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If you were to redo your brakes, how would you do them?

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Posted by: dtx01

Well I was looking into changing up my brake system.

I was thinking slotted rotors, maybe ceramic brake pads, paint my calipers and possibly stainless steal brake lines. i wanted peoples opinions on each one of those items if they think it's a good idea and if it is worth it.

I want slotted rotors b/c i like the look and they give off less brake dust/less heat. the ceramic brake pads are just better brakes from what I've heard but I've never had them ion any of my cars. I can paint the calipers myself with some heat-resistant paint and the steel brake lines my dad had in one of his cars and it stopped on a dime.

..Also what would each of these cost/how much to install about or could I install any of these by myself..

Posted by: Rodewaryer

I'm not one to argue brake upgrades, but some things you should be aware of before proceeding. It's whilst not being an enginneer and not in the brake trade, I still find it doubtful slotted rotors will help cooling much, they would likely be better at clearing pad induced surface gases etc, and with todays pad materials it's unlikely that's much of an issue. Cross drilling, while debatable, assists in cooling, as evidenced by the fact that later in a rotors life, cracks develop at the holes. The problem with using crossdrilled rotors in your stock size is that the ability to absorb heat is reduced from the material drilled out, so the cooling effect of the holes has probably been cancelled out by the fact that the rotor will heat up faster.

The logical solution is to go to a Big Brake Kit (BBK) if you like cross drilled rotors. You will have at least the same mass of metal, if not more and have the crossdrilled feature on top of that to assist in cooling. I find my BBK's are understressed and don't suffer heat related issues like heat cracking at the holes.

I use the EBC red pads myself (on my SVT Focus) and find they work very well. I'll look into ceramic for the LS as well, as it comes time to shop for replacements.

Posted by: nickandersonLS01

I have no problems with my Rotorworks drilled and slotted rotors. They were only around $150 too(for all 4) and I noticed a definite increase in stopping power.

On another note, I went the ceramic route with the LS, bad move. They squeak like no other, my next pads will be either Porterfield R4-s or Hawk HPS. I believe they use some carbon kevlar composite or something along those lines.

My original plan was to do the stainless brake lines, but I decided to do those later on, I'm happy with my current setup for now though.

Posted by: eL eS

I found the porterfield brake pads to be very low dust had possesed great stopping power. My untrained but well read opinion on the rotors is to just go with slotted the vent gas well and can withstand the test of time.

Posted by: GrayGhost1

Unless you have about $4000-$5000 to drop on a big brake kit I recommend getting the following items:

- EBC or comparable brake pads (Greenstuff pads seem to be popular)
- EBC or comparable rotors (Big debates on cross drilled vs dimpled or slotted. If I had an LS again I'd get the slotted rotors.)
- StopTech Stainless Steel Brake Lines

You can get all the items above for around $650. With those items you'd see a HUGE difference in your braking not to mention a big savings in your wallet versus a big brake kit. I sell the big brake kits on my website and can steer a customer that way but for a daily driver the above items is all you'll need IMHO.

Posted by: T_Man

You can go the route I went.

Drilled and slotted rotors for looks (studies show that D/S rotors do not preform any better than stock rotors on a street car), high quality ceramic pads (I use Porterfield RS4's), painted calipers (mine are the same Vivid Red as the body paint) and stainless steel lines (for better brake pedal feel).

Picture shows my setup, minus the SS lines.

Posted by: gcwimmer

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrayGhost1

Unless you have about $4000-$5000 to drop on a big brake kit I recommend getting the following items:

- EBC or comparable brake pads (Greenstuff pads seem to be popular)
- EBC or comparable rotors (Big debates on cross drilled vs dimpled or slotted. If I had an LS again I'd get the slotted rotors.)
- StopTech Stainless Steel Brake Lines

You can get all the items above for around $650. With those items you'd see a HUGE difference in your braking not to mention a big savings in your wallet versus a big brake kit. I sell the big brake kits on my website and can steer a customer that way but for a daily driver the above items is all you'll need IMHO.

