I was lucky enough to be able to do the install at Redline because if I had done it in my driveway, it likely would have never gotten finished.

I used Hawk pads in front, and some random metallic pads in the rear, with RTP zinc plated stock rotors in the rear, and blank Cobra rotors in front. I ended up getting rebuilt Q45 calipers in the front, which happened to be cheaper than the caliper rebuild kit at the dealership.

Since this was the first brake job I have ever done, it was pretty much all new to me, but I got the rear brakes done without too much fuss. Getting the brake shield off the front was more difficult, but I figured out the easiest way to get them off is to bash them around with a hammer until they loosen from the hub. At this point I just used the drill to cut the smallest section of the shield (about 1/2"), instead of going all the way around it.

As I was putting on the second rotor in front, I was told it might be a good idea to get the rotor to sit properly on Jeff's ring before I mount the wheel, so I used some open ended lug nuts. Since it was 1 AM, and I was tired as hell, I wasn't being careful enough and tightened the lugs too much without making sure the ring was seated properly, and I ended up cracking the damn rotor. That really was a blower, and I had to wait a few days for new parts and for the guys at Redline to fix my mistake.

Now I have the car back, and it's feeling great, except for one thing I noticed. Now when I brake there is more initial travel in the pedal before the brakes start to bite, but then they bite fine. I was told the same thing initially happened to Karim when he did his brakes, but after a while it went away. Corey speculated that it may be the master cylinder adjusting to the new brakes. I'm wondering if I may just need to go out a break in my brakes again. Can anyone shed some light on this issue?

Pics will be coming up after I clean my car off. For now, you can just go look at Karim's pics, and imagine some better looking wheels instead of his I can't wait to finally get back to auto-x and the drag strip.

Big thanks to Corey and Addea for getting everything worked out, and for letting me use their tools. I couldn't have done it without them!

 

There was a tad more travel with my 300z calipers but that's because of the bigger piston area. Might be the same with the Q calipers. But don't worry about it. It could be the brand new pads/rotors also.

Cracked a rotor?? Wow. Um did you crack it in half? Still got it? I happen to need one for some mock up work. A cracked one would work.

 

Just curious, but why would a bigger piston area increase initial travel? Needs more pressure to get it to move?

It didn't crack in half or anything, it just started to crack around the lug holes. I don't have it anymore, but it may still be lying around the Redline shop. Get in touch with Corey to see if he still has it, but I think it's unlikely.

 

Did you get RTP from rotors also? Did you get the ring to seat in the rotor? Also any pics of what you drilled through to get the shield off?

 

The pedal will firm up. If you're using Hawk HPS in the front, they take a little while to "break in," particularly if you don't bed them properly. My Z32 setup felt soft at first in initial bite, but now it's almost identical to the 6th gen calipers I had before initially, but with much smoother, stronger finish.

 

Can you possibly check? I hear it's next to impossible to get a hold of the guy. Hell I don't even know his screen name

 

I'll ask him when I see him next

Corey said he was going to bed them in, but I don't know exactly what he did. Would it be beneficial to try it again by following the Hawk directions?

 

you keep the stock rubber lines?

 

No, I've had SS lines for quite some time, and they fit fine.
RTP F&R rotors

 

Hubcentric rings fit no problem?

 

 

Ask for the cracked rotor. I can put it to good use.

 

The was in reference to you (an admin) not knowing Corey (a moderator)'s screen name....after all, his car used to be in the Maxima.org banner...

 

I don't pay attention to most banner stuff. But from what I read, it wouldn't make much difference if I pm or emailed?

 

Great news Nick The pedal will firm up over time. My pedal travel was insane for awhile. Just wait until they're broken in properly.

 

What method did you use to break them in?

 

karim said he used the "passionate kiss" method, whatever that means

 

what size rims are you using?

 

I've had some weird noises coming from my rear brakes lately after re-adjusting my e-brake cable. I think my rear caliper may be seized, but I may have over-tightened the bolt on the handle. Any way to be sure of which it is?
Thread....http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=495595

 

I noticed this thread got linked to in the product review thread, so I feel like I should update how these brakes feel.

Shortly after I made this thread I finally bedded in the pads correctly, and that seemed to fix the spongy pedal. The issue with my rear brakes was solved by loosening the bolt on the e-brake handle. Now the brakes feel incredible. I have so much more confidence in my car knowing I have these things to stop me. I've never gotten them to fade, and they rarely squeak. However, as is well known, these Hawk pads dust like crazy. For the money I spent on this, I'm very pleased with the results. I don't think any other brake combo can compete with the price and performance of this one.

One issue has arisen: I don't how I didn't notice this earlier, but if I remove a wheel in the front to do work, when I reinstall the wheel, it won't spin freely. This is due to the brake rotor not being the proper size and the ring not completely fixing that issue, which causes it to fall out of place a little and hit the caliper and get stuck. To fix this I had to install the wheel, lightly tighten a few lugs and spin the wheel to get the rotor to stop hitting the caliper, then gradually tighten the lugs until the rotor was in the right place and safe to drive. I get the feeling that no matter how well I do that, the rotor will never really sit the way it's supposed to, which makes me a little uneasy. I guess this is the only drawback of this setup. I'm curious if others have this issue, because I've never heard about it before.

 

what parts did you use to comeplete the upgrade. what size rims are you using im on stock se 17's

 

If you got the latest round of rings, they should fit great. They don't fit as snug as before as people were complaining about them being too tight.

Your procedure is about right to center the rotor. It's one of those things you have to do.

 

Hmm, I would prefer they were too tight than too loose. I bought them from you in roughly June of 2006. Any idea which version I may have got?

So, this problem I have is to be expected, right?

Thanks!

 

06 should have been the tighter ones.

 

Do you still make them by any chance? One was slightly damaged during installation and had to be trimmed to fit again (long story, not your fault obviously).

 

I'll see if I have a single laying around