Rotors and pads
 

Just about since day 1, my SVX has had brake judder due to "warped" front rotors. It was minor enough that I was going to wait until the pads were worn and swap everything out then. Since my son will be driving the car, I am going to do it now. I have decided on StopTech (Centric) cryogenically treated slotted rotors. The pads are a tougher decision. Street pads that are more likely to deposit crap on the rotors are better at cold stops than performance or racing pads, which are less likely to deposit crap on the rotors. What seems to be a potentially good compromise are the EBC Ultimax pads (Black). They are similar composition to OEM and supposedly have good cold bite. But they also claim to have done something with the composition to avoid depositing crap on the rotors and getting judder. Has anyone tried them?

Re: Rotors and pads
 

Don't use slotted rotors, just use blanks. Centric is very good for rotors. I know stoptech street pads are very good, and the hawk HPS or performance ceramic pads are very good street able pads. I don't have personal experience with the EBC pads so I can't comment on those.

Re: Rotors and pads
 

The logic on the rotors has to do with avoiding judder. Slotted rotors stay cooler and keep the pads cooler. Cryo treating makes the rotors more durable so they can stand up to more abrasive pads without wearing too fast and potentially cracking or warping over time. There is some argument over cross drilling versus slotting for keeping brakes cool but there aren't any cryo treated cross drilled options nor are there cryo treated solids. For avoiding judder and long term durability, these are the best rotors I could find.

The Hawk HPS pads were my next choice. But they are a PITA to bed in and I read some concerns over bite when cold.

Re: Rotors and pads
 

Just a FYI, the multi-slotted slotted rotors are noisier than standard rotors-sort of a "crickets" sound when stopping. If you look at Mercedes factory high performance rotors, they will have only one slot for pad cleaning, along with the cast in cross hole cooling...

Re: Rotors and pads
 

StopTech does sell non-cryo treated cross drilled and drilled and slotted rotors. Again, my goal is good cold stopping power plus resistance to judder. Keeping the pad cool seems to be the trick to the judder. The holes seem to do better at keeping the rotor cool (which does help keep the pad cool via conduction) and the slots for keeping the pad cool, from what I read. I know what you mean about Mercedes. Porsche is the same way. However, I recently saw a new Porsche that had slotted rotors from the factory. And people who race swear by the slotted. So many options.....

Re: Rotors and pads
 

I have cryo treated ART (Applied Rotor Technologies) slotted rotors. They use Centric blanks. The Performance Friction Carbon Metallic Pads work very well with them. Quiet, low dust, good grip.
http://www.performancefriction.com/a...rake-pads.aspx

Re: Rotors and pads
 

How is the grip with those pads on the first stop when it is ice cold outside? Panic stop on the highway in winter is what I am concerned about. And did you find front and rear pads or just front? I only found fronts.

Re: Rotors and pads
 

Last time I purchased pads I got Centric Posi-quiet. They are good but I preferred the Performance friction. I bought rotors, callipers and pads from ART. I ordered by part number from my previous order and was surprised to get the Centric.
So to answer your question. Back in 2000 Performance had both front and rear. They required a firm application (not crazy hard) the first couple of times braking from a cold start but after that were fine. Never thought about them. The posi quiet are good but a bit dusty and some squeal.

If I remember correctly the rear brakes are common with a Nissan Pathfinder. I wonder if it's just a glitch in Performance's search engine.

Re: Rotors and pads
 

I bought drilled/slotted/gold passivated rotors/discs from Dayle at the Motorsport Warehouse (along with SS lines) - fitted them together with EBC Red Stuff pads ...... my goodness what a difference, I have never thought the car could stop so well.

Re: Rotors and pads
 

My dad put EBC Red stuff ceramic on his Jag XF. Instant stopping power to the point of being touchy. They grab hard on his car.

Re: Rotors and pads
 

I have drilled/slotted cryo rotors from Brembro that are terrific but no longer available w/this combination from Brembro. I went w/Brembro because they are not made in China and are OEM on many high performance cars. After years of use, there are no cracks in any of the holes. Although the combination is not currently available, you can purchase them cross drilled or slotted and cryo coated. Cost is still reasonable and they are a quality item. My choice for pads are the Hawk HPS; used them for years and have no complaints about cold stopping (only takes a few minutes/miles to reach temp) or dust/wear on rotors (quality rotors vs China made). My experience/two cents after over 15 years .+ of useing these products on a SVX.

Re: Rotors and pads
 

To update, it's the front pads which are the same as the Nissan Pathfinder.

The rear pads are FSMI No. 7351-D471 (Friction Materials Standards Institute).

Seems they are only common to Legacy from 1990 - 1999 and Impreza 1993 - 1998.
Performance Friction no longer makes them.

Re: Rotors and pads
 

Which Posi-quiet did you get, the ceramic or the semi-metallic?

Re: Rotors and pads
 

How did the Reds do in the cold? I know the Yellows tend to be grabby when cold but still have a long stopping distance until they warm up. Maybe the data I saw showed that they didn't play nice with the ABS when cold.

There is a lot of confusing information out there. For example, forums I have read had most people agreeing that the Carbon-Metallic performance pads like the Hawk HPS and the ones from Performance Friction don't stop well when cold but are pretty good when warm. However, the data shown here (http://blog.caranddriver.com/perform...c-yellowstuff/) shows the Hawk HPS as doing well on the first cold stop but fading quickly. I don't really care too much about the fading but the cold stop data conflicts with what people are reporting. Aramid based pads like the Stoptech Street Performance pads also have similar comments about their cold stopping ability not being great. My personal experience has been that ceramic pads have nice features with regards to durability, being easy on rotors and not creating dust but that they don't stop that well in general. The semi-metallic Brembo pads on my Acura stop GREAT and don't show a strong temperature dependence. That makes me lean toward semi-metallic. The problem is that there is a general belief that semi-metallics are more prone to overheating and depositing crap on the rotors which is what leads to the judder I am trying to avoid. All of this is why the EBC Ultimax pads seem to be a nice compromise. They are semi-metallic so they have the grip charateristics I am looking for but they also claim to have done something to eliminate judder.

Re: Rotors and pads
 

I have the Posi Quiet semi metallic. Ref: the EBC Red, I haven't noticed any difference between cold and warmed up.