If I may add; upgrade your brake fluid to DOT4 or even DOT5 as you bleed your brakes; relatively inexpensive.

Posted by: dtx01

a. can i install all of this myself? if so where can i get a how to on this?

b. if not how much would it cost me to get all of that installed?

c. when i paint my brake calipers what color should i go for? i have a black 03' ls with stock wheels.

Posted by: T_Man

a. I installed it all myself with basic hand tools.

b. A full brake job like this would take 3-4 hours of labor, not counting painting.

c. Any color will go with a black car.... though RED is always my favorite.

Posted by: jdbwood

hey i know we both live on LI i bought sum drill/slotted rotors for the front only i will sell if interested i also have the front pads also let me kno i got a couple of other things also...

Quote:

Originally Posted by dtx01

a. can i install all of this myself? if so where can i get a how to on this?

b. if not how much would it cost me to get all of that installed?

c. when i paint my brake calipers what color should i go for? i have a black 03' ls with stock wheels.

Posted by: NateRW21

I'm running the stoptech braided stainless lines, front and rear... EBC Red's, Powerslot cryo treated rotors and Valvoline synthetic DOT-4 fluid. Only complaint is that it almost seems as I put more miles on these brakes... they get noiser. I was low on pad dressing when I installed the brakes; didn't put much on, so I'm going to pull them off and give that a shot. Otherwise, I'll be switching to Porterfield pads.

Braded stainless lines provide a more firm brake peddle by way of taking the expansion factor out of your flex lines (factory rubber lines expand as more pressure is added). They don't really so much provide a performance enhancement as far as braking ability is concerned.

Slotted rotors assist in allowing an excape route for the gassing of your pads; they also help to "clean" your pads... The fine dust like material that would be trapped under your pad had an avenue to exit with slotting. Performance benifit isn't HUGE, but it can be somewhat noticeable. Often, the main advantage to slotted rotors is the quality of the rotor. Many factory rotors are made with lower quality materials (which is why Brembo actually manufactures "factory replacement" rotors; they are identical dimensionally, but made with much higher quality materials to resist warpage, cracking, and better dissipate heat.

Cryo treating is a deep freeze which resets the material on a molecular level; it makes the material stronger, less prone to cracking, more resistant to abrasion and more tolerant of heat and heat cycling. Most competion race cars run cryo treated rotors; plain and simple, they last up to 300% longer.

Ceramic is one of the best over-all materials for pads; low dusting, almost no fade, good initial friction. But the porterfields use carbon-kevlar... which is supposed to be a one-up on ceramic in virtually all fields. Both are much more gental on your rotors than carbon-metallic.

DOT-4 brake fluid has a higher boiling point and is more resistant to heat break-down. Best thing to do would be use a fluid suction to clear the resivoir of old fluid, add new fluid and begin bleeding the brakes, starting from rear right, then rear left, then front right, front left. Bleed until the fluid comes out clear (as new brake fluid is clear). This will require refilling the resivoir several times.

Posted by: RollinLS

Quote:

Originally Posted by dtx01

Well I was looking into changing up my brake system.

I was thinking slotted rotors, maybe ceramic brake pads, paint my calipers and possibly stainless steal brake lines. i wanted peoples opinions on each one of those items if they think it's a good idea and if it is worth it.

I want slotted rotors b/c i like the look and they give off less brake dust/less heat. the ceramic brake pads are just better brakes from what I've heard but I've never had them ion any of my cars. I can paint the calipers myself with some heat-resistant paint and the steel brake lines my dad had in one of his cars and it stopped on a dime.

..Also what would each of these cost/how much to install about or could I install any of these by myself..

Power Stop Extreme Performance

Drilled/slotted rotors with ceramic pads. I have them. Stop in a dime and leave change. Direct OEM replacement. I absolutely love mine.

Posted by: gcwimmer

Quote:

Originally Posted by dtx01

c. when i paint my brake calipers what color should i go for? i have a black 03' ls with stock wheels.

All colors go well with black; black, silver, red, blue or yellow. Up to you, all depends on how you want them to stand out.