant go. Dont under estimate the time it take, last year I did THE jobs on my brake system, which included the painting of the caliper it took me around 1 1/2 hrs to do each wheels sort of speak, still after a year my brake are wearing even and still look great.

Sorry for long post but I hope this can help you.

Good luck.

AA

 

Thanks for the information. I just did some search on brake pad. Some people suggest the Raybestos Quite Stop Pads. Anyone use them before? How are they compare to the stock pads?

 

Get a BBK. Time for some serious stopping power.

 

The QS pads have received good reviews from other .org members, but I've never used them. I think you'd be ok if you went with those.

 

Couldn't you just have the rotors turned? Why do they need to be replaced at this point?

 

The mechanist who checked my car said the rotors are rusted too much and can't be resurfaced. However, I think he may just want to sell me some rotors. But the left rear rotor is not used evenly and may not be resurfaced. How do I know the rotors can be resurfaced or not?

 

Anyone know where to buy the brake shim? Does the brake pad set include it?

 

IRISH44J,
what hardware are you talking about?

i am chaning all 4 rotors, 4 pads. What else do i need to change or check?

what should i tell my mechanic to do while installation?

clean rust off of caliper? WHAT ELSE should i ask him to do?

 

^ the shim kits ie the thin metal backing plates behind the pads

 

Shim kits and return springs. Go to your dealer for the hardware kits. Bring the VIN# because there are some different builds on the rear brakes between the 5th gens. The hardware kits are about $15 a piece and from what I gather about the brake wear you need them.

 

i have like 72k , original rotors. is this true, should i change the "shims"

do i change only the fronts? do they have have them on the rears? how many and where should i putt'em font/rear???

i am changing all 4 rotors and 4 pads.

so its like 15 x 4 if i change all of them?

 

I got this link from kcmaximas.org. It explains all what the "hardware" parts are.

http://www.motorvate.ca/mvp.php/300

I know this link is with regards to 4th gens, but it's probalby the same idea. I bought bendix pads from advance autoparts for 37bux for the front set (4 pads) and shims were included with them.