I do a lot of rush hour driving a go through brakes, at least front brakes, every two years or so. Are Brembos worth the price? Do they last longer? Are the rotors, pads and other routine parts much more expensive come replacement time?

 

Acura sales literature state the brakes and rotors will wear much quicker than the stock AT brakes due to the high friction pads it uses (plus more dusting).

IMO - parts cost will be higher.

 

I am starting to think putting Brembos on cars is a fad and for marketing. Hell the Nissan SE-R has em.

And for 99% of the people, upgrading brake pads is the best solution and very cost effective.

Back to brembos on the TL, what better brakes do are to stop in shorter distances but more importantly eliminate fade. Fade is when your at the track and you are using your brakes and they overheat and when u mash the brakes, it goes to the floor and the car takes longer to stop.

Though from reading everyone's opinions on TL brakes, 03 and 04, they are bad and Brembos would be an improvement.

 

Brembos to brakes is like HID to lighting. But as I understand it, the Brembos on the 6MT don't come with SS-brake lines. That's like doing something half-@$$ed. But that's my opinion.

 

I guess it depends on how many people are planning to drive their TL's on the race track?!

 

This doesn't sound like a hard decision. Brembo's
- Cost more to buy
- Cost more to fix
- Create more dust
- Don't last as long as standard brakes
- and excel only if you drive under race track conditions.

 

Let's look at it this way, if you have a car full of family/friends and
you have the sudden need for an emergency stop, wouldn't we
all want the brembo's, instead of the significantly weaker stock
acura brakes :think: Sure, the cost of repair is higher with the brembo's, but the margin of safety is well worth the price of admission IMHO.

 

Amen!

 

I dont think thats a good enough Comparison

HID last way longer than traditional Halogen Bulbs, and they also use less power..

While Brembos wear out much faster..

But both HID and Brembos do cost much more to replace than there traditional Counterpart

 

i meant it as a "luxury" item comparison. most people who can afford cars w/ HID don't even know the first thing about appreciating the technology that allows them to see better. it's expensive, it's cool, and it came with the fancy car.

so slapping Brembos onto luxury vehicles follow the same train of thought. if ferrari's use it, then it must be expensive, must be cool, and will obviously mean my car is a fancy car.

true the brake pads will wear faster, but that's due to the compound that's used. if you slap on some autozone crap pads, i'm sure those can last forever. you can't have your cake and eat it too. you want better braking, you'll have more dust, and you'll wear the pads away faster. laws of physics.

people can always find something to whine/complain about it. TL/CL brakes have been an issue so Brembos are now an optional package. so now it's too much brake dust and pads will wear too fast.

 

Does anyone know whether the Brembo calipers and rotors from the 2004 6MT TL's will just "bolt on" the 5AT's ???

 

FYI - my post was not complaining, just answering the original poster's questions. I WISH my AT came with the Brembos! Hell with the cost, I would glaze my pads on my 96 Maxima SE 5spd when I pushed it hard, I am all in favor of shorter stopping distances (which could also be accomplished with snows in the winter and summers in the other seasons!!, People forget that tires are part of the braking system!!)

 

this has been a good discussion. in a previous post i asked what would improve stopping distance in emergency situations most. in general, it appears that improved brake pads and larger calipers are the right solution. since i won't be using my AT TL at the track, i'll probably purchase the car as is..and find some larger after market calipers and improved pads. the better rotors are probably more applicable to reducing fade, which will not be an issue for me.

the brand (i.e. brembo) is less important than the quality. i'll probably comparison shop several after market sellers of calipers and pads. i think this makes sense,,,any thoughts?

 

my apologies if you took my post as singling you out as a "complainer". i was merely making a general statement. inevitably, someone's going to complain about something. citing first it was the warping rotors... and i'm sure some of these same individuals (after getting bigger rotors and brembo calipers) will complain it's too dusty. there's just no satisfying some people.

 

No, in an emergency stop from 60, there probably wont be a ig difference between the brembos and the regular ones. both brake systems have ample power to lock up the wheels and both systems have ABS, so the only thing to be gained from the brembos is a better feel of the pedal. Now repeated stops from 60 are a different story. The brembos obviously wont fade as much, so after alot of successive high speed stops, they will stop in shorter distances. If you want to stop quicker in emergency stops, get better tires. they are cheaper and yield more of a performance gain.

 

I would take the Brembos in a second if I had the choice!

The stock brakes on my CLS have never instilled a sense of confidence in me. Maybe when I get my new rotors and pads that will change a little, but I doubt it will mimic the feel/performance of the Brembo set-up.

And, as for Brembo's costing more--the "Brembo" portion of the brake package will likely never cost you a cent in repair/maintenance. The pads, on the other hand, like with any brake package, will need to be replaced. If you then decide to put a very hard compound pad on I'm sure you will be able to get another 20k miles out of your pads if that's the way you want to go.

Brembo's stock must be hitting an all time high these days with the number of applications now using their brakes. I think it is a great thing that manufacturer's are starting to palce more emphasis on quality braking systems--for too long this has been a neglected part of many non-German automobiles. The German's on the other hand, realized the value of large, strong brakes a long time ago. Indeed, BMW even pays for your brake work during the warranty period. That goes to show the importance they place on their car's braking systems. Have you ever seen the brakes on Bimmers? Their rear rotors are the size of (or bigger) than our front rotors!

 

u need a better rotor disc that can resist high temp

 

I think the Brembo's are kick ass! Just looking at the size of them has me in anticipation of the summer to give them a workout.

If they cost more they cost more. I guess that's why you have an option of not buying them and getting the 5AT model.

 

I'm thinking of adding Brembo pads to the rear brakes of my TL.
What you guys think?
It looks kind of wierd having them in the front only

 

You mean Brembo CALIPERS. Differences in pads are not significant, visually.

A lot of cars have BBKs in the front only. Yes, it would be a more balance look, but a big break kit for the rear of the TL, if it exists, would probably cost over $1000.