Brake Pads

[stryker g8gt]

I am running centric hubs on the front, they still warpped slightly after 25k but not like OEMs.

[hulkss]

I am running centric hubs on the front, they still warpped slightly after 25k but not like OEMs.

Here's what they have to say about "warped" rotors: The “Warped” Brake Disc and Other Myths of the Braking System

[Sephiroth]

ss lines help with pedal feel and modulation. imagine the rubber hoses expanding every time you pump the pedal after they have been on the car a while.

You will notice a firmer pedal feel, once you get used to it, you can't go back.

On fluid, what I do so take with a grain of salt: I used to DD my GTO and track my GTO. So I would put standard Valvoline Synethetic brake fluid (its like $7 per 1 quart, 1 litre) bottle at your autozone or orieliys. This is clear when it goes in, and you flush the entire system of the car (more on that later you don't need a Tech 2 to do it). When I would track the car, I would flush again with ATE super blue fluid (jegs, summit etc and other carry it) its more like 21+ per 1 litre bottle. it is blue going in, you knew you were good when the fluid was clean and blue.

track the car, come home, flush again with basic Valvoline. repeat as often as possible per track day. For a daily driven car, expensive brake fluids aren't worth the money.

Also for me Tracking the car meant road course or AutoX course. not Drag races.
And I flush my brake system every year or 2 years depending on use. Just to keep the abs unit clean and happy. I call it cheap insurance.

why would you flush to switch at all? ATE blue still has a high wet boiling point. plenty of people use the stuff on DD's, I've got some on order right now actually. infact, I run the
valvoline stuff right now and I know it's wet boiling point is lower than the blue. unless you cant pass inspection, is there some other reason?

[stryker g8gt]

Here's what they have to say about "warped" rotors: The “Warped” Brake Disc and Other Myths of the Braking System

interesting reading, including this section...........

MYTH # 6 - The brake fluid reservoir should be topped up during routine service.

In most modern passenger cars, the brake fluid reservoir is designed with a specific volume and is equipped with an internal float. The volume corresponds to the amount of fluid that will be displaced when the pads have worn to the point of replacement plus a generous reserve. When the replacement point is reached, the descending float completes an electrical circuit and a light appears on the dash warning the driver that the pads should be replaced. If the brake fluid is topped up the first warning of warn out pads will be the screech of steel backing plate against iron disc. This will be both annoying and expensive.

[Seattle09GT]

Would LOVE to hear about your experience. My rotors are fucked and this is pretty much the only option I'm seriously considering right now. I'm looking at the drilled and slotted regular rotors and the HP ceramic pads.

Do stainless lines really make a big difference? How about fluid options?

Sent from Hell via my Galaxy S Captivate

So - bedded in my pads on C Street in Auburn, it is a perfect place for pad bed in. A rarely traveled road on the weekends with a very long straight where you can go 60 to 5 / 60 to 5 about 6 times for a good bed in procedure. It went perfect, got the smell on the fifth hard brake, started going away on the 7th, gone on the 8th.

We drove to Portland and back over the weekend, including taking 47/202 to Astoria and then 101/12/8 back to Olympia. Observations:

1) Pedal feel is so much better with the stainless steel brake lines. I will never, ever, go back to factory synthetic lines again. What a difference, love it

2) I can't make rave reviews like stops on dime, etc. etc. - party of this too is following proper break in procedures. Stopping power is linear and smooth, I would say the biggest difference is unlike the stock brakes that grab better and better as the car slows down - the feel is more linear with even action as you apply more pressure.

Overall very happy - the DBA rotors construction is clearly much better than stock when examining them. If you drive aggressively, Auto-X or DPE it is a worthy investment. Also if you plan to do lapping or advanced track work remember, there really aren't any racing tires made past 18" - big brakes are awesome, but can cause serious spacing issues for your rims.

[Sephiroth]

interesting reading, including this section...........

MYTH # 6 - The brake fluid reservoir should be topped up during routine service.

