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Tired of Warping Rotors? Do Maxima's need a bigger selection for braking? Step inside

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Old Aug 13, 2005 | 12:05 AM
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Tired of Warping Rotors? Do Maxima's need a bigger selection for braking? Step inside

I've seen and heard dozens of people complain about the rotors warping on 2k+ maxima's and even on 4th gens as well. I am not only a listener but a victim of this contagious disease. With very few affordable options, i was left with upgrading to 2k4 rotors/calipers and purchasing spacers to satisfy my braking needs which arent even that high. What is the next cheapest option to avoid warping? NONE.

Until now. A new company (well they've been making brakes for other companies for ages but until recently have been selling for themselves, has introducted me to a better, cheaper, and simpler solution. They have a new design of rotors with much better quality build than our OEM rotors. I have pictures below of a 12.6" rotor which is the direct replacement of 6th gen OEM rotors. It's slotted. You can see from the design the benefits of this setup.

I just got my wheel bearing issue taken care of and the next thing on my list are brakes and rotors. I'm going to be getting a X drilled/slotted rotor set with hawk pads from them (racing brake).





Old Aug 13, 2005 | 12:06 AM
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More pics.....







Post thoughts, comments, i'm a believer.
Old Aug 13, 2005 | 12:11 AM
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yea that rotor he posted is a unfinished prototype but we had a chance to drive a 350z using this type of rotor and hawk pads and it was next to insane. im trying to get warren (owner of racing brake ) to build a kit for us either using the 6th gen stuff or something similar to what the 350z used.

ask mecca it was a fun day at his shop

one thing i was wondering was if any 6th gen or any other maximas would want to purchase a kit once they had been put together, im trying to get him to make it in both m12 and m14 bolt sizes so we can cover 4th-6th gen maxes. but the more intrest in this would make it easier to get him rolling to make this rotor and kits for our maxes.
Old Aug 13, 2005 | 12:17 AM
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who do u know lets you take their $25k+ car out for a spin at high speeds to test the brakes. Major confidence in his product. A fun day indeed!
Old Aug 13, 2005 | 12:26 AM
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high speeds in a borrowed 350z would be like 80-90 and doing stops to test out those brakes..... not the 140 mph and beating the brake pedal over and over and it never fade, smoke, dart off in any direction or make any type of noise... and thats just when i drove his car, u drove it like it was stolen and tires were free.


but it did show alot of faith in his product by handing us his keys.
Old Aug 13, 2005 | 12:41 AM
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is there a website for this company?
Old Aug 13, 2005 | 12:43 AM
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www.racingbrake.com
Old Aug 13, 2005 | 12:50 AM
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if i recall his 350z had a 13" rotor just like the open slotted in the pic so i guess u can buy those inthat size to replace the cobra 13"s
Old Aug 13, 2005 | 12:58 AM
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Good job guys, that rotor looks like a quality piece. When you say that you need more interest to make a kit, what would be included in the kit, the rotors and what else...maybe to make it a bolt on kit for the 4th gens? Either way, it looks like something I'd def consider.
Old Aug 13, 2005 | 01:00 AM
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Originally Posted by liqidvenom
if i recall his 350z had a 13" rotor just like the open slotted in the pic so i guess u can buy those inthat size to replace the cobra 13"s

The specs of the 350z and cobras don't match.
Old Aug 13, 2005 | 01:07 AM
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A33 u might be right about the width, if i recall the 13" rotor he sells with his z bbk uses a rotor that might be the same thickness but ill check in the morning.

and main source im trying to get him to make a kit for maixmas that would bolt up to our cars. it would be kinda like the bbk for the 350z/g35 that he currently sells. we went and saw him on wed so he hasnt had free time to try n see what would work best for us.

i really do need to find a 6th gen and maybe a 5.5 gen owner to come with me to his shop to get measurements on those cars. if ur in the tristate area and want to help out please pm me and let me know so i can contact him so they can measure ur spindle. he did mine but my car uses a m12 spindle bolt and we need to see if there isnt any other changes on the 04+ besides the m12-m14 bolt change. once he gets some free time he will build something for us and i sure its going to be great.
Old Aug 13, 2005 | 01:09 AM
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Originally Posted by A33 VQ30DEK
The specs of the 350z and cobras don't match.

