zero260

Hello,

Looking to get new brake pads and rotors for my AWD sports sedan for some spirited

Came across a few different options:
Top quality/YEN/CBK
Max Brakes MaxBrakes.com - Brake Rotors, Brake Pads, Brake Drum, Brake Shoes
Stoptech
QBP QBP INTERNATIONAL — Brake Rotors, Brake Pads, Brake Drum, Brake Shoes

Wondering if anyone here has experience with any of these brands? or would recommend others? I assume Top quality or YEN or CBK is what you get when you buy from the Infiniti dealership?

Was planning on going with some good quality blank OE rotors with ceramic pads, and maybe throw on some anti-rust Zinc plating

Thanks for the help!

blnewt

iTrader: (13)

Check RockAuto Parts Catalog I'd recommend the Centric Premium blanks if you want better venting than OEM and a zinc coating and the Centric Posi-quiet ceramic pads. Be sure to select the sets/rotors that state 320mm front rotor (unless you really did upgrade to Sport brakes w/ the big 355mm front rotor).

zero260

Thanks, will look into Centric Premium for sure! Any comments on the brands I already listed tho? They are all available via local suppliers, and I already went through the trouble of getting quotes for them. Or are they all garbage? lol

blnewt

iTrader: (13)

Haven't dealt with Max brakes, looking at the sets you can get an entire "best of the best" set F&R w/ pads for about $220, sounds a bit too good to be true.

Centric is the parent company of Stoptech so they have a solid track record, IMO it's money well spent, and at rockauto your price should be pretty good, and if you get the part#s on rockauto you can then paste them on Amazon and see if they have the same parts w/ free shipping, sometimes it works out better one way or the other.

zero260

Yeah I found Max brakes and QBP to be very reasonably priced.. like you said, maybe too good to be true

The full set on Stoptech runs me $500 and Top quality/YEN/CBK $460

blnewt

iTrader: (13)

On Rockauto.com
Centric premium rear rotor CENTRIC Part # 12042088 is $35.89 (x2)
front rotor CENTRIC Part # 12042080 is $54.99 (x2)
Centric Premium Ceramic Pads rear CENTRIC Part # 30109050 is $12.29
front CENTRIC Part # 30108880 is $18.55
Total $212.60 + tax & shipping


A better pad~Centric Posi Quiet
rear CENTRIC Part # 10509051 $22.79
front CENTRIC Part # 10508880 $31.79
Total would be aprox $235 +tax & shipping w/ the above rotors and these pads, should be a good combo for a daily driver.

On Amazon it's cheaper w/ free shipping~front rotor

Rear rotor, a bit more but free shipping FTW

zero260

Thanks.

So for the daily spirited driver, is there a big advantage in upgrading the rotor size to 355mm from stock 320mm? Would also mean I have to upgrade my calipers so just wondering if it's worth the full cost of upgrade?

blnewt

iTrader: (13)

Only real reason to upgrade to the big brakes is looks and very spirited driving over extended time such as regular tracking. The standard brakes w/ quality rotors and better pads will work fine for spirited daily driving. I would recommend the same rotors (Centric premiums) but upgrade to Stoptech Street pads, great bite but dust more than OEM. A worthwhile tradeoff IMO as they really do improve the braking performance quite a bit over OEM.
Here's a thread to assemble your own Big brake kit, this is just the basic parts, upgraded rotors and pads would add about $150 to the cost
(be sure to scroll down to the update in red)
https://www.myg37.com/forums/brakes-...the-cheap.html

Keep in mind you'll need new wheels that will clear the big calipers, not always easy to find ones that clear, even many 20" wheels don't have enough spacing. And you'll need a new spare tire that clears too.

zero260

Did some more digging, I think for my purposes, I'll stick with the 320mm rotors

The StopTech Street Performance pads you suggested upgrading to, that's CENTRIC Part #30908880 (front) and CENTRIC Part #30909050 (rear) are listed as Para-Aramid material. Just wondering what that means, and how does that defer from the ceramic pads?

blnewt

iTrader: (13)

Here's a pretty good link for various pad info
Choose the right brake pads for your vehicle - Blog | R1Concepts.com
I think you'd be pretty happy w/ that combo, just be sure to bed the pads as per Stoptechs procedure and they'll really perform well
Stock Brake System Bed-in

zero260

So I ordered the parts from rockauto, waiting on delivery. I noticed that rather than the Zinc coating they offer an e-coating, which is described as on their website as: Centric premium rotors utilize an Electrocoating finish that provides long lasting corrosion protection. E-coating is a superior electro-statically applied finish designed to withstand 400 hours of salt water exposure without rusting. How would this compare to a Zinc coating? and can/should I go ahead and apply Zinc coating on top anyways?

blnewt

iTrader: (13)

I've had 2 sets of rotors that had zinc coating applied and it didn't hold up that well from high temp bed-ins. I'd imagine the E coating would be an improvement. I now just spray my rotors w/ VHT Flameproof spray paint, it holds up real well.
I think I'd run the e-coating as-is. If, after a year or so you notice rust then clean them up and try the Flameproof.

zero260

That makes sense. I guess will try that out

While I'm waiting for the brake parts to arrive, was thinking of painting the brake calipers as well just for added rust protection and some aesthetic appeal.

Was looking for a quick, easy and safe way, came across this: seems pretty good except I might have some trouble getting access to a sandblaster. I guess without those, I'm at the mercy of wire brushes and sand papering to get all the rust off. I also didn't see the video make any mention of using brake clean or rubbing alcohol to clean off the brakes before applying the spray paint

Let me know if you have any pointers or words or wisdom for me before I embark on this mission

Thanks again for the help. This forum has been great!

blnewt

iTrader: (13)

Just use brake cleaner (spray on) and a wire hand brush & wire wheels that you can attach to a drill. Should be able to get it good enough. Then when you're happy w/ how clean they are wipe down w/ rubbing alcohol and go to town. I'd do about 3 medium coats. You can then do clear if you want. Don't paint them a loud color though, base brakes are best in black, gray or silver. Don't want to bring much attention to them, just make them flow better w/ the rest of your G.

zero260

The G is red so was planning on painting the calipers the same to match. I understand these aren't biggest brakes to bring attention to, lol.. but I figured matching the color won't make em stand out too much

Is there any difference in performance when it comes to picking a color?