i have a sedan 37xs and wanted to beef up the brakes a little bit, stillen cross drilled rotors, steel braided brake lines, hawk performance pads, and motul fluid. roughly $850- waste of money or do it? unless theres something better out there for a little more or a little less??

 

Dont waste your money on the braided lines, you wont feel the any real difference. Also you gain no real performance from cross drilled rotors, they are just bling. Get the hawk pads and flush your fluid with DOT4, this is all u really need. Doing just these two things will get you 95% of the effect for 30% the cost.

I prep track cars for a living just so you know...im not talking out my @#*

 

Hmm . . . not to argue w/ someone who preps track cars for a living, but my SS brake line did firm up the brake and made it more sensitive.

 

Did you do any other mods at the same time? i.e. upgrade pads etc... just the fact that you had to bleed the system with fresh fluid due to installing the braided lines would have improved the feel of the brakes.
Only under extreme (racing) conditions do braided lines really make a difference.

 

Did not get new pads. I did switch to motul for fluids though . . .

 

i have ss lines...it wasn't a big gain in braking performance whatsoever, but u do feel a difference when u brake....and u don't get that weird slushy feeling on the first stomp on the brake pedal (probably the rubber lines expanding)....but the ss lines weren't too expensive so it's kinda worth it...

 

To my understanding these mods are only good for the initial brake bite that's it. All I'm really looking to do is set the car up so I don't have to deal with warped rotors as often I drive the sh.. ... Out of the car when I use it. I have 6k miles and they are warped. Cross drilled I thought helps drain the heat and gases inturn less warping.

 

I just got all new Stoptech rotors and lines, along with pads. Should be getting them on this week. I track the car too though so thats why I decided to go with the SS lines. Finally got sick of my brakes going soft after just a few laps around the track.

 

Awesome! Let me know please!

 

if u drive the $hit out of ur car, i wouldn't suggest using cross drilled...u should probably be using slotted....cross drilled rotors will crack between the holes...and i find cross drilled warps easier than slotted (since slotted is still one solid piece of metal, cross drilled actually has holes)...there's honestly no way to prevent warping of the rotors if u drive aggressive....i guess u can be proactive rather than reactive...you could always get ur rotors resurfaced every couple of thousand miles....but eventually u'll have to replace them...if u don't want to spend the money since u'll be constantly replacing rotors..i suggest brembo blanks since those are cheaper than slotted/x-drilled

 

09xs,
Are you sure that your rotors are actually warped or are you having pad transfer issues? When you get on the brakes is the pedal pulsing back at you or are you getting more vibration feedback from the steering wheel? I believe most people experience the latter of the two. This is usually a matter of pushing the OEM brake pad material beyond its temperature limits (which is easy with street pads). Once your rotors are in this condition there is an inconsistency in the pad material that has transferred onto the rotor surface causing a different friction level between the pad and the rotor at that particular point in rotation, this is what causes the vibration. These variances in friction levels usually create “hot spots” which in time actually change the metallurgy of the iron which makes it impossible to have them resurfaced.
At this point you have to change both pad and rotor to correct the issue. If you want a little bit of insurance against possible warpage and want to have the most durable rotor you can get I would suggest getting Cryo-treated units, I know of many race teams that have cut their rotor usage in half by running Cryo treated units.
Power Slot Power Alloy Cryo-Treated Rotor
On the topic of smooth vs. slotted, vs. drilled, Drilled will help in some situations against "green fade" as the pads are new and outgassing as the temp levels increase the holes give a place for the gasses to escape. Cheap rotor blanks that are "drilled" tend to crack at the drillings due to machining stresses, there are some blanks that are actually "cast" with holes to avoid the machining stresses that drilling creates.
Slotted rotors are better as far as rotor stability, the slots as they pass over the pad area vent gasses as well as "scrape" clean the pad surface. The only drawback is that they accellerate pad wear and when your hard on the brake pedal you can feel the feedback from the slots chewing up your pads.
Smooth surface rotors are the most stable, they are perfectly suited for street and light track use and offer the greatest durability of the three.

 

It really depends on how you drive, but cross-drilled rotors do provide initial more bite when cold on the street. I don't recommend them for serious track use, for which you would be better off with slotted rotors.

Pads are the most critical choice you can make. Nothing will make a bigger difference in how the brakes perform and how they feel than a good set of pads (good means that they match your braking style). Hawk HPS are all-around good performers, but not track worthy. Hawk Performance Ceramic would be a consideration if you are concerned with dirty wheels as they give off a much lighter colored dust. There are other options as well.

Stainless steel lines are a great benefit for most drivers. I've done on every vehicle I've ever owned, provided I could find a kit for it. They reduce the volumetric expansion in rubber hoses by 99%. Maybe I'm a sensitive braker, but the feedback is much, much better once a quality set is installed. I really dislike driving cars with rubber brake hoses. Goodridge is the best you can buy.

Motul RBF600 is good fluid. Also consider the AP Formula 5.1, which is reasonably priced and also puts up with some abuse. If you ever track the car, move up to higher temperature fluids.

Chris

 

I picked these up, Stoptech drilled rotors front and rear along with Hawk HP+ pads, I know it will be a pretty insane setup so I'll keep you guys posted to how they perform..

 

Nice Goonz. Mine just got in today. Stoptech drilled & slotted. Got the hawk ceramic pads. Also got the stoptech stainless steel lines.

 

im still debating the stainless steel lines, I think for now ill stick to flushing out the system..