Upgraded brakes

Originally posted by drivemusicnow
2) I'm going to be lying under a 3800 lbs car while these peices of metal hold it up.

no worse than air and rubber holding the car up

I just bought the Valvoline SynPower brake fluid, along with some brake cleaner, non-squeak stuff, and a caliper spreader. About $22 total (I bought some other stuff, too, so I'm guesstimating). I've currently spent about $155 total, so I'll just barely break the $300 mark. Sweet!

I also picked up the 2.25 ton Craftsman floor jack and jack stands that I ordered, and they appear to be of nice quality... I'm glad that I can finally work on my car again!

Earlier today I ordered a set of slotted rotors, for the front, from Dayle at Motorsport Warehouse. The price was $150 + $17 shipping.

Akebono ProACT pads for the front and rear, from tirerack.com (arrived) - $137 shipped.
Valvoline SynPower fluid, brake cleaner, anti-squeak, and a caliper spreader, from Shuck's - about $22.
Slotted rotors for the front, from Motorsport Warehouse (on the way) - $167 shipped.

$326 in total... Not too shabby for a new set of quality brakes. Add in a somewhat leisurely 2 hours of labor, and I'm set to go! I'll be sure to let everyone know how the install goes, and what the new stopping abilities are in comparison to the stock setup.

Here's hoping that my calipers are in good shape! *Knock on wood*

[SVXer95]

The beauty of the ProACT pads is that you don't have to break them in either!

You are going to love your new brakes.

[drivemusicnow]

hmm i didn't know that..


i do know however that the crappy generic pads on my car REALLLLLYYYYYY suck. to the point where i'm about to change them no matter how much life they have left.

Originally posted by SVXer95
The beauty of the ProACT pads is that you don't have to break them in either!

Says who?! Brakes pads need a thin layer of pad material on the rotor in order to work properly. This is done by 'bedding' a pad, or getting it hot enough to reach it's operating temperature. I've never heard of pads taht don't require this.... have any more info?

[Myetball]

From one of Akebono's advertisements.

Akebono’s advanced ProACT™ Ceramic Disc Pads, original equipment on many of North America’s most popular cars, light trucks and sport utility vehicles, are ideal OEM replacement components and the perfect performance option for drivers looking to upgrade from conventional pads.

Akebono Ceramic Technology (ACT) helps to reduce the brake noise (squealing and grinding), vibration and harshness (NVH) problems associated with some aftermarket brake products. Ceramic technology also produces ultra-low dusting for cleaner wheels and tires and fosters minimal wear on the brake rotor.

Other advantages of ProACT ceramic brake pads include:

* Unrivaled “initial effectiveness” with no required break-in period
* Ultra-quiet, positive and smooth braking performance
* High resistance to fade with fast recovery
* More consistent pedal feel for driver confidence

NVH control is further optimized by the fact that ProACT™ Ceramic Disc Pads are designed for specific models, as well as powder-coat finished and harmonically damped. All Akebono ceramic disc pad formulations are also asbestos-free.

I don't really believe that. If you ahve those pads, get on the brakes a few times and check out your rotors. If it's JUST steel, then that is indeed freakin' weird. I'm guessing you'll see the rotors covered with a tiny layer of pad material though.

[Merz]

What do you guys think about buying cheap rotors on ebay? My fronts are warped badly. I dont have a lot of money to spend, but i dont want to buy something i will regret.

these are only $75, http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=33564

$100 for these, http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=33564

$129,
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=33564

What do you guys think? are any of these worth buying? Any other suggestions?

Thanks!

-Evan

Originally posted by evanmerz
What do you guys think about buying cheap rotors on ebay? My fronts are warped badly. I dont have a lot of money to spend, but i dont want to buy something i will regret.

these are only $75, http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=33564

$100 for these, http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=33564

$129,
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=33564

What do you guys think? are any of these worth buying? Any other suggestions?

Thanks!

-Evan

Race Concepts seems to be recommended fairly often on this site. I would purchase their rotors, but ask for a set of slotted-only. The ill effects of cross-drilling have been discussed many times, so do a search to find out why you should avoid them... Unless you enjoy potentially harming yourself, your car, and your wallet.

[Motorsport-SVX]

Ive had cross drilled on all my cars for over 2 yrs with no
issues at all. Either way, drilled or slotted we have some
pretty good things on special too right now.
www.planetsvx.com

raceconcepts are pretty good. Don't really worry about the dimple drilling.. they don't drill all the way through, so it isn't much of an issue. If you can, get slotted only, but if not... good enough.

[Merz]

thanks guys, I decided to go with the raceconcepts slotted only. I emailed him last night and am waiting for a reply. I cant wait to get them. I'm tired of my car shaking when i hit the brakes.

-Evan

[drivemusicnow]

race conceptz isn't the same company as it was before... run by some not so good people anymore. I'd suggest doing a search with i BELIEVE porter...

I'd go with just bradi's off of ebay... they'd work just the same, and if you talk to the seller you can get whatever you want done to them.

[Rotorflyr]

Your right Drive, race concepts isn't owned by the same person but people have ordered them since and I haven't read any negitive comments on the quality of the product, so what makes you say the company is run by some not so good people?