I have serious brake jutter on my 2004, and instead of getting them turned, I'm thinking of getting new front brake rotors + different pads.

I found a set of Brambo OE rotors + Axxis Ultimate pads for around $230 + $57 shipping. Now the question is, would the Brambo last longer than the OE rotors? I hate to see my front end jump so much when braking, and since I"m buying new Michlins, I figured I'd replace the brake rotors as well, just to have a smooth ride again.

Thanks,

Ming

 

I would sink that money into even better tires like the Eagle F1's.
Your OEM brakes are cheap and very effective and when combined with ABS you will notice your braking threshold will increase with the Eagles install, plus you get some of the best rain tires for street cars.

EDIT:
I forgot to add, that if you don’t have ABS you may want to go with the Brembo OE rotors and better pads. I did that with my 89 maxima since it has no ABS and essentially no rear brakes because Nissan couldn’t make a braking system to save our lives back then. I noticed much more direct braking response but with MUCH more pedal feedback, and not the cool kind of feedback, the kind that you have to explain to everyone that gets into your Maxima.

 

A blank rotor is cast iron. Brembo, Nissan, whoever the mfg. is, it's just cast iron.
Cast correctly and vented it's going to run, stop and cool just like any other rotor will.
Brake judder is caused by pad material transfer, not a "warped rotor".

Explained here:
http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp...rakedisk.shtml

If you want a blank rotor try NAPA or Autozone. Buy a descent set of pads such as Wagner Ceramic quiet stops and you'll have smooth, long lasting brakes.

 

I have ABS and EBD with the car, and really I'm not looking for anymore braking performance, just trying to have smooth brakes again. To me, there is nothing more embrassing/unsafe than slam on the brakes from highway speeds, and have the front end of the car shake like a ****.

The tires I selected are the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S for all season use, and I'm not sure if the Eagle F1s work well in light-medium snow. The 2004 Maximas tend to have shimmy issue with the front end, and more people have had success balancing the Michelin, and that is why I'm going with them.

Hopefully after I get my brakes fixed, I wont get the "Why is your car falling apart" type of feedback from my passengers

 

That is interesting, I haven't heard of brake judder before. I was browsing through the forums and found a TSB for the 5th gen on brake judder. Since my car is still fairly new (26K miles), I thought the rotors may not be wraped yet.

The symptom is that when I slam on the brakes, the front end of the car is vibrating so much that it wants to fall off. Granted, the car shimmys from 80-100km/h, and at certain air pressures, the front right tire feels like it's a square, bad enough to severly vibrate the passenager seat. The vibration is only bad when I slam on the brakes, if I ease into the braking, the vibration is barely noticable. When I first purchased that car 5 month ago, I don't remember the vibration being very bad. During my test drive, I did slam on the brakes from 80km/h to stop to test the brakes, I guess that may left some brake pad material on the rotor?

I'm guessing the vibration could be coming from the brake rotor or the tire. Since I'm buying tires next week, I would like to get the brakes fixed as well. If my front rotors are not wraped, then would some machining fix the brake judder? Or from above, what does my problem sound like?

Thanks,

Ming

 

I have a 2005 Max with ~27k miles and I have the same problem with mine. Braking at high speeds such as going 85mph on the highway and braking to slow down or down the off-ramp. The steering wheel just shakes or vibrates with any type of brake pressure applied at that speed. Its not that bad as yet but I can tell its prob gonna get worse. It runs smooth when I'm cruising on the highway or driving in the city; no steering wheel shake or anything when driving. Only happens with high-speed braking; light, medium, or hard braking.

The problem is tied to the warped front rotors, I'm sure of it. I've had the same problem with my '99 Mitsu Galant and after I changed the front rotors and pads, the problem went away (used Brembo OE Rotors and Bendix pads).

By the end of the year I'm gonna change the front rotors and pads on my maxima. I'm probably gonna get Powerslot rotors and Hawk Performance Ceramic pads from TireRack (cost ~$300 pads+rotors).

 

That is the identical problem as mine, but brake jutter sounds like a possible cause as well. However, once the rotors are covered with residue, from my research, it seems like the best solution is to replace the rotors + pads.

There is a group buy for Brembo OE blanks, and I'm just trying to find out if they are more resistent to wrapped than Nissan OE rotors. I realize I could get cheaper rotors, and blanks are all made of cast iron, I still believe different makes do have different quality.

 

What do you mean "covered in residue"??

Do you mean rust (brownish tint on the rotor)?

 

Don't forget about rear brakes. My rears caused lots of shaking when trying to stop. I figured it out when I did the fronts and still the same crap.

Edit: Did the fronts twice #@%$!

 

The rotor is perfectly clean, there really isn't even any deep groves from the brake pads yet.

By residue, I mean the brake material bedding into the brake rotor which in turn causes by brake jutter. I got this information from the stoptech link provided by njmaxseltd.

 

Really? The car only has 28k miles on it right now, and usually the rears aren't used very much. That is a good point though. If it still does the same thing after I replace the fronts, I will do the rears :0

 

That's what I thought about the rear rotors until I changed them. The rears aren't used much but they still made my car shake. I didn't see what year your car was until after I posted, your rears should be good still.....I think.