Improve stock brakes on a budget
 

So my car is approaching the 30K mile mark, and my akebono brakes are slowly beginning to crap out on me. For all of those who have been through this and wanted to improve braking power, feel, and fade resistance(almost inevitable, i know) and don't wish to break bank by investing in a new bbk, what can one do? ie. brake pads, brake lines, fluid, etc... recommendations please.. and what is the cost associated with this?
p.s. car is never tracked, only looking for street performance upgrades.
thanks!

The brakes aren't going to crap. The pads are wearing down. 30k on a BBK, you have to expect the pads to wear... you can replace the pads and get a brake inspecttion for fluids etc...

For a performance increase on the stock brakes you can do this...

Z1 370Z / G37 Brake Upgrade Package (Sport Models)

Stop Tech makes a similar stock upgrade kit for a couple hundred more... you need to look for that one yourself.

You mean this link from 2 days ago? Lol

Stoptech rotors and hps pads. My brakes feel awesome.

I like the project mu pads; those plus SS brake lines are a huge improvement over stock.

For lack of a better analogy that's exactly what I mean. I'm looking for people's experience in replacing pads, lines, fluids, etc to non own spec

best cheap mod... actually best mod in general is cooling.

By what means? Cutting holes in my fenders lmao

There's a brake pad review thread in sub forum on brakes and suspension. Worth skimming to see what people like.

Stainless steel brake lines are definitely worth it -- even with another set of OEM pads, it's a very noticeable upgrade.

I wouldn't bother with rotors on a budget -- too expensive, and the slotted ones will chew through your pads more quickly.

I know what you're saying but what did you write in your PS? You said you only want better street performance. If that's the case? Probably the ONLY aftermarket mod you need for your brakes to feel better are Steel brake lines. Every other mod is for high heat racing applications. The cheapest better than street mod is the Z1 kit I showed you. I run the stoptech kit with Stune pads and my brakes feel great. I haven't bought track pads yet but plan to.
Doing anything more than lines will only be cosmetic for street performance. Stune pads are better than most aftermarket pads for street. A lot of the other brands give the same performance with high brake dust and squealing.

after skimming through the plethora of brake pad threads, i've come to the conclusion that no one here can recommend a good street pad that gives a little bit more 'bite' over stock. everyone seems to agree that the upgraded nismo pads are not not worth the money while hawk pads would tend to put excess wear on your rotors. the project mu's seem to be a popular upgrade but i still don't see any review threads on those specifically.

p.s. what's a reasonable price to pay for the labor involved in installing the ss brake lines and replacing brake fluid. i'm most likely going to go with z1 ss lines and Valvoline Synthetic oil, and stock pads unless some one wants to weigh in on this....

When they are talking about pads not being worth it. They are talking about NISMO R-Tune pads. And they are NOT. R tune pads though aren't even legal for you to drive on the street. If you got into an accident and the repair shop found R-TUNES under your car you'd be liable and the insurance company won't cover. Remember you are searching on threads where serious tuners change there pads for the track and they have a street pad.
Stune pads are different from R tune. For one they are Street pads. Honestly there's no clear answer to aftermarket street pads. They have there inherent strengths and weaknesses. S tune has better bite than OEM sport pads and decrease braking by 1foot to 102ft. With brake lines you migh loose an extra foot or two which is good. 100ft from 60 would be supercar level.

You search a thread on a guy who tracks yet you have no intention of tracking. His experience with a pad will be very different from yours. Find threads where guys are street driving only and PM different guys running different brands for the clearest info... then ask about there driving habits and see if tthey match yours. I can guarantee you on S-tune pads. You will be hard pressed to find a lot of people rrunning them. I'm probably one of very few. R tune pads... nissan was dumb enough to sell illegal pads on street cars for a whole year.

Pricing on brake lines... well whenever you do anything with brakes its expensive unless you know some one. It will probably in the $180-260 range for labor.

Call Stillen or Z1

I gave him the Z1 link but the thread keeps. Moving. Lol.

:iagree:

by any means necessary...

use the regular grill opening
use scoops from underneath

aren't there blank plates on the front grill?

My brakes are done as well. This is what I ordered and have at my house awaiting install.

StopTech slotted rotors
Project Mu Type NS pads
Z1 SS brakelines

I ordered the rotors and pads from Kamispeed. Great deals. Believe the rotors were only about $500 for all 4 :)
Gonna be stopping like a beast soon enough :tup:

in for updates

Gonna be about a month or so before I get them in. My car is still off the road for the winter but spring is just around the corner :tup:

For those that have the SS brake lines, can you further describe the improvements in "feel".

Project mu street-sport are good.

No squeal, more bite, low dust, cost about as much as replacement OEM pads. If I had to make a complaint it would be that braking is a little more "on vs off". with less fine modulation at very low speeds (< 5 mph), but I've noticed that before with ceramic brakes.

Which Project mu pads are you talking about? B spec? HC Series or Cou? Checking the pricing on eBay and it's not too bad. Would you recommend this over OEM?

Of course, the pads you listed would all be much better than oem.

Cool :tiphat: Which one would you recommend? Would B spec have less dust and squeaking?

This is going to be my first time running Project Mu pads so I cant give an opinion yet. As far as the B Specs, they will be slightly more aggressive than the Type NS that I got. The B Specs are good for up to 500*c while the NS are good to 400*c. The B Specs will mostly likey bite a little harder, be more resistant to fading and dust a little more than the NS.

Thanks for the info! Keep us posted on your review of the NS!

I had them on another car but they get rid of any spongee feel and improve brake travel and feel.

I just installed them, and I know my previous brake feel very well. There is no difference in feel between the Z1 SS lines and the OEM rubber lines when street driving. Anyone who claims there is a dramatic difference is fooling themselves into justifying their new purchase. Or they changed something else like pads at the same time. More aggressive pads makes an immediate, HUGE difference in brake feel. SS lines do not. Hell, bleeding your brakes for the first time in 2 years will give you more of a feel change than just adding SS lines to an otherwise well maintained brake system. However, I was due for new brake lines and figured I'd go with the SS lines this time around. For $120, you can't go wrong and their quality is excellent.

I think they're the "B-spec".