When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
So I've gotten about 2 weeks of seat time in with my new brakes and feel like it's time for a review. I ordered the Z1 1 piece brake upgrade kit for the sport/akebono big brakes, which lets you choose brake pads, Motul 5.1 or RBF600 fluid, slotted or slotted and drilled rotors, and includes their standard SS lines. I optioned my kit to include Hawk Performance ceramic pads, slotted rotors, and Motul RBF600 and came out to $670 before shipping which is a steal IMO. A Z1 tech recommended the standard SS brake lines included in that package over their premium lines due to factory fitment, so I didn't bother getting the premium lines and have been happy so far. I have been way too busy with work lately to get my car up on my jack stands and do the swap myself so I took it to a reputable shop my buddy works at and had them install everything in a day.
The kit arrived on time and in great shape from the shipment boxes Z1 sent- my only complaint was that they didn't include the Hawk box the performance ceramic pads came in, but I verified the part numbers on the pads were correct. It looks like they just took the pads out and threw them in another box with the SS lines to make shipping everything easier. The rotors arrived in 2 separate boxes, both in good shape- one of the rotors did have an imperfection in the coating (see pic below), but after bedding in my brakes everything looks great. These rotors have non-directional internal cooling vanes so you can orient the slotted rotors whichever direction you think looks better. Personally I like the way the slots flow the way I had it installed, but some manufacturers have them in the opposite direction leaning forward to the front of the car (stoptech's directional vane rotors for example look like this \\\ if looking at the driver side).
After I picked up my car from the shop in the rain, it stormed for 2 days straight here so I waited until it was dry out to drive it at all and bed in the brakes. Hawk has a straightforward break in procedure, and it applies to their ceramic pads also. 6-10 medium stops from 35 mph and 3 hard stops from 45 mph, with a 15 minute cool off where no brakes are applied. Done. I let the brakes cool in neutral for 15 minutes before I moved it into the garage, and had to wait until the next day to test everything out after the bed in. I cannot say how much of a night and day difference the kit made when I finally got to test it out a little on the roads. Between the new pads, fluids, lines, and fresh slotted rotors my coupe stops on a dime now to the point where it makes me sick to the stomach. It's a much more linear feeling when applying the brakes, and requires a lot less pressure to get to a stop. I haven't driven hard enough yet to see any brake fade, and I doubt I'll see any (unless I track my car with the ceramic pads on it, which I wouldn't dare lol). The only difference I noticed that some might perceive as negative, which is also only caused by my choice in pads, is that they seem a little less sensitive but NOT less responsive than the OEM pads. Just my opinion, but I think this is actually a good thing due to the increased stopping power I have at my toes now . Absolutely amazing and worth every single penny- it saved me already once on the roads in an emergency stop situation I thought I wasn't going to be able to avoid. I actually sat in the car laughing out loud after it happened because of how in disbelief I was that my car was able to stop like that.
As far as noise and dust, the Hawk performance ceramic pads do make a tiny squeal in thee morning sometimes, but mostly only in reverse when I'm backing out of the garage- not a concern at all, and I'm happy to have the stopping power as a tradeoff. I'm waiting a little longer to see how they do with dust, but so far it's about on-par with the OEM pads- maybe a slight bit more dusty but that's to be expected at first and after the bed-in. Happy with them so far.
I wrote this real quick while I was going insane at work and needed to escape, so feel free to ask any questions since I might have missed something. Pics of the parts and after the install are below. It's a little hard to see them from far away with the 13 spoke sport wheels, but oh, they're there
08-28-2019, 02:32 PM
. Absolutely amazing and worth every single penny- it saved me already once on the roads in an emergency stop situation I thought I wasn't going to be able to avoid. I actually sat in the car laughing out loud after it happened because of how in disbelief I was that my car was able to stop like that.
