Hi,
I have been told by a dealership my front brakes are at "15% life".
The rotors are also warped.
I've been waiting for this to change the rotors and pads.


Can everyone some suggestions to me? - i would really appreciate it.


Considerations:
-Where I live it rains more days than not
-More city driving than hway (50-55 mph fastest youll go here)
-Lots of deer in area - they jump out into the road
-sometimes drive down a long steep steep hill (used to do that every day)

The rain is a big factor as i done want to shell out for nice rotors and have them warp in 15-30k km... I want something quality but is there a style (ex drill + slot) that ppl have found to be more successful at not warping?

Thanks!

 

You can get a set of Centric e-coated rotors from Amazon w/free ship + no tax.
This is my third set of Centric's between my cars and they hold up well. The e-coating means that the places where the rotors don't contact the pads are painted black (like the stock rotors) and won't rust.

As for pads, I am very fond of the Akebono pro-act pads that you can also get on Amazon.

Tire rack carries them too; just go onto Tire Rack and you'll get all the part numbers.

This combo has not warped on me yet unlike all my previous combos.

 

are you willing to come across the border- because the fees on rotors will shock you
RacingBrake brand rotors- 1 piece side slots, with ET500 pads,,the stopping combo that many of us run and enjoy more than we should~
warpage is not an issue with these rotors! will outlast you and the car but eat any pads not made for them- ie: buy RBs own pads and get best combo

see mrheeltoe in sponsored sales threads, www.heeltoeauto.com for more tech info- ck the special tech section for all you want to know about brakes
and rb tech site www.racingbrake.com for more diagrams about airflow and education materials
rb is located in northern New Jersey and pickup is available, go to a ziners house and diy the swap,,,

cheaper but good, stoptech, centric, brembo

 

EBC! Proved, Tested, Works....
3GD Rotors + Yellow Stuffs = Awesome Stops like Nothing I have Used Before!
(Track Combo from EBC)

Also dont forget the SS Brake Lines for Improved Brake Feeling.

But +1 at what 01tl4tl Said Too!! I will give a shot to the ET500s when my yellows dies...

 

Awesome!
I'm going to try to get this figured out by the end of summer.
That idea about coming down across the border sounds really good. (only tough part is I live on an island, to get to mainland -> ferry ride...)
I hear mainland people often go down to Seattle to get service done as the part markup up here is insane. part made in canada, shipped to us, costs cdn's 2x price...
Tell me about the duty... Its so brutal getting stuff sent up here.
I'm going to Hawaii so maybe i can figure out something - rotors in carry on luggage anyone?

 

shipping charges to hawaii are even worse than getting to BC!!
then your overweight baggage fees would kill you there! rotors are ~20 pounds each!

an island--VC? not like you have to go by outrigger canoe! people use it every day
come back to the real world and cheaper repairs!
plenty of ziners on this side will let you ship parts to them and help install
so you go back with same amout of luggage for a weekend as you left with~

ck Regions link at top of page to meet some new buddies

 

I've used RaceShopper and have been very happy with their knowlege and service. I ended up using the Diamond Slotted rotors and Hawk HPS pads . . . I'm in love with the rotors, but the pads do produce a little bit of dust after a couple of weeks.

Ruf

 

hawks are good pads, until you try RacingBrake pads on their rotors
I have run hps on the stock acura and the RB rotors and its way different stopping between them and the RB pads

brake dust is a natural thing from braking, best thing is wash/clean the rims
and apply 2-3 coats SYNTHETIC car wax everywhere (higher melt point than carnuba wax) and most of the stuff will have a hard time sticking~
Once there is a layer, more can attach easily

when waxed you can rinse or wipe them clean as needed and stay on top of it
some ziners wipe the rims once arriving at work- so baby looks good all day

Once you reach the point of using claybar and the right stuff on the paint,
the wheels suddenly make sense to do as well- they are painted or polished,
either way wax them!

 

all you need to know about brakes are on the 2 sites I suggested heeltoe and racingbrake
tons of tech info and testing, real world results from users

 

This brake package is the result of years of work and experience with Acura and their braking systems:

http://store.excelerateperformance.c.../i-398965.aspx

 

I'm probably going to give you a call for some info this week - really busy so maybe not.
You had awesome service with the ETD purchase.

