What do I NEED to do and what SHOULD I do...

[I12XLR8]

Looking for some advice here...

My pads are close to done (25000 miles) so I have been looking at the HPS pads. I do a quick rim clean on the car almost daily so I'm not worried about dust and have heard that these grab better than the ceramics. My last run at the strip (a nice place in Mexico ) had me a little worried as I found I was running out of strip much faster than I'd like and the brake fade was horrible.

Here's my problem...I have new OEM front rotors that were replaced under warranty around 3000 miles ago and have been told that the rears are still more than fine. Am I going to notice a marked difference in brake fade with just the pads? If I'm going to have to replace the pads again when I change the rotors (whenever they come due) are there cheaper pad options that will be a big improvement over the stock pads? Even though money is a concern, does it just make more sense to replace everything at once?

I'm also wondering about the stainless steel lines - I have been 'sold' on these for a while but if I do the occassional drag strip and head out for a track day once or twice a year will they be worth it? I won't be installing them myself; I will be paying for the bleed AND the install (I don't have a bleeder).

Edit: As the wife agrees that brake work is necessary but disagrees that my headers and exhaust are also necessary - getting rotors now will kybosh my exhaust for this year. Getting the exhaust now will mean that when the brake rotors are due they will HAVE to be purchased and I get the best of both worlds. That being said, I am 'scared; to add more power without being able to reign it in.

[dandragonrage]

You should be fine with replacing just pads. Just make sure to bed them in slowly as your rotors won't be perfectly flat, and you want the pads to wear to the rotors gently.

I don't recommend the SS lines, personally. They only stiffen the pedal feel a little bit. They do not (and CAN not) increase braking force. I do not think our pedals need to be stiffened. I do not understand why people LIKE having their brakes apply with full force with 1mm of movement in the pedal. It's like people want their brakes to be binary - either off or on, and nothing in between. Also, they still need to be replaced from time to time just like rubber lines. (They have rubber inside still.)

[G8 GT V8]

Id much rather have headers than rotors

[GT Drew]

Your brakes and safety are more important than exhaust mods. Have the rotors machined. It is foolish to put new pads on old rotors. Yes the pads will eventually bed in but the braking will NEVER be as good. Machining the rotors restores the surface so they are like new. You wouldn't put a new clutch disc on an old flywheel and pressure plate, would you? Guaranteed there are some grooves in the rotors no matter how few miles there are. A cut of .003 or .005 is all that is usually needed to true up the rotor. It won't reduce the mass much.

[mooredata]

GT Drew - good advice.

[Chewy]

The HPS pads are AMAZING! I love them!! Dust isn't even an issue with mine. I put the DBA stock size slotted rotors on at the same time. Couldn't be happier.

Chris

[G8 GT V8]

If your brakes are bad definitely get them fixed before headers. Im just saying i'd rather have headers over fancy new after market rotors. The stock brakes work fine for me.

[-Ray-]

The nice thing about the brake situation is it can be done piece meal. 3000 miles should not have glazed the rotors that much. Depending on how you drive of course. Get the pads first. See how it feels. If you like it, then you're done. Add the brake lines later if you want. The price isn't that much to replace the brake lines.
If you wipe the wheels down every day you'll be fine. These pads do dust up quite a bit in my opinion.
If you are racing or going to the drag strip, the stock rotor's may wear more than normal. Again, this is my opinion.

BTW, I don't have binary brakes. I did DBA, Hawk and Russel SS lines.
When I had to stop from 130, it was quick and safe.

[dandragonrage]

You absolutely do not need to touch the rotors. Rotors are never going to be perfect, but there IS a threshold of good enough. You do NOT need to machine/replace them every time you do pads, let alone at 3000 miles.

I just replaced my front brake pads at 29k and I used the stock rotors (which I may replace, but regardless, I can't afford to right now) and guess what? They EASILY stop enough that I can make ABS kick in if I want to. There is no safety issue... at ALL.

[-Ray-]

You absolutely do not need to touch the rotors. Rotors are never going to be perfect, but there IS a threshold of good enough. You do NOT need to machine/replace them every time you do pads, let alone at 3000 miles.

I just replaced my front brake pads at 29k and I used the stock rotors (which I may replace, but regardless, I can't afford to right now) and guess what? They EASILY stop enough that I can make ABS kick in if I want to. There is no safety issue... at ALL.

How can you say that without seeing his rotors?
At 36k miles I replaced pads and rotors. Pads were all equally worn, with about half the pad left. The rotor's were glazed so bad that the car would not brake at speeds over 100. His pads are close to done at 25k miles. As you can see, not every thing is equal.