I'll probably need to get new break pads within the next couple of months for my 2003 type s, so I wanted to know everyone's opinion on whether to get ceramic or semi metallic. I pretty much know the differences - ceramic are less abrasive on the rotors, less dust, less noise and last longer while the semi metallic could have better stopping power (depending on the brand) and better "cold" stopping. Thoughts?

 

what rotors do you have? are they stock or oem replacement?

 

this is the car he just got from an elderly couple iirc--remember the other thread of which car to choose?

the reality is probably stock rotors on it,, which suck-(personal opinion)

this is your first big expense choice with the TL- some decent OE or slightly above quality
or some badazz pads and rotors
as I recall you are being sane for the most part and lots of stops-in town use- etc
If the cars appearance is important to you at those sales calls, then ceramics are way cleaner as far as brake dust and will stop the car fine for normal humans

for that driving I would get good rotors at kragen/oreilly or NAPA and ceramics
(I feel a shock wave of disbelief moving over ziners at my not saying RB rules!)

If you are more performance oriented- enjoy late braking into a corner or stop sign,
then get racingbrake.com stuff for sure, best brakes I ever had
see mrheeltoe for them

in between those- Rotora makes a fine product with matching ceramics or semi mets that are a good deal thru our vendor Excelerate

Have you found the Sponsored Sales area in Black Market yet?
look at bottem of pages for link--those people make azine happen for us- there is also private sales area for ziner to ziner sales

in my opinion -dont go ebay cheapie cross drilled weirdos--these are your brakes- they save your life every day,,or maybe they dont~

side slots are bling for average drivers, same with cross drilled
Exception: if you live where it rains pouring down and huge puddles on road,,cross drilled will dry out faster and maintain brake effectiveness for you,,where others will have soaked brakes and little brake torque (stopping power)

 

tip on brake dust: remove wheels and wash both sides of rim.
dry them off
apply 2-3 coats of SYNTHETIC car wax, same stuff you use on the car works
BUFF the surface with drill and buffing tip or by hand with terry towel to a nice shine.
Now the scorching hot brake pad particulate matter being flung off as part of the braking process- has less grip to the rim and slides off, most of it at least

Stays cleaner than unwaxed wheel and wipes off easily!

synth wax has 100f higher melt point than carnuba car wax- which is ~112f..
hot sun will make that run off,,let alone rims next to rotors~

 

I'm about 90% certain they are stock (or a slight upgrade) - the original owner did have them replaced at about 60k.

Good info. Yes, the exterior appearance of the vehicle at this point will be important - like you said - for my job. I probably won't be going crazy with the car - def. not during the week anyway, lol...I may want to get on it on the weekends for short periods of time, just to see what its got - but if I do, it'll most likely be on a big, safe road....my racing days have been over for a few years now,

As to buying them, I will look at the sponsors here, I am sure they are competitive...and at this point, all things considered, I'll probably go with the ceramic.

Sounds pretty good...I just need to make sure I don't get any of that wax on the rotors and pads,

 

did I forget to say REMOVE the wheels from car and wash them--
apply wax and buff-
THEN install wheels back on car

wheel lug torque= 80 foot pounds

 

Yeah, you said it, I can just get a little sloppy at times.

Thanks

 

What would you recommend for my front rotors?
I live in an area with heavy rain, lots of downhill breaking.

 

What's a break pad?

 

i say the OP needs a Big Brake Kit, since our brakes are already undersized from the factory for our overweight cars

 

go ceramic less dust, last longer

 

lol

 

a break pad is when it gets below 2mm BRAKE pad thickness,,then its a break things pad

heavy rain- downhill braking.,, like commute off a mountain- a rare time I say cross drilled are your best bet due to increased cooling and drying needs on this car

rotora has good units that are made/designed to be drilled - a big factor in longevity!
talk to Josh at Excelerate,,PM or call him
he can put the right pads to the right rotors for your conditions

 

the OP doesnt need a 1000 dollar big brake kit - he is doing city driving in a sales position,,where they may see his car- so clean wheels with quiet brakes are the desired specs
OP States he doesnt track day style drive it anyway..normal brakes are good enough
Also he is new to the TL,,, so lets ease him into the mods!

maybe get the intake resonator box out of there--start with free and move up to the thousands some of us are into the car

+ + =

 

ummm.... not really especially when a $2000 BBK of theirs gets a crack in it (somebody else's ), so i would say only go with slotted

 

and your point is.... , and i say do it once and be done with it (f@cking clutch , and i went for a performance one too)


it does help though when you buy the car with a lot of the mods already on it and you don't have to pay labor either though

 

I've done several track days with the Rotora 13" BBK with no issues whatsoever with the drilled/slotted rotors. My car weighs 3,920lbs with me in it. If you're aggressive and at stockish weight on sticky tires, the standard H2 pads will barely cut it. Since I installed the NT05s, I run the H6 pads on the track and the street and with Motul DOT 5.1 and fade is never an issue. On a cheaper summer tire I had no issues with the H2 pads. I've had the front rotors over 1,000F and 15,000 miles and no cracks. All drilled rotors will crack if given enough time but the good ones will reach the minimum rotor thickness long before you have to worry about cracks.