Onyx97

Hello all I am a new owner of an '07 TL Base Navi. I will have to do a front brake job soon. I do most of my driving on the highway no track stuff or anything like that. Can you guys give me a good alternative to the OE pad and rotor set up ?

csmeance

Is there any reason you don't want to go OEM? Are the current brakes warped?

There are many different combinations of rotors and pads out there, but were going to need some more info like what's wrong with the current setup and how many miles are on it, wether the pads need replacement or the rotor and pad, etc.

Onyx97

The car has 72,000 mies on and the rotors are not warped the person who owned the car before me did a long highway commute that's why the mileage is high given the age of the car. It has OE pads and rotors on it now but I want a fresh set of pads and rotors...

MR1

Just had my OE front pads replaced today by my mechanic. 61k on my car, I went with OE again, rotors were fine. I'm happy, why switch?

Onyx97

I'm just curious if there's a better option out there for the $

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

I like RacingBrake products.

DeathMetal

iTrader: (2)

Powerslot rotors + Hawk Ceramics. Good lifespan, very low dust...just make sure you bed them properly. FYI: You're probably long overdue for a bleed as well. DIY, just have a breaker bar on the ready.

csmeance

OEM is probably the cheapest route, it'll be around 350 for all the rotors and the pads + Labor to install. Racing Brake + Aspec pads is about 550 for all the parts, then the price of labor. There are better options for the money, however if you don't need it then why spend the extra $$$ on something you don't need or won't use?

Where exactly do you drive (highway? City? Mixed? etc.) and how many miles do you put on a car per year?

subinf

OEM is the way to go, at least with pads.

Sandals

iTrader: (2)

^^ why go oem there is so much dust.

I hate cars

'07 base so it's a 5at. The OEM pads last a long time. When I upgraded mine at 90,000 they had over half the pad still left. You probably don't need pads or rotors at this point.

If you replace them, stock pads are fine but under hard use they do tend to transfer pad material to the rotor causing high spots and hot spots. Cobalt friction, and Racing Brake make some excellent pads. I don't really care for Hawk pads.

If you replace the rotors, DBA and Rotora make good stock sized rotors. I don't recommend wasting the money on stock Acura rotors because they do tend to warp easily with heavy use and aftermarket rotors are usually within the same price range.

I belive most of the previous recommendations were for a 6mt with the Brembo brakes so they really don't apply here. The stock 5at pads don't dust that bad and they last practically forever.

Sandals

iTrader: (2)

Mine seem to dust alot for an automatic than, not trying to jack the op's thread. But, which of these pads should be used. I am sure it is the bottom 2 but just want to make sure.

avs007

I don't know, the OEM pads only lasted 30,000 miles on our 5AT TL... I went with the Akebono ProACT Ceramics from Tirerack. The performed just as good as the OEM pads, but dust way the hell less. I have about 50,000 miles on the Akebonos and they are still going strong. I have another set of Akebonos ready to replace them, but there is still some life left in them....

Crestwood1001

I wanna do a BBK on mine when they need replacement, not for any preformance reasons, it just looks dam good behind the rims haha

blkaspec

i upgraded to RacingBrake rotors with their ET500 pads and have been SUPER happy!. The ET500 pads are an aggressive street pad, and the ET300 is the standard street model...either would work great. Its a slotted rotor and the combo was made to work great together, and does.

Sandals

iTrader: (2)

Why not just get the oem brembos.

blkaspec

more work, more expensive parts, new parts, not a huge increase in stopping ability unless you track it...

chay823

Maybe try some Duralast Gold Cmax brake pads and just stock rotors...I've heard good things about those pads. I plan to use them on my 07 TL-S

pimpin-tl

x2. Have them on mine and the pads are great. No dust, and quiet.

Onyx97

I drive mostly on the highway and I average about 18,000 miles per year. Also whats a good way to check the pad thickness on the front because I can't see down in there ?

JMillerUA6

iTrader: (1)

I was going to suggest the same.

blkaspec

i think your best/only option is to remove the pad...which isnt that hard but not as easy as with the Brembos.

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-2004-2008-93/replacing-brakes-pictures-3g-garage-d-041-a-770166/

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-2004-2008-93/brakes-caliper-o-h-pad-repl-hoses-bleed-disc-specs-park-brake-adj-3g-garage-d-041-a-578017/

Teknikscian

Or a long steel pipe for about 3 bucks from Home Depot, my break bar of choice.

Teknikscian

I just replaced my pads 3 days ago with the Cmax pads, great pads. I also used the Duralast rotors; they are all the rage in spec miata because they are cheap and of good quality...if you can believe that. Aside from my AutoX miata, Ive used duralast products on my other cars and they have been fantastic.

supra98

so im assuming all these drilled/slot rotors are all hype? are they needed for a TLs or are they overkill??

I hate cars

I've read a white paper that you have to purchase written by GM engineers on the tests they did to determine the effects of drilling. To make it short, crossdrilled rotors do better in the rain. They don't affect pad life much until the pads get racing hot. They do run cooler and the effect is more pronounced as speeds rise. They prevent the pads from glazing.

I hate cars

In reference to my above post, define overkill... It's a 3,500lb car with 11.8 or 12.2" rotors depending on the model. The 12.2" Brembos are the minimum requirement for tracking it. I would do anything possible to shed heat if you're running stock sized rotors.

supra98

so would slot rotors be ok??

hey I hate cars you in bako, ca??

I hate cars

Yep, the armpit of California lol.

Slotted are a good, safe bet for any brand of rotor.

They won't change running temps but they will keep the pads from glazing over under hard use.

I would only go with the more expensive drilled rotors since if done wrong they can lead to cracks.

One very effective trick at reducing heat is removing the dust shield from the front rotors. I've seen 50F to 150F reduction under the same conditions depending on vehicle speed.

supra98

coo man i lived there for 14 yrs...haha now im in a worse spot!...

what brand u suggest for the rotor and brand of pad??

I hate cars

There are worse spots??? Just kidding. Did you ever race around here?

There are a few good ones. Rotora and Brembo make some nice ones but they're a bit pricey. I don't see them used much for Acuras but DBA makes some really good stock replacement rotors that I've used on other cars. Racing Brake is another excellent maker of rotors and pads.

The Racing Brake ET500 seems to be a very good street/track pad though I've never tried them. Price is excellent too.

Many people use Hawk around here. I personally don't care for them but this is based on other cars, not the TL.

I have experience with the less known Cobalt friction and have had excellent results with them. My rotors push 900 degrees under track conditions and they take it no problem.

supra98

nah never raced..been to famoso couple of times but thats bout it...

yah i was thinking power slot rotors with hawk pads..

subinf

I have the racing brake rotors and will only be running the oem pads on them from now on. I've wasted enough time and money trying other pads and none work as well (hawk and ET500)