well if u need a rotor in that 2-piece like the one in the pic u can contact him or once i find out some more about his 2-piece rotors i'll make sure that i'll let u know
Old Aug 13, 2005 | 01:22 AM
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thanks a lot liqidvenom.
Old Aug 13, 2005 | 01:25 AM
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no prob man, when i first heard about his shop and what he makes i knew i had to get a kit made for maximas, i'll do what i can to get this moving along and i'll post up everything i learn along the way
Old Aug 13, 2005 | 05:02 AM
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Warped rotors, maybe not...
Read this article and rethink whats really happening to your brakes.

http://www.stoptech.com/whitepapers/...otors_myth.htm

My 4th gen had brake vibration issues 2x until I simply changed my setup and ran them correctly. I now have over 70,000 miles on a set of rotors that stop me as smooth as the day I put them on the car.

Getting rid of vibrating brakes for good or just improving your brakes performance are two completely different issues. One doesn't cure the other.
Old Aug 13, 2005 | 06:25 AM
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Interesting article. Good read.

It's a shame Nissan put such crapy rotors on the 2000-2004. Coupled with the lousy stock tires and you've got to wonder who is in the driver's seat over there.
Old Aug 13, 2005 | 11:45 AM
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im not going against what u said tom, but i initaily went to see racing brake about building a bbk for our cars, us seeing the difference in rotor quality came after us taking to tour of his factory. he saw my rotor and the oem 04 rotor and he was unimpressed with the material, weight and the problems we seemed to have with them. he told mecca that his rotors would cure any of the problems he was having with his rotors.

i just want that bbk with those rotors
Old Aug 13, 2005 | 11:59 AM
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very sweet! i would be interested in a kit for the 4th gen. I need new brakes.
Old Aug 13, 2005 | 12:22 PM
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man...I have been talking to them over e-mail about the very same thing...they asked me a month ago to send in a OEM 04/05 front rotor so they could prototype a 2 piece open slot one....

their rotors look to be of very, very high quality and also sport some very impressive technology that I have never seen employed in rotors...if you don't believe me read up about it on their website!

this would be great for us blehmco brake kits...which I just recently put on with 05 calipers and hawk pads (already had stainless lines)...absolutely no fade whatsoever!! simply amazing...!!! can't wait to see how much better performance I get once I go to these 2 piece rotors and cut all that "unsprung weight" off! should be a vast improvement as I will get my acceleration back and even less fade!!!

keep us posted! These piece 12.6" rotors should be a big hit for the blehmco brake fans...
Old Aug 14, 2005 | 05:45 AM
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yea, their rotors even in oem replacement form just have a better feel to them. i have a feeling anything they build would be great for us. once i get more info from them ill let everyone know what they tell me.
Old Aug 14, 2005 | 06:55 AM
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Won't the slotted/drilled design wear out pads faster? And create more noise when used for daily driving?
Old Aug 14, 2005 | 07:44 AM
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Originally Posted by n3985
Won't the slotted/drilled design wear out pads faster? And create more noise when used for daily driving?
Yes, but you also have to take into account that if any crap somehow gets stuck between your rotors and pads, the slots will catch it and keep it from scoring your rotor.
Old Aug 14, 2005 | 09:58 AM
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thats tends to be a myth, his car with a 13" open slotted rotors had no noise at all even while braking
Old Aug 14, 2005 | 11:09 AM
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Is the hat made out of aluminum? I guess what I'm getting at is are these rotors lighter or heavier than stock?
Old Aug 14, 2005 | 11:17 AM
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This is the company who makes them..

http://www.racingbrake.com/NISSAN_s/506.htm
Old Aug 14, 2005 | 11:52 AM
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that hat would be made out of aluminum fer sher...they wouldn't go through all the trouble to cad design and then engineer a hat out of steel that provides no weight saving benefits to the customer making it less appealing...additionally, considering they are open slot, these rotors should breath really well and outgas really well!

the only thing I am concerned about is the hefty initial price tag...after that it gets significantly less expensive as you only have to buy the outer disc in the future and keep the hats...as the hats are usually half the price of the entire unit alone...

these rotors should be considerably lighter than the OE 12.6" front 04/05 rotors and might even be lighter or the same as the front stock rotors found on 5th gens...
Old Aug 14, 2005 | 08:12 PM
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Rotor warping is more of an urban legend than anything. The actual culprit is the pad, due to material transfer at higher temperatures, in 90% of the cases with Maximas.

