Base brakes to akebonos..how happy?
 

Dying to do something dramatic, preferable suspension but I can't rationalize doing suspension when I still have 3 year old base brakes. Just seems like the much more valuable practical thing to do. But before shelling out 2k for parts and install I wanted to know for those who bought bases and upgraded to akebonos, are you happy or was it money not really worth spending after market. Thanks. Hopefully some upgraded from base to akebonos and can comment or post pics.

Stopping power wise, not really worth it. I would say with ss lines, pads and a good fluid the difference will be marginal specially for street use.

I switched mine more for the "look".

Ok cool thanks for the feedback

I've been wanting to pull the trigger on these, but had the same hesitations. I still want to this eventually because it looks 10x better than the base brakes

This is also something I am considering doing this summer. Akebonos with upgraded pads and rotors and ss lines. Looks much better than base and I am sure there must be some performance increase just from the larger size.

Too bad there is nothing in the same price range for aftermarket brakes.

I just ordered the upgrade kit for my base Z a few days ago, mostly for looks, the base ones do no justice... Once I get them and get them installed I can tell you my opinion on the new brakes :tup:

I'm going to guess you never tried to go from 150mph to 0mph on the base brakes. For daily driving you won't notice a difference. But a big single piston vs 4 big pistons is apples and oranges in high performance braking. The SS lines are great because they remove the flexing factor during emergency brake stops. But from the BBK to the regular brakes at high speeds you will feel a massive difference. And the brake fade threshold is 10x higher onthe sport than base. I say the akebono's are the way to go BUT find a shop that can fabricate a worthy brake duct system and you're good to go. Also the Stop Tech Brake pack I recommend to anyone. Shop around. Prices vary depending on vendor.

How often does one go from 150-0? My guess would be not very often... I have daily driven my car for 2 years, and tracked it multiple times. Even on a track I have NEVER done a 150-0mph stop. I have never needed to.

I am just saying, all factors aside, from a performance standpoint the upgrade is not 2k worth of extra braking power. It does help... every little bit does, but I think OP would have better luck getting more braking power out of a lighter set of wheels, better tires, or pads and lines. Then he can get himself a set of swifts and still be "under budget".

I keep seeing the Infiniti akebono brakes for sale on eBay. They seem to look identical except for floor and of course the logo, does anyone know if there is a difference? They seem to go for less.

They are the same but powder coating or correctly painting them will make them as much or more than the Nissan branded calipers. Just buy the $850 set off Kday in the Classified section. Get all the hardlines from him too.

i was thinkin of getting these as well since i hardly ever track the car. ap racing brake kit seems really nice but not enough funds to obtain those :-(

But if you DID have to, I'm sure you would want to.

I upgraded to the Akebono's and honestly you won't feel that big of a difference. If you have normal pads and rotors you won't tell a difference and if anyone says they can then they are either lying or are super sensitive to braking feel. When I upgrded I also got Carbotech XP8 pads and stillen J-hook rotors, and although the pads are really loud, I believe thats going to be the only way to notice a big difference in everyday driving. Yes, the threshold for brake fade will be much improved with the Akebonos but you won't ever see that in daily driving.


If you are just getting them for looks, I would personally wait. I wish I would have went ahead and bought rims instead of the brakes but thats just my opinion. I will never come close to getting the full potential out of my brakes on a daily basis, so for me it seems like a waste of money when it could have gone to something to make my car look 10x's better.

I upgraded to Akebonos on my HR 350Zin 2010 and the difference was night and day. I ran 4 laps on the Nurburgring with zero brake fade (unless you rented out the whole track, you're only allowed 1 lap at a time). I had Hawk HPS pads, slotted rotors, and steel braided lines--the brakes were exceptional. Of course, a lot of people won't feel the difference unless they're driving the Z hard.

Exactly... People may say they're on a track and not need higher grade brakes. But if you're driving on a track just to speed and not really "TRULY PUSH LIMITS" Then a brake upgrade of any kind is useless. But someone pushing limits at high speed?? Spend the money!! It's more than worth it. Brake/suspension mods are more important than power mods. Don't believe any reverse hype.

What's the difference in distance in 150-0 or 100-0 or 60-0 between akebono vs base?

For repeated hard stops (track application), of course the larger disc and bigger caliper will be better to cope with heat. After all, braking performance is really a measure of efficiency in converting kinetic energy into heat energy (and then the dissipation of the heat). For street, I'll concur with Corbin

However, I do understand that we all want that little extra, I mean....one never needs 330+ hp to get from point a to point b, but we all want more

i also upgraded my brakes. for the look and the added performance.
i wish i had gotten an LSD and an oil cooler first tho.

LSD is coming first for me before brakes. Brakes was gonna be a big thing for me till I got onto Hawaii and realized all I have is AutoX out here. New pads and I should be just fine for AutoX. LSD will make a major improvement no matter what situation placed in.

For street driving, ALL that matters is how quickly you can lock up your brakes... I BET you can lock them up just as quickly as the brakes on a 370Z with sport package brakes (all things being equal)
The difference DOES come with how many times you can do that...

I'd hazard a guess that a base Z with slotted or drilled rotors can out stop a sport Z with the standard rotors (pads glaze over when breaking really hard and the slots or holes keep the glazing from happening)
And adding a high temp fluid should be good enough as well.

I just pulled the trigger on my set...they are going on the 2010 Maxima..on my 08 i had the 4 piston wilwoods up front and 2 piston in the rear still on a 12 inch rotor and coming from a single piston, on a hard stop..there is a difference..to call it significant..ehhh. but definitely a difference... i look at it like this...though i purchased them for looks ...even from a 35 mph cruise.. a difference in between 1 foot or 2 feet is very significant when a child runs out in the street...

I didn't know they fit!!!
YAY!!! New upgrade for the '13 Maxima I just got!!!


Btw, this isn't a fair comparison because the Maxima weighs more and has 75% of it's weight in the front, especially with it's CVT... The brakes FUCKIN SUCK!!!

True... Congrats man... Post up a pic in the 4DSC thread...

There's a dedicated thread?!?!?! LOL
I LOVE the Maxima, always hated the brakes, so once you do your BBK upgrade hit me up!!!

If you can lock the tires up with the stock calipers and pads then there will be zero difference for stopping distances as the tires are the limiting factor. The best you can ever hope when putting on a BBK is zero difference on stopping distance... Most cheaper BBKs dont have optimized piston sizes and will have too much bias to either the front or the rear which will hurt performance and increase stopping distances. Unless you track your car a BBK is strictly for looks and slightly better feel (but is that difference in feel worth the price tag?). You can buy better pads for the stock calipers that can meet whatever needs you have.

For anyone doing the swap, I highly suggest upgrading the pads prior to the install. Any set of pads with great initial bite make a huge difference and is sure to inspire a lot of confidence. The stock Sport brakes on my 370Z does not stop nearly as good as the 40th AE brakes on my 350Z--mainly because of the Hawk HPS pads. The brake dust on the wheels are also noticeably less with the Hawk pads.

Had them on the Maxima for a few weeks now... The used rotors were warped so did new front rotors and posi-centric pads... Absolutely love them... Initial brake dust was noticeable but now they are broken in a bit... She stops swiftly and smoothly...
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Given the costs involved, I'd try getting better pads and maybe SS lines first. That alone will make a night and day difference.

That said, although I can't compare with base due to lack of direct experience, I wasn't crazy about the sport package brakes until I did those upgrades.

Waiting to install mine with stoptech rotors.

I will let you know in two weeks

When my car is running again I shall post in this thread good knowledge! Can't wait I finally have them lol

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