 

i am going to be logging some hours on there...

 

ill check it out! I've heard from some friends that they have used hawk stuff and they liked it.

 

Do you think the fact that im not changing the rear brakes (ill prob get a package F&R but only install when worn out) will be a problem?
- or change everything at once to avoid labor charges and such.

all these things ive got to figure out before i jump.
the cars getting painted atm so ive got some time before i get ordering.

 

rears provide 30 percent of the braking
run whatever you want and dont sweat it

hps were good in their time,,technology has passed them by

 

well, ive been procrastinating and mulling this over.
unfortunately i cant get stuff from the states - the shipping and duty is just too much on this one

a shop that i trust is offering raybestos advance tech pads and premium rotors at 188 per rotor and 168 for a pair of the pads

it seems that the better shops here dont let your bring stuff you've bought for liability - wierd.

im waiting back from a shop on a set of hawk rotors and pads

what do you think - theres not much i can get up here in canada

 

*169 for pads for front

 

parts store:
102.95 each powerslot (i dont know what)

Hawk ceramic 79.95 set

brake place 2 posts above is known to mark stuff up for better service like free diagnostics for established customers and such, older techs

 

i say you buy those powerslots and hawk pads and DIY!

 

yea - im kind of leaning away from the brake place even if their good. I want to talk to some other shops ive heard are good.
i think the price is pretty steep from them. Unless i find out the raybestos stuff is good from 01tl4tls site i might go with the stores deal.

 

huh? who called me?

that first places prices are way to high,,~double what they should cost!!
get yourself across the border

or powerslots and hawk HPS will stop the car fine,,,following our diy will result in a better job than shops in most cases!

Shops lose money when you bring in the same part they want to charge 200 for,
but you paid 110,,and they could have gotten wholesale for 75 = profit they are not going to make!
have to make that back up in labor or extras, or do a quickee job and send it out the door,,get back to work on cars where they make the big money

 

i guess you saw this? ^

i am now stuck here - can not leave until next summer (plus its a $$$ trip with the ferries 120$ and id also need a hotel $(2.5 hr ferry, 3 hr+ drive, hotel, ect.)


brake pads are at 3mm

if i dont have the time to do the diy or the jack, could i / should i take this to a regular shop?
acura quoted 150 labour if i supply parts
100!!!!!! for a brake fluid flush

brakes arent rocket science - i could just mention the bleed procedure thing


oh, i have aquestion,

how will the powerslots compare to the oems?
are powerslots good? Will this combo be loud/dusty?
On a scale of v1-10^ what is this?

 

perfectly happy with my hps' and drilled and slotted powerslots in the front. finally my legend calipers have good pads on them.

 

I've got HPS pads with Powerslot cryos (slotted, not drilled) in the front. I was surprised at how quickly they warped. I probably had 10-15k miles on them before they needed turned. That said, they wear down very slowly so I've been able to turn them twice already and they may still have enough meat for another go at the lathe.

 

best defense against brake dust is wax the rims on both sides with synthetic car wax
hps make some dust but thats a normal part of brake operation
powerslots are well known and trusted

acura overcharges for everything,,that 150 is the minimum shop charge of 1.5 hours
it takes 20 minutes to do the fronts on a TL..thats while teaching the neighbor kid how to do it
brake fluid flush--not bleed-- which implies there is air in the system, now you have to know why..
FLUSH the brake fluid..$100 yep thats what they charge for another 20 minute job and 10 bucks fluid

Certainly there are ziners on your island to help you, or a private owned shop to do the work, Ask the parts store if an employee there works on cars at home--thats often,
or `who they would take their car to?

this should be a `combo labor` deal - the wheels are off for the brakes, so thats reduced labor time for the brake fluid flush,,than if you only came in for that and they remove the front wheels to do it!!

 

farm-
ck the mounting surface and axle flange for rust/crud making the rotor not sit flat
sand them clean

Also the torque on all caliper parts, and especially how the wheel is tightened and its final equal torque are important
All will cause rotor warpage thats beyond `reasonable wear`

 

make sure the flush person knows this-
special TL order:!!!!! Driver front then clockwise around the car LF RF RR LR

 

Ya, my brake jobs are done right.

