So, after having my 2001 cl type S for 2 years, the rotors are most definitely warped. Rusted a bit too. After talking to some friends and searching the forums, I'm pretty set on Stoptech's Powerslot slotted rotors ($96x2 front, $72x2 back)
Now I'm still figuring out if i should get the Hawk HPS pads high performance street pads (low dust but not recommended for track =/) or stoptech's street performance pads, which are about $30 cheaper, come stock on their big brake kits, and good for street and track use.
The third thing I need help on is whether or not to replace the brake lines with stainless steel braided lines.
Suggestions? Feedback?

 

Stoptech , hawk pads are garbage

 

I'd highly recommend our STOPTECH/Powerslot Brake Package:

http://store.excelerateperformance.c.../i-398968.aspx

It comes with Powerslot Slotted rotors for all 4 corners. The front rotors have a power alloy composition and a curved vane construction; all four rotors have a black coating on the hubs and vanes. The STOPTECH Performance Pads have a lower dust/noise with great bite and long-term braking performance.

Also check out our XLR8 stainless steel brake lines for improved pedal feel.

http://store.excelerateperformance.c.../i-251977.aspx

 

Look at the EBC rotors and pads. Not sure of the prices anymore. If they are close I would go that route before the SHITECHS.

Also, do you really need a track pad? Really? I have the Yellow Stuff pad and they work very very well on the heavy CLS. The Reds are great pad too, but they dust a bit more then the Yellow's. I would not bother with the Green's on the CLS. If you want some badass pads try http://www.ctbrakes.com/ I have a set on my Tacoma now, best pads I've ever used. (keep in mind the truck only weighs 2900lbs, so I dont know how they will do with a 3600 lb CLS) They are tried and tested by many many weekend track racers. I have only used one set of Hawks in the past and they were ok, nothing great, but not a bad pad by any means.

Oh yea, DBA makes a great rotor for the CLS also.


Replacing the brake lines will make a very nice improvment. It really firms up the pedal feel and control of the brakes will be improved.

Good Luck.

 

thanks for the input, xlr8's package seems like a steal to me and I've haven't heard anything bad about stoptech performance and pads. They're street performance pads are cheaper than the hawk pads that I've read mixed reviews on.

 

theres some vendor selling drilled/slotted front and rears plus brake pads on here for 145 shipped. Im happy with them

 

so can some one explain the drilled and slotted rotors? whats so diff if you have both drilled and slotted and if you only have slotted ones?

 

Drilled rotors tend to crack if abused. I like the EBC because they are not drilled but just slotted and dimpled. I think the dimples give a good look without the compramise. Drilled rotors for a CLS are pretty much just for looks. On a smaller light weight vehicle I think you could get away with drilled rotors no problem, But the CLS is a bit heavy and if you work your brakes hard I would not get some cheap drilled rotors. I'd go with something like DBA's slotted 6x6 rotor. Or a quality (Made somewhere other than China) blank rotor. Also A slotted rotor wil cause faster pad wear. But that is a trade off I'm willing to deal with.


If you look at many of the factory race cars that run in races like the 24 hours of Le Mans you will not see to many drilled rotors but just solid surface rotors or carbon rotors.

 

Slotted rotors have the slots to wick away water and stuff to give you better wet braking, and the slotted/drilled rotors do the same but i guess the holes make the heat dissipate quicker but putting holes in anything reduces the strength of it. From what I know, drilled rotors just look awesome, so you pay a bit more for them but slotted rotors are the way to go

 

thanks for your helps guys... i can always count on this thread for some of my questions

 

+1 to excelerate performance for getting me the brakes so quickly, they were at my front door within a day and a half of ordering! and on a side note, I think im painting my calipers while I have them off, they're stock wheels on a SSM, which I'll eventually be painting gunmetal later this summer. Reading the forums everyone's bashing on red calipers because they look like brembos but I dont think it'd look bad with slotted rotors and eventually gunmetal rims...thoughts?

 

So much craziness in this post. Slots are to allow gasses from the pad to release, cross drilled vents are to allow brakes to cool faster. Neither of these are really necessary for street purposes. They are all for show on a street car but can have negative side effects.

Your brakes stop you buy transferring kinetic energy (spinning rotor) into thermal energy. When you cross drill a rotor you are typically removing 15-30% of the surface area which in every day braking or the random emergency stop will not make you brake any faster. They also run a higher risk of warping in street conditions because when you brake on the track it's to slow down a bit then you release the brake. In the street you may come to a stop then have to keep the brakes on which traps heat and can cause warping.

If you want some flash to your brakes without sacrificing longevity, go with the slots, not the cross drilled.

 

I agree. I have EBC rotors/pads and I love em. Running redstuff and honestly they aren't terrible on dust. I mean, there's dust, just not as much as other pads.

 

Man, you should be carefull with what you say. Where is Allmotor and Shawn S when you need them.

 

There is a good number of members that have their drilled rotors become warped. They have since made the recommendation to go with slotted only rotors if your not going with blanks.

 

Drilled are known to warp slotted are not if you want the drilled look just get dimpled slotted rotors.

 

yea i made the decision to buy the slotted ones from excelerate, I didnt hear any good things about drilled really, I like the way they look but theres less surface area etc, installing them later this week

 

rotors are changed, pads are replaced and bedding in process are complete! The rear rotors were a huge pain though, 2001 acura CL i don't think anyone ever changed the rear rotors the retaining screws wouldnt even come off. Excelerate mentioned using an impact driver and a friend had some crap that loosened up all the rust a bit so that worked well. Brakes feel great and its nice not having the steering wheel vibrate at highway speeds!

 

i was checking out pads, hard to decide colors, especially form your description. Your saying yellows dust LESS then REDS?
can you verify actual experience with this???

 

Yes I have used both red and yellow. The reds were more aggressive and likely stoped a bit faster, but the yellows dusted less and they were better in the fade resitance when slowing from 100+mph speeds.

Now in my Jetta the reds were insane. I could stop the car so fast that it made me and other people nauseous. I never tried the yellows in the jetta though.

I did have both red and yellow on the cls. Both pads are great. You cant go wrong with either.