The Great Brake Pad And Rotors Thread.

[sciff5]

Originally Posted by irish44j

Nope, I've used Hawk HPS in my integra, my honda, my stock maxima brakes, my 6th gen brakes, and my z32 brakes and never had that problem. Sure, occasionally I'll go through a spell where there's some squealing, but once I relube the slide pins on the caliper and re-gunk the backs of the pads its good to go again....

That may help the problem, but I dont know about you but I dont want to do that every 10k on my daily driver.

[irish44j]

Originally Posted by sciff5

That may help the problem, but I dont know about you but I dont want to do that every 10k on my daily driver.

are you serious? Every 10k miles is a good point to take the wheels off and check the brakes, lines, etc anyhow....

I mean what's that...every 6 months or more?

[pbn85]

I put so much money into "go" performance but none for "stop" peformance ...going to sell my stillen sides and rear this winter and get some nice rotors and pads.

[sciff5]

Originally Posted by irish44j

are you serious? Every 10k miles is a good point to take the wheels off and check the brakes, lines, etc anyhow....

I mean what's that...every 6 months or more?

Man I need to get a job with better hours. You deff have some time on your hands. Lately I have been doing 110 miles of driving a day 6 days a week.. so you can imagine just how fast I rack up 10,000 miles on my car.

[abcito]

I'm at a loss here....2 years ago I replaced my OEM with brembo blanks...and PBR semi metallics...developed a nice pulsating feeling after 5-6k.....a year later I get fed up with them and get new brembo blanks...and hawk HPS....~10k I get pulsation again...not as bad as before...but it is there....am I doing something wrong? I'm going by the correct installation procedures...bedding in....tourqued the wheels... I'm going to ride these out for a bit but is there a fix or a possible issue....My thought of doing hard stops frequently to try to get any possible materilal of the rotors....

Hard stops will not "get anything off" the rotors. You need to have your rotors mic'd (micrometer) and possibly get them turned.

[MichMaxFan]

One thing I can't figure out...

Why does every pad mfgr I read about have those who love them and those who hate them, and they are on opposite sides of the table over the same characteristic: noise, bite, dust, etc.

I am looking to buy new pads, and eliminate the "pad transfer" issue, and want extremely quiet pads. Dust: really not much of a concern. What does one get? There is next to no common opinion on pads, and that makes it appear to be a "try and see" thing. The mfgr process can't/won't vary that much. What makes the diff? The only thing I can figure is it is in assembly and bedding process.

Any opinions? I was all set to get the Hawk HPS and then I step back again and think about all the post about noisy brakes. Is that the poor bedding process? What gives? Once installed, all pads of the same type should perform similarly...but they DON'T. WHY NOT??????

[Maxgig]

Originally Posted by MichMaxFan

I am looking to buy new pads, and eliminate the "pad transfer" issue, and want extremely quiet pads. What does one get? There is next to no common opinion on pads, and that makes it appear to be a "try and see" thing.
Any opinions? I was all set to get the Hawk HPS and then I step back again and think about all the post about noisy brakes. Is that the poor bedding process? What gives? Once installed, all pads of the same type should perform similarly...but they DON'T. WHY NOT??????

I have driven numerous cars over the past 25 yrs and just bought basic $30 - $45 dollar brake pads. For this car I noticed when I came to a complete stop the front brakes made a little noise, mind you the car only has 52k miles on the original pads. I was going to buy some Duralast pads but remembered what I read here about the Hawks. After I got over the shock of paying $75 dollars for them I ordered a pair online. I'm getting them and some new spark plugs installed this Fri and will be driving the Max to Ft Knox, Kentucky to visit some friends. I'll post here after I return to let you all know how things went and my personal experience with the Hawk HPS pads on my OEM (turned) rotors.

[96i30azn]

Originally Posted by irish44j

Modern finishes are resistant/immune to those issues for the most part, unless you buy cheapie wheels.

I like stopping. Ceramic pads do not stop as well. Bite sucks, and cold bite sucks more.

george, just get these, dork:

http://www.kleenwheels.com/about_kleenwheels.htm

I think infiniti oem chrome wheels are still quite vulnerable... I've had 2 sets, both the chromes are pealing and it seems brake dust sticks to chrome way more than regular alloy wheel. With alloy wheels all I have to do is dry wipe, and it all comes off. Chrome is way harder, reqs metal polish or the wheel cleaner to get brake dust off.

[irish44j]

bump for visibility

[SoonerFan]

rotors - OEM replacement
pads - Hawk HPS

[pegasus1113]

OK, I've got an 03 Max SE with just barely 50k miles. Only major mx so far was to replace the original tires with Yokos at 34k.
1. Last oil change (at Nissan $25) the guy tells me i will need rear pads soon but the front were OK. That was in Sep 07. Last week, after tiring of the occasional squeal, I take my car into a local repair shop that seems to specialize in brakes (Car-X, midwest only). Manager tells me rear are definitely low and fronts are soon to follow. He takes me out to the car and shows me all four wheels. Rear pads were low but what surprised me was that the wear was uneven on each wheel (i.e., within the caliper, the two pads had worn unevenly). Thoughts?
2. I decided to have the rear pads replaced as they were low but the shop only uses Wagner pads (quickstop; ZD900 rear). total cost was $80 before tax and they have a lifetime pad warranty - i would pay the labor charge of $40 per axle for any future brake work (after the 12mo/12k mile full warranty)...pads are labeled "organic" (not ceramic) but are definitely not semi-metallic. What should i be worried about during the initial bedding period?
3. Front pads will need replacing soon. How can i tell when as i do not want to replace rotors unnecessarily?

