HOW TO- 5.5 Gen Front Brakes on 4th Gen

[BLACKonBLACK98]

not to rain on the parade or anything but the j30/g50 upgrade isn't much more price wise (if any) and offers much more performance wise with the only limitation being 17"+ wheels.

new beck/arnley loaded remanufactured calipers - ~$150
2004 12.6" rotors - ~$75
brackets - ~$100

seems like the much better buy to me.

[95BLKMAX]

Originally Posted by BLACKonBLACK98

not to rain on the parade or anything but the j30/g50 upgrade isn't much more price wise (if any) and offers much more performance wise with the only limitation being 17"+ wheels.

new beck/arnley loaded remanufactured calipers - ~$150
2004 12.6" rotors - ~$75
brackets - ~$100

seems like the much better buy to me.

Performance wise yes it would be. However, not everyone wants to be forced to run 17"+ wheels.

Not everyone NEEDS that much performance. Lets face it, most people here on the org dont really drive their maximas to the point to take the stock size brakes to the limit, let alone merit the bigger 6th gen brakes other than for the great looks.

Just upgrading to the 5.5gen front brakes is more than enough of a performance upgrade to surpass the needs of most people, plus the slightly bigger brakes do look better. Replacing the rotors although more expensive than A32 rotors, they are still cheaper than the A34 rotors that dont let you run anything less than 17" wheels.

Most importantly for me... For us that use slicks at the track, I can still squeeze some K1s (I believe its K1 15"s that do clear the 5.5gen brakes by a few milimeters) and still be able to use my M/Ts. That's really what sold me on these brakes

[slvrmaxx]

i would think that for us 4th genners who don't have ABS, this mod would increase the likelihood of inadvertent brake-locking

[CapedCadaver]

Originally Posted by BLACKonBLACK98

not to rain on the parade or anything but the j30/g50 upgrade isn't much more price wise (if any) and offers much more performance wise with the only limitation being 17"+ wheels.

new beck/arnley loaded remanufactured calipers - ~$150
2004 12.6" rotors - ~$75
brackets - ~$100

seems like the much better buy to me.

i'm doing this on my 3rd gen for an estimated total cost of $175. got everything but the rotors themselves, and already test fitted and it all lines up fine.

[FRZ251]

Originally Posted by 95BLKMAX

All Buttoned Up!


From a distance with the light against me, lol


Up Close

Correct me if I'm wrong but that rotor is on backwards? I believe the fins go the other direction.

[Jvlouse]

Thx a lot for this upgrade. For a while my brakes have really been sucky. i have a 95 and i recently did a front brake job, cheap rotors and wagner thermoquiet pads. I never bedded in the pads... in the beginning the brakes were awesome, and maybe a week or two later the pedal traveled further and i felt they didnt brake like they should. also, when we took of the pads during the last brake job, the pin was stuck and it wasnt easy to push it in... Currently im having the same problem, when i brake my wheel pulls to the left meaning either the left caliper is stuck close or the right caliper isnt closing....

With that all said, my friend from the org had done an upgrade on his 03 infiniti i35 with 6th gens and i bought his 5.5's!
I got a really good price and i am very excited to upgrade my sad brakes and not brake the bank...
I wonder how it will feel with ss lines??
Also prestone has a synthetic brake fluid? Anyone use it? any difference? i minus well drain all the brake fluid with this stuff.

[CapedCadaver]

I did this upgrade 2 days ago on my 3rd gen. Everything fit perfectly. Thanks for the writeup! I'm making a writeup specific to the 3rd genners as we speak.

I got 5k-used HPS pads with my calipers so it's gonna be a little while before they match up with the brand new rotors... so hopefully it won't take too long before i get proper grab. These things were a full 6mm thicker than my passenger side rotor! it was just 18mm thick. Scary. My neighbor lent me the drill and bit... he had the bits for his 1/2" press and then when i asked if he had a 1/2" drill he was like "no, but i have been wanting one for a while now.. so if you need one I'll go ahead and get it since I know I'll be using it alot as soon as I get one". Word.

Anyhow here's a few pics

before

after




edit: my writeup Writeup: 5.5gen (A33B) front BBK for your 3rd Gen