 

awesome!

thanks everyone for their help and 01tl4tl as always

so it sounds like im going to get the powerslots and the hawk ceramic pads!

 

http://www.hawkperformance.com/performance/burnish.php
^looking at the bed in procedure for the pads, what do they mean by dragging the pads?

 

They mean don't apply light pressure and take more time than needed to come to a complete stop.

Apply the brakes with a good amount of steady pressure, like you're stopping for a sudden yellow light that you can't make.

 

awesome!
so say if the works getting done downtown, do harder stops at traffic lights on route to the boonies?

 

do the bedding on a deserted side road,
while you dont have to do full throttle up to speed each time, you dont want to dawdle- getting the pads and rotors hot thru repeated use with medium pressure --increasing pressure each time,,dont get to ABS- thats bad on new brakes

after 5-6 times of that you will smell the new brake pads burning off excess resins in them
It will take 1-2 times of getting them nice and hot like that to fully `cure` the pads

Now you can do a serious bedding-
do usual procedure but with higher speed to start,,get them HOT, then do 2 medium effort slow downs from 60-20
thats the transfer layer time, getting hot pad material evenly distributed onto rotor- where it will bond. That increases brake effectiveness and lifespan

Important -after getting brakes hot- this applies to anytime you get them really-really hot in use- do a cool off drive 15 minutes without braking
let them cool off slowly with the moving airflow

DO NOT come to a complete stop with hot brakes, that puts a glob of pad material on one spot of the rotor,,,not an even layer like we want
do a rebedding if that happens

Notice race cars do a cool down lap, letting airflow cool the red hot rotors so they dont warp!!

Most Important!!!! with new brakes- there is a time while they are melding together- all the hiils and valleys of the rotor surface and the pad surfaces grind into each other.
When they are fully mated together you get 100% brake effectiveness
Until then--you have lets say 60%

Good reason to slow early for stopped traffic--they make not work very well yet!
Observe the color and surface changes to your rotors and compare to how the brakes come in
give them 500 miles normal use to be 100%
or if in a hurry, 3-4 bedding sessions over a few days will do the trick

 

as you drive it thru town right after picking it up from the shop:
Use medium effort braking and slow down early for sure!
It may feel like you dont have much brakes,,pushing the pedal...where are my brakes,,,ohhh shiiii that truck is getting big in the windshield,,,,pheeew!! stopped.

get out to the boonies and play~
I mean `perform the pad bedding procedure,,, as called for by the part maker`

 

NOT `dragging the brakes` for the purpose of hawks directions on bedding:
would be to drive with one foot on the gas and one foot on the brake- intentionally using them for an extended period,,getting them hot from sustained temp while still rolling at high speed
thats bad for the pads

Normal operation is you use the brakes, then not use them until needed again..right?
that allows critical cooling off time
dont drive around with your foot resting on the brake pedal or intentionally hold them on when not needed-- in motion...
common sense you would think, but they had to put it on the box for a reason~~~~

dragging in normal terms also applies to the hps daily use, dont slow so gently that the pads are in that sustained heat position again
they are performance pads- use them like they work

 

So im getting my brakes done tomorrow,
Any idea how many bottles of brake fluid i should bring.
A friend can get me some oem and i just need to tell him how much i need

 

And i have one more question:
Ive been reading that some pads have tabs in the center that cause improper wear or something that need to be filed down.

I took some pictures of the pad...

 

Just had them installed.
Thanks everyone for the suggestions and help.
I actually can feel the difference after bedding them in.

I have two questions...

1) The tech accidentally put the cap on backwards - the front arrow was pointing back when i got home - I called and he said it was fine and i just flipped it the other way.

Was it bad to have it pointing the wrong way? - no lights came on or anything...

2) Is it bad to have the the fluid higher than max? - if it is too high can i just remove some with a turkey baster or something?

 

Cap? The brake master cylinder cap?
I don't think it has any bearing on anything, might stretch the wires but that's about it.

As for the level, get it down to MAX, brake fluid is effective for paint removal. Turkey baster will work, just make sure it's clean, brake cleaner or something, you don't want to introduce excessive amounts of water, or other oils, or fluids.

Congrats on better stopping!

 

Thanks,
what made me notice the cap was the wires sticking out of it - never seen them before...

Ill remember fix the fluid level if its high as its been raining lately.