I also have the 2005 Maxima rotor/caliper retrofit on my 2000, but with Hawk HPS pads...no problems after alot of miles.

I'm not going to go into the whole material transfer discussion, but there are several LONG threads on the subject in the 5th gen forums, do a search.

In any case, the only time I will change rotors from (stock 2005) blanks will be when the 2-piece rotors come out (which will shave off alot of weight)......

just my 2cents
Old Aug 14, 2005 | 09:09 PM
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the 2 piece 2k5 rotors are already availble. Thats what i was holding in my hand in the pics above.

I plan to get stock rotor size since that is the most affordable setup that will solve my vibrating/warping issue. Although a myth, i still need new pads and rotors. I'm definitely grabbing these.
Old Aug 14, 2005 | 10:50 PM
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yea if im mistaken i think that the 2 piece rotors weight so light that i could toss it around with only one hand....im a big guy and i dont see me doing that with a oem rotor
Old Aug 15, 2005 | 03:30 PM
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Front rotors for the 350z. $340 EACH !
Old Aug 15, 2005 | 03:34 PM
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Originally Posted by Jeff92se
Front rotors for the 350z. $340 EACH !
Mizeree_X found a company with 2 peice cobra rotors for around $450 a set
Old Aug 15, 2005 | 03:38 PM
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Eradispeed. Yes I know. A few guys are running them already.

Originally Posted by MrGone
Mizeree_X found a company with 2 peice cobra rotors for around $450 a set
Old Aug 15, 2005 | 05:03 PM
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Originally Posted by meccanoble
the 2 piece 2k5 rotors are already availble. Thats what i was holding in my hand in the pics above.
Gotcha...when I posted that I saw nice red X's.....I didn't think that the 2piece rotors were coming out for another couple of months - looks like I'm pleasently mistaken.

too bad they cost so much - highway robbery. A guy I knew years ago who worked for a brake company (don't recall which) and was a big-time Camaro "tuner" said that he got his 2-piece rotors for cost (which was about $120), while the company sold them to the public for over $700......ridiculous what you can charge when there's no competition.......
Old Aug 15, 2005 | 08:23 PM
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i wasnt too familiar with pricing, i was just surprised to see another company interested in making parts for maxima's. I'm sure a much better price can be given, especially with high interest or some type of group deal. I'll contact the company and see what pricing we're dealing with. Also just for competition's sake, is there anyone else besides Eradispeed that has these parts at really good pricing? I'm sure quality will be different but just so we can make better pricing.
Old Aug 15, 2005 | 10:55 PM
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I've emailed Eradispeed about a nissan application but you might have to call.
Old Aug 16, 2005 | 05:21 AM
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Originally Posted by Jeff92se
I've emailed Eradispeed about a nissan application but you might have to call.

I believe the company is Baer, and the rotor model is Eradispeed Plus
Old Aug 16, 2005 | 03:27 PM
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And what does their catalog state?

Originally Posted by Mizeree_X
I believe the company is Baer, and the rotor model is Eradispeed Plus
Old Aug 20, 2005 | 03:18 PM
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i'm not so sure that warping is a myth. You are saying that brake pad material transfers to the rotor, so unevenly, that it just feels like the rotor is warped? I guess if I was the one turning them, I could tell one way or the other. I'm not doubting that some times the rotor isn't actually warped, but along the same lines, there are other times that it definitely is warped. I had a set on one vehicle that I had to have turned twice, I finally stress relieved them at 1100 F, had them turned, and never had a problem again (and this was using the same pads the whole time).

The website referenced is a good read, although the metallurgist in me spotted a few "less than accurate" points.
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