Brakes - The Thread

[Former Member]

HO...LEE...SHE...IT

i did a search first but theres no real comparisons....first off...some you guys are crazy lol. 29 posts on how to do brakes, im gonna leave my intel aside just becuase some of you seem anal about it, and im not mechanically retarded lol.

i plan on doing fronts with drilled and slotted rotors and pads, rear; just pads. Do drilled/slotted rotors have any great advantage over just slotted rotors?

i cant deceide what pads to go with, hawk, axxius, EBC....any suggestions from experience?

it sucks i drive brand spankin new toyota's all day that stop on a dime, then get into the old lincoln and she feels like a semi truck LOL. is there anyway to get pedel pressure back up without replacing the master cylinder?

DUNITRIGHT- if you read this, what kind of difference did the drilled and slotted rotors and EBC red stuff make over stock? i found your "thread" using the search tool, just wondering how that all turned out.

i know some people have gone to big brake setups, i dont want to go this route, too expensive. But if any of you who did brakes and didnt use OEM parts, if you could post it and how you think it does over stock it would be great!

Just lookin for idea, thanks for the input! and no...writing isnt my thing, sorry for the messed up lookin thread lol.

 

[scjmc]

Sounds like you need to bleed your brakes. THe LS has a very respectable stopping distance. I replaced all 4 corners with drilled/slotted rotors and ceramix pads. I cannot feel any differance between stock and drilled/slotted, but when you are talking about the differance between 160 and 150 feet 60-0 I think to hard to tell with the butt dyno. Pedal feel is a hydraulic issue. The drilled/slotted are proven performance enhancers especially in the wet. The biggest gain from the brakes I installed is the elimination of brake dust. My rims stay brake dust free even after a couple months.

 

[NateRW21]

Yup, I'd be looking at bleeding the brakes. But, if you do want better pedel feel, even after you are sure all the air is out... Stoptech makes braided stainless flex-lines for the LS; I put them on mine and certainly noticed a difference. Also have a look at your brake fluid; I don't know what year your car is, but brake fluid is something most people ignore; I flush and replace my fluid every couple years. Condensation happens, and water is only second to air when it comes to things you do not want in your brake fluid!

Pads; I put axxis organics on my mother's Volvo for her (with Rotora slotted rotors), they do great... but she's also an older woman who primarily drivers her car to church! I had Hawk HPS (I think HPS) pads on my F-150; just pulled those, they stopped better than factory, but they also chewed up my rotors (powerslot rotors too!!). I put the standard duty hawk pads on my father's truck with powerslot rotors; they work decent, and don't seem to be too rough on the rotors. On my LS I have EBC Red's and cryo treated Powerslot rotors on all four corners. Stops great, but they started to squeal... got all but the front left to stop. My only complaint is the noise with that set-up

Quik and a couple other people highly recommend Porterfield pads; I think they will be the next pads I put on one of my vehicles.

Slotted/cross drilled rotors; I doubt they are of much use in daily street driving unless it's a truck hauling loads or towing. The main reason for slots and holes are venting for the pad when it starts to overheat and out-gas. This is a situation that isn't usually encountered on the street. BUT, I believe these types of aftermarket rotors to be of superior quality to most parts store brand replacements, and even a lot of OEM replacements. My experience generally tells me this is true; every time I replace a factory rotor with a powerslot or rotora rotor, the face thickness (the meat of the rotor) has always been thicker, with less open space in the venting area, and they generally weigh more. Mass=heat dissipation and resistance to warp-age. On my vehicles, I do give the brakes a serious workout once in a while, so I perhaps get a bit of use out of the slotting. My parents; well, I go with those just for quality in manufacturing.

Hope that helps! (BTW, I have no experience in EBC rotors, and if you can afford it... Get Cryogenically treated rotors; they will last a LOT longer!)

 

[Former Member]

thanks too both of ya for the information. guess ill let the bleeding begin!

OEM fluid? or is there "better" out there?

 

[scjmc]

Braided flexible lines? I might have to get some of those.

 

[Lincoln Luebbe]

Has anyone used ROTOR PRO'S or BRAKE LABS rotors and ceramic pads? They have thousands of positive feedbacks on Ebay and I am in the narket, so...
Any input would be awesome! Thanks.

 

[SoonerLS]

If you go with Porterfield (and probably EBC) pads on otherwise stock LS brakes, you'll come really close to the street performance of the big brake kits for a fraction of the price. (The big brakes will probably beat the stock brakes with aftermarket pads on the track, but in street applications, they're really close.)

I had Porterfield R4-S pads on my '04, and I just put EBC Greens and EBC slotted rotors on my '06. Both beat the stock pads, but the EBCs seem to have a better cold bite than the Porterfields. When it comes time to replace the pads, I'm thinking I might go with Porterfields, but it's still a toss-up; they're both outstanding pads.

FWIW, the EBCs seem to dust more than the Porterfields did.

 

[NateRW21]

thanks too both of ya for the information. guess ill let the bleeding begin!

OEM fluid? or is there "better" out there?

I use Valvoline synthetic DOT 3/4 fluid... but any good fluid will work; just stay away from the super cheap stuff. To flush the system you'll need about 2qts, and try to find some type of suction device to pull the fluid out of the reservoir before you start, then refill with your new fluid. Keep bleeding the brakes until your fluid is clean and clear (should end up being about 1-1.5 reservoirs per corner). If you can remember, start at the passenger rear, then go to driver's rear, passenger front and then driver's front. This bleeds the system from the furthest point from the master cylinder to the closest; most effective way to remove the air.

 

[NateRW21]

Braided flexible lines? I might have to get some of those.

Yup! I love em... I think around $200 gets you a set to do all four. I've got to put braided stainless on my truck; only problem is they have to be extended 6" for my lift... no one makes braided, extended lines for my truck. I have to send my factory lines to a company who will use the ends, and replace the rubber hose with an extended braided line. Kind of a pain... but the protective rubber outside on the lines that came with the lift got some abrasion wear, so at this point it's not really an optional thing to do.

 

[Former Member]

i was also thinking about the EBAY rotors, what im scared of is if they just take a stock lincoln LS rotor, and drill and slot it. cant really tell. the EBC's i assume are a different rotor.

im thinking the porterfield RS-4 pads, and then i just need to deciede on the rotors. the ones on ebay for 75$ im skeptical about.

Glad people are responding to this thread!

 

[gcwimmer]

Some members have had cracking problems with cross drilled rotors. Drilling creates additional stress in the rotor, increasing the risk of cracking, slotted and or dimpled seem to be OK. You can also use OEM; they are good for the money and hold up well.

 

[NateRW21]

Some members have had cracking problems with cross drilled rotors. Drilling creates additional stress in the rotor, increasing the risk of cracking, slotted and or dimpled seem to be OK. You can also use OEM; they are good for the money and hold up well.

True stuff there... unless reputable, I'd avoid cross drilled for that reason. That and... I kind of look at motorsports; I don't recall ever seening drilled rotors in motorsports. But then again, I would only buy reputable products; I'd rather spend $150 once, do the work once... than spend $75 twice and do the work twice.

 

[Lincoln Luebbe]

I agree. The drilled/slotted rotors are not LS stock rotors that have been drilled or slotted. They are a much thicker zinc plated rotor. Stock rotors at my cost are about 60.00 a piece, I can get rotorpro's or brakelabs fulls set for 210.00 with ceramic pads. Basically the same price, both have excellent feedback...
Just wanted to know if anyone used either one.