hello i have a 2000 maxima with 18 " lexus rx330 wheels and have the full stock brake setup with akebono front and rear pads. i like the pads due to their very little dusting.

i have recently moved to dallas texas and due to the countless horrible accidents i have seen on 75, and at least a dozen close calls myself, i want to upgrade for more stopping power and thus hopefully more safety.

And wow the countless options. i searched and after 3 hours of reading, arrived at the conclusion that by simply just buying the 6th gen caliper and rotors from dave b i may be able to achieve what im looking for here, but i kind of wanted more style with the upgrade.

i do prefer the look of the drilled/slotted rotors however, i understand they are not much of a benifit in stoping power but more cosmetic.

so my question is two fold,

1) for those that have the z32 caliper set up, or q45, is there a big difference between those and the 6th gen calipers as far as stopping power over our 5th gen set up? is it worth the extra money to buy those rather than the 6th gen calipers? will the 6th gen calipers even offer a sig difference in stopping power? (my current rotors,calipers, and pads are in great shape and will not need replacing for some time, i just want to do any upgrade if it will make a big difference in stopping power and thus more safty)

2) do any members recommend a specific,well priced, drilled rotor that can work with either caliper set up and give me as much if not more stopping power as the 6th gen blank rotors i can buy from dave b?

thank you to any members that may help in advance, its greatly appreciated.

 

I haven't had any of the other set-ups, but the 6th gen upgrade, IMO, increases stopping power quite a bit over stock. And this is coming from an 02-03 owner, and the 02/3 brakes are beefier than the 00-01 units, so, in theory you should see even more of a difference than I did.

Check the GD forums for great deals on any type of 6th gen rotor you want.

AutoMax95 is the man to talk to about rotors.
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=279373

 

Just another comment on the 6th Gen set-up vs. the Z32 or Q45/J30 set-ups - check your rims to see if they will clear because IIRC clearance depends on both offset and spoke pattern, not just rim size. The 6th Gen brakes seem to be "easier" to fit under most rims relative to the other two alternatives.

 

& OEM wheels tend to not have very friendly BBK offsets.

 

I love the 6th Gen brake upgrade. I installed it on 2k3 Maxima and the difference was obvious. I had these brakes for more than a year now (20k miles). I use Brembo blank rotors and they have not shown any wear.
I also haver a brand new set of 6th Gen EBC Ultimax BlackDash USR Slotted Rotors that i never got a chance to install. I have these for sale, if interested.

Btw....with the 6th Gen brakes, i am NOT using the OEM 5.5 Gen 17" SE wheels. I use 17" Z wheels and 17" 5.5 GLE wheels(winter) with no problem.

 

I can comment a little on 6th gen brakes.... i had 6th gen brake rotors (RTP rotors/brembo pads first and power slot/hawk pads after that) with brembo 4-piston calipers, yep, a much better braking power (feel-wise at least) than 5.5 gen brakes, no comments on stopping distance tho.
BUT consider this: 6th gen rotors are heavy (20 lb each), plus if you go with 6th gen calipers, i bet those are even heavier than brembo aluminum calipers, so i'm sure that will produce an average quality ride up front.
So, IMHO, the best upgrade would consist of wilwood FSL 4-piston calipers and 2-pc bear eradispeed 13" cobra or wilwood rotors. Extremly lightweight (19 lb per corner for all hardware), top quality, and affordable price-wise. But that's just my personal opinion.

 

If you have warped rotors, and your thinking about replacing brake pads, rotors, etc. (making it look clean behind the alloy rim), about how much would it run?

 

wow just got home from work and THANK YOU ALL.

i put the rx lexus rims on there many years ago and was just assuming any bbk would fit because of the huge robust brakes that come stock on the rx330"s. but good point i must check the offset. once that knowledge is gained however i'm still not sure it will be accurate because i had the rims professionally boared out to fit on our larger hubs. any comments on this? its beyond my understanding.

And as for weight, i did'nt even consider that aspect, so again thank you. i'm guessing that may be why alot go for the z32 aluminum?

what are the draw backs of a heavier braking system? obviously they are heavier so im guessing worse gas milage as with my heavier 18' rims but is it a noiticable factor? is it something i should really be taking into consideration for my daily driver where i'm more concerned about safety?

is a lighter set like l.m.l suggested a noticable difference.

thank you to who ever may respond. again greatly appreciated

 

ok did some research and my rims are 35mm offset. any help would be appreciated in determining which caliper/rotor set up may work with them.

 

Wilwood...

http://fastbrakes.com/shop/product_i...roducts_id=843

 

+35mm is very BBK friendly, but as Puppet stated, the spoke./wheel pattern also plays a major role.

In those hours of research I'm sure you found a thread or link or 2 (to BlehmCo's site) that shows minimal clearance values for the Z32 upgrade.

 

Its not always all about the offset. spoke design also has alot to do with clearance. most bbk vendors will email you a template you can use to make sure everything will be kosher. if you cannot run a bbk, a set of stainless lines and an aggresive pad will do the trick pretty well.

 

Didn't I just say that?

 

hummm i guess to do the z32 calipers i just got to jump right in and see if they fit, if i go with the wilwood they can hopefully send me a template. well thanks alot guys you all have definately helped me to least narrow it down.

i feel like its either between the z32 or the wilwood. and the research continues

 

Argh warped stock rotors after 25k from brand new....I'm going brembo would be nice to do the BBK though.

 

nuff said...




I've had the 5th gen caliper + 6th gen rotors, full 6th gen, z32, and these (with various pad and rotor variations)....

The wilwood setup fits the best, is silent (always) and braking is better than any of the others.

Price isn't too steep either, as linked above...

 

lol, of course yet another mod irish has contributed to my car. i was seriously just thinking of contacting you through pm and asking you what you would do because as long as ive been on here, you and sooner fan seem to just reseach the hell out of EVERYTHING and obviously have the finances to do so.

so its settled the wilwood kit it is. but im a little more cosmetic and really want the drilled slotted rotors and yes i know the draw backs but dont care, i have alot of space between spokes and just think they will look sick cause it will be so easy to see them. im on my way to work but later ill check what willwood has , if not any suggestions on drilled or sloted rotors?

thank you to all that helped, another great mod to my max based off of this board.

 

irish, I thought you said the Wilwoods had some noise issues? What did you do to solve it?

 

hummm noise issues?

 

i think it was the pads or something like that