Not so Big Brake Upgrade
 

This post is to gain somewhat of a consensus on a brake upgrade. I've done a good deal of research and I've come to the conclusion that any brake system upgrade is very subjective. Not bad, but definitely not definitive in terms having a sold baseline on how to upgrade. Now, with that said. The upgrade I have in mind is the type for a car that will not be tracked or placed on a road course. My thoughts at a minimum are the following:

1. Brake pad that are better than OEM, yet matches OEM pads with minimal brake dust. Also the should not cost over $100 per, front and rear.
2. Brake lines
3. Rotors
4. Brake fluid

Again the objective is to upgrade better than stock with let's say a budget of $500 or less. Any feedback is appreciated.

1. Better than OEM with as much dust... Do you want more aggressive? If you want more aggressive, you'll be getting more dust. I use Project Mu B-Force pads and like them. I haven't had OEM pads so long I forgot how much more these dust.
2. Not 100% needed. The stock lines are damn stiff unless your car is very old
3. Not 100% needed either. Even if you track guys use OEM blanks.
4. 100% needed (if you're going to track) choose a dot 4. Unless you track a lot, most will work just fine. Higher end fluids are GTR fluid, RBF 600, I forgot the rest, lol

If the goal is tracking, try brake cooling ducts

I did a minor upgrade on mine with stop tech rotors, pads and stainless steal lines with rbf600 fluid. Less brack fade and stiffer peddle feel. This was to hold me over for the spirited street driving i do until funds allow for compete swap. Overall I am pleased for the relatively low cost.

All good feedback. I have a 2011 370z sport model, manual. For the most part I'll be doing spirited driving time to time. But I do want to improve braking capacity. I think in order to do that I'm willing to accept additional brake dust with better pads.

Z1 brake upgrade kit. Just put in on mine and love the change it made. Went with Carbotech pads, very dusty, super grabby!

You just need fluid and pads and you'll be fine and well within budget.
2 Bottles brake fluid (any will do) ~25
Carbotec 1521 or similar ~300

It's completely up to you if you want to do brake lines but since your changing out your fluid it's not too much effort to replace them or you can spend ~100 somewhere else where you'd actually get an improvement.

Slotted and/or drilled rotors will give you more problems, will put a hole in your wallet, and give you no improvement.

No tracking whatsoever? Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I'm assuming you don't have the non-Sport floating calipers? If that's the case, just get pads with great initial bite, but you'd have to spend more than $100. That's really all you need for city driving. Regarding rotors, I think slotted and cross-drilled rotors look silly without fixed calipers, but that's just me.

I'll second or third on the pads and brake fluid. Love my XP8s but they do dust up quick. They'll probably make a lot more noise on the single piston calipers vs. the 4 piston calipers that come with the sport models.

You'll be way ahead of the stock setup with just a name brand metalic pad and the RBF600 fluid. That should'nt break the bank but plan on new rotors every other pad change.

The XP8s will need new rotors every pad change. My first set of fronts lasted about 40k. DD, no track with occasional canyon runs. Rears look like they'll last through the second set of fronts.

Centric Posi-Quiets are about the only pads I've heard or seen that dust even close to as little as the OEM pads. But even they dust more IMO. Stick with OEM for least dust; I've tried three different pads and will be going back to OEM next. If you need performance pads, you will have to give up controlling the dust. Even so-called performance pads that advertise low dust end up dusting more than OEM without any significant increase in performance over OEM :twocents:

Not necessary for street driving. However, they only cost $100, and the install is easy. Buy the non-premium ones from Z1 that get rid of the banjo bolts for fewer potential leaks points (have to get these for base, but they work with sport brakes too).

Not necessary for street driving unless you just like the look. Like DE mentioned, there are track guys that use blank rotors. Generic blank rotors are cheap, and while they may not last as long on the track as some aftermarket rotors, they can be cheaper in the long run. I got some slotted rotors because I like the look and they are lighter than OEM rotors.

This is the first thing that needs upgrading for any performance braking. But still not needed for street driving. Motul RPF600 is my choice because I can find it in town on short notice if necessary. It's probably overkill for a DD, but I don't replace brake fluid often enough to worry about that minimal cost difference.

If you insist on spending $500 'upgrading' your brakes, I recommend you start with fluid and brake lines because they're cheap and easy. Buy a power bleeder if you plan to DIY and want make it easy on yourself. After that, what do you want to do? If you can't do the work yourself, install costs are going to eat into the $500 very quick. Slotted rotors and pads cost me over $500 just for the fronts, and I did the install myself.

Why are people recommending metallic brake pads for this guy? :icon14: Those will not going to accomplish his goals of low dust, and they're completely unnecessary for his type of driving.

Similar to JARblue's numerical post above.

For what you're after I think the best thing you can do is new fluid (and flush it once yearly). There are a variety of pads with different properties and some get very expensive. You kind of get what you pay for with pads. If your pads are getting close to used up you might as well spring for some nicer ones though. I haven't upgraded my lines and the stock ones have held up fine on the track.

Use up the rotors you have now and then you can always buy some new blanks. I wouldn't worry about getting lightweight rotors. The heavier a rotor is the more heat it can soak up before it transfers that heat to your caliper and brake fluid. Also good quality rotors get expensive. For what it's worth I have cracked the Z1 1 piece slotted rotors at the track but they are probably fine for the street.

If you're even thinking about brake performance, I consider metalic as the minimum. If you care about dust more than anything else, just leave it stock and put the better fluid in it. Just know that it's time to stop once you hear the metal on metal grinding because the pad material has melted away.

So.....so far there is a solid consensus on changing or upgrading the brake fluid to a better grade and brake pads. At this point I'm more focused on bite, so the dust fact is a non-issue. Also I'm looking at keeping the current rotors. Again, I will not track my car in any fashion, just spirited street driving from time to time. Also, I will replace the brake lines to coincide with new and or improved brake fluid.

Z1 2 piece rotors...not needed but recommended

Just turn your rotors, install some upgraded pads, and upgrade your brake fluid and go from there. As everyone else has mentioned you wont see much of an improvement over OEM unless you plan on using it for the track.

My Z is a base model and they work fine on the street. If you havent had your brake fluid exchanged in some time that will make a huge difference. I had mine done at the 30k mark and about threw myself through the windshield when I tapped the brakes. I can only imagine what the sport brakes do in these Z's