From Wagner web site:
"OE-Spec Quality at a Reasonable Price

Wagner QuickStop brake pads and shoes are available for today’s popular cars, trucks and SUVs. The design of these pads and shoes follows the original equipment specifications and features:

* Shims, slots, chamfers and wear sensors that match OE on key applications
* Coverage for popular vehicle applications when price is an issue
* Dependable performance with disc brake pads and shoes that are consistent with OE standards
* Integrally-molded attachments
* Asbestos-free friction material

Here’s how QuickStop stacks up in desirable features:

* Quiet performance: Good
* Stopping performance: Superior
* Coverage: 95 percent of all passenger vehicles, SUVs and light trucks
* Friction formulation: Matches OE — metallic, organic, ceramic
* Integrally-molded: Available in all applications
* Wear sensor: Matches OE design
* Caliper availability: Available in loaded caliper"

http://www.federal-mogul.com/en/Afte...cle/Quickstop/

[rocketsled]

i was running stock rotors with hawks, i went through a period of 'spirited driving' while trying to evade a certain vehicle following me. Several topped out to 0 stops in the course of a few mins...pads held up fine. Front rotors developed mass stress marks. And front passenger side rotor cracked in 4 places. I think i may try a cross drilled rotor to prevent such similar future problems.

['02_EMILBUS]

Did you evade that particular vehicle? thats the important question...

[mcb05003]

I'm thinking of purchasing akebono proact ceramic pads, but for rotors I was thinking bremo blanks or cyto-stop blanks? anyone hear anything on cyto-stop rotors??

[mcb05003]

i meant cryo stop rotors

[Puppetmaster]

Bump for the search impaired.

[pegasus1113]

2003 Max SE (stock, 56k miles)...I need advice on whether to put Wagner rotors (BD125799) or Napa Ultra Premium rotors (UP 880074) on my front wheels. Pricing is similar at about $45 each (local retail store)

[copilot1991]

I'm stuck between two different choices, and I want some advice. It would seem the consensuses is to get Hawks but, having received my Max with horribly grinding/squealing brakes that are totally dead I want something DEAD QUITE! I heard that the Hawks squeal sometimes, I'm poor, and I don't race so those dont fit the bill. I really just want a brake pad capable of the occasional hard stomping, but offer total serenity...

That leads me to this, do I want ceramics? I heard that they are decent for everyday use with a little heat but I have lots of idiot drivers around here and I'm afraid of warping my rotor...

I'm down to either PowerStop brakes or Duralast. Duralast has a new brake line called C-MAX, they are part of the GOLD series. The only catch is that the rears are only available semi-metallic. The ProStop are what are used on Police Fleets from what I heard and they have Ceramics available all the way around.

I want good stopping and serenity, which of the two should I get?

[Progress]

Good luck getting Hawk HPS pads for the 5th gen.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by GBAUER

every other day....

Don't believe me on the dusting? Here's a pic. Washed it yesterday afternoon. They look like TE wheels after a day with all the dust!



I should have wiped part of it to show it better, but there's a ton of dust. I've driven around 125 miles since the carwash.

Oh wow F that, I am not getting Hawk pads thats for damn sure.

[woody6212]

This looks like it's been on going thread so I guess my question is has anyone came to a better conclusion? Nobody will ever fully agree on the same issue but I am in need of brakes at this point and what I was wondering is can we use a larger Brembo blank on the front and back? If so what size brembo blanks can i order for my 01 se? And for daily driving has anyone found a good brake pad that hasn't caused alot of brake dust yet?

[rcjunkie]

I have an 02 SE and I am planning on replacing my rotors with Brembo blank rotors front and rear. It is my daily driver and I do not race it at a track or anything like that. My average commute is 125-200miles a day and currently have 160K on the original rotors.

Does anyone have the part number for the front and rear for the Brembo blanks? Are brembo blanks the term used to describe OEM-like rotors or is that the actual name from Brembo?

I checked Amazon.com for pricing and got part number BDR25642 for the front and BR25542 for the rear. I just want to confirm these are the Brembo blanks and associated part numbers. If not please reply back with the correct one.

I am thinking of going with OEM replacement rotors as well due to the price difference. What is a good brand? I was looking through eBay and came accross a business named R1 Concepts and they sell a complete front and rear OEM set for $92.77 shipped. It's Item number: 370212192425.

Also, I am going with the Hawk HPS front and rear pads based on numerous recommendations. Can someone confirm that these are the correct part numbers for an 02 Maxima?

HB268F.665 Front
HB378F.626 Rear

Also, how many pounds should I set my torque wrench to tighten down the rotors?

Thank you all in advance.

[SEmy2K2go]

See the first post in this thread - Brembo Brake Rotors - Crossdrilled, Slotted, & Original Equipment - HUGE DISCOUNTS!!

[Psyfa]

bump since I was looking for rotor info and there have been a few people with brake problems lately...

[tkedch]

Does anyone know whether the caliper from 5.5 is the same as the 5 gen? I know 5.5 rotor is slightly bigger but what about the calipers?

[Grand_hustle17]

Getting some Powerstop drilled slotted rotors and pads tomorrow, ill keep yall up to date