In most modern passenger cars, the brake fluid reservoir is designed with a specific volume and is equipped with an internal float. The volume corresponds to the amount of fluid that will be displaced when the pads have worn to the point of replacement plus a generous reserve. When the replacement point is reached, the descending float completes an electrical circuit and a light appears on the dash warning the driver that the pads should be replaced. If the brake fluid is topped up the first warning of warn out pads will be the screech of steel backing plate against iron disc. This will be both annoying and expensive.

If pads only lasted 30K miles and 2 years, I wouldn't have any argument. However, since most modern pad material lasts way beyond that, and Dot3/4 should be serviced every 2 years, it really does not make sense to allow the fluid to remain stagnant until the pads ran out. Otherwise the OEM Fluid would probally be in most G8's for the forseable future the way my OE pads are wearing, and my fluid was already turning milky/brown with a mushy pedal after just 25K and 2 years.

Additionally, pads as long as I remeber have an additional noise feature when the material reaches 20% or so.

[MIEngineer]

Yep....D3EA brake components are tested to meet certain standards for performance. Good choice.

[Chewy]

That's funny, mine dust like crazy.

I should add that 90% of my driving is highway which helps. I'm still amazed. The dusting compared to my stockers under the same conditions is pretty similar. The HPS's being more dust, but not much more.

[Napalm]

why would you flush to switch at all? ATE blue still has a high wet boiling point. plenty of people use the stuff on DD's, I've got some on order right now actually. infact, I run the
valvoline stuff right now and I know it's wet boiling point is lower than the blue. unless you cant pass inspection, is there some other reason?

flush as opposed to replace. I suppose I should say replace, and with replacement I do flush away some. I have yet to do this on the G8. The GTO really needed a fluid flush the day it was purchased. I bought my 8 used and I am doing this next week.

Some race tracks for events ask to see your brake fluid condition, since I don't bring any with me I like to have new fluid in there. habit more that anything. honestly I considered running blue all the time. but for DD use, its not necessary and to get the race fluid out it was nice to have the color change. without using ATE 200 (or whatever it is that is orange)

interesting reading, including this section...........

MYTH # 6 - The brake fluid reservoir should be topped up during routine service.

In most modern passenger cars, the brake fluid reservoir is designed with a specific volume and is equipped with an internal float. The volume corresponds to the amount of fluid that will be displaced when the pads have worn to the point of replacement plus a generous reserve. When the replacement point is reached, the descending float completes an electrical circuit and a light appears on the dash warning the driver that the pads should be replaced. If the brake fluid is topped up the first warning of warn out pads will be the screech of steel backing plate against iron disc. This will be both annoying and expensive.

Once again Stoptech/Centric (odd how they are the same company right with castings from China) have some of the info correct. Yes modern cars (going back to the 90's) have had low fluid indication to go off right before you hit the wear marker on the factory pads. this is true, and yes most drivers don't care about fluid condition or volume or ? so from a MX perspective, if the lines don't ever leak, this is a good indicator for pad replacement.

but its rarely ever accurate, temperature changes will cause that slight line between warning chime and silence such that the owner will take the car in, and the shop will say "you could use new pads in about a year, but BTW your fluid was on the low side . . . " and it gets topped offanyway.

Oddly these same people that have brake myths will tell you to replace your rotors anyway. as they should never be reused let alone ever turned. Marketing hype being what it is.

If pads only lasted 30K miles and 2 years, I wouldn't have any argument. However, since most modern pad material lasts way beyond that, and Dot3/4 should be serviced every 2 years, it really does not make sense to allow the fluid to remain stagnant until the pads ran out. Otherwise the OEM Fluid would probally be in most G8's for the forseable future the way my OE pads are wearing, and my fluid was already turning milky/brown with a mushy pedal after just 25K and 2 years.

Additionally, pads as long as I remeber have an additional noise feature when the material reaches 20% or so.

Most people on this site seem to think critically enough to notice the slight flaws in the propagana. I love this place.

Yep....D3EA brake components are tested to meet certain standards for performance. Good choice.

[kendall.alston]

sooo are any of yall getting rid of your rotors....kinda warped one of my front rotors. need a new pair before i get back stateside