shyun1250

iTrader: (4)

Did you notice anything in regards to pedal travel?
I heard that without the master cylinder the pedal would need to be depressed much further just to get any bite.

HyperSprite

iTrader: (6)

I am a guy who likes my car to feel right, if it doesn't I have no problem taking stuff off and doing something else and this has still been one of the best mods I have made. I have been running all 4 Brembo calipers with the stock master and booster for well over 60k miles on my 2004 Enthusiast with no issue or long pedal travel.

I will say, mine were dry when I installed them because I had them powder coated beforehand and it was a roil pain to bleed them. Once all the air was out, they were great.

On other cars/setups, you change the master to match the fluid volume. More caliper volume means you need more volume on the master or it is going to the floor. Less caliper volume means you need a less volume on the master or you wont get enough leverage to apply enough force to stop the car.
On the Z the 4 little pistons roughly match the volume of the big single piston so your fine.

Michla22

iTrader: (11)

With the Brembo's - no. With the current brakes I have there is a small bit of travel increase for the bite but it wasn't anything I didn't get used to after the 1st day of driving it and it's nothing detrimental for pedal feel overall.

sonoriansZ

iTrader: (2)

I changed my fronts only, after bleeding them they are fine but 30 mins later the pedal goes to the floor. Is it that I need to get a different master? My master was in perfect condition before changing the brakes.

Michla22

iTrader: (11)

Not too sure - as I've said I've never had an issue with my stock master - but that doesn't rule out the random mechanical failures some might experience. If it was fine and then deteriorated I would start by checking for leaks , check fluid level , then try re-bleeding them and ensure you are doing it properly. If you are still having issues you might put it back to the way it was before the swap and see if you still have an issue. If so then go get it checked out.

sonoriansZ

iTrader: (2)

Does any1 know how to bleed these? I took it to a mechanic and they don't know how to bleed them. Some1 send me a link on how to do the fronts.

Michla22

iTrader: (11)

You may be using the term mechanic rather loosely in that sentence.

here:

https://my350z.com/forum/brakes-and-...tem-bleed.html

The motive bleeder is worth every penny.

sonoriansZ

iTrader: (2)

When you bleed them do you have to bleed all four even tho I just changed my front?

Michla22

iTrader: (11)

Im not sure if you're capping the the lines during work or how much air you are introducing into the system. I would say since you are having an issue to just go ahead and bleed all 4 to eliminate any questions.

sonoriansZ

iTrader: (2)

Yeah I figured that's wats best.

pass-wu

What size spacer do you put it on

Z33Garage

iTrader: (3)

Pardon if this is a stupid question, but I have searched this and dont seem to come up with a direct answer.

What other car manufacturer's brembo caliper set will fit a 05Z?

Thank you for the time.

Michla22

iTrader: (11)

With custom brackets I'm sure you could make just about anything "fit". As far as what calipers are a direct bolt on besides the 350z standard model I have no idea.

rugger22

I too was looking in to swapping out the oem brakes off of my 2007 z and I did some research but couldn't find out a whole lot. I was looking to use brembo off of a 2004 infinity g35 coupe but I'm not totally to sure if this would be sufficient. Did you ever unval anything while doing your research. I would think it would be OK beings Nissan owns infinity and they uses the same engine but I could be wrong.
Hit me back if you have found out anything

HyperSprite

iTrader: (6)

I used 2004 g35 brembos for my 2004.5 350z, they were essentially the same car mechanically with different bodies back then. Never had any issues, it was a direct bolt-on.

trusovici

iTrader: (2)

IIRC i think the Brembos from the subaru wrx sti 2004~xx are the same. Not 100 percent but they look exactly the same. Anyone have a 17 inch spare you wanna sell?

Go2Turbo

Thank you for this +1 am going to slap these on soon!

JustDrive

I just wanted to say THANK YOU for this thread. I was able to install used Brembos with new rotors and brakes on my 06 ZR touring. Although I rarely post because I feel I have little to contribute. I do search and learn from the vast amount of knowledge on this board. Again THANK YOU.

gringott

iTrader: (17)

Sorry for bringing this back from the dead but I read the discussion about power boosters and found something odd.
I went to Courtesy Nissan and looked it up for my 2003 Performance.
They listed three different part numbers for power boosters for four situations.





No idea what the red "2" is about.
No alternative part is listed.

1. So no replacement from Nissan.
2. There is some difference between boosters, as three have unique part numbers based on wheel size / traction control.
3. Checked out a later booster for 2004, 2003 is not listed as compatible.

Looked it up at rockauto, good database.



Also three, one for 18" non-brembo [out of stock], one for with or without 18" and have brembo, one for non-brembo.
No mention of traction control.

Clicking on the "with brembo" gives the following alternative part numbers:
Alternate/OEM Part Number(s): 47210AM425, 47210AM450, 47210AM825, 47210AM885, 47210AM887, 47210CD025, 47210CD225

which covers the two 17" and 18" wheel with traction control part numbers and others I didn't identify.

My conclusion is there may be some difference between the capabilities of the boosters but it must be minor except for the AM600.


Your thoughts [if you have any].

icer5160

iTrader: (4)

Update (10/25/2016):
1) After speaking with my local performance shop who handles major maintenance on my Z, I discovered the most common cause of squishy brake pedals on 350Zs and G35s is due to the mount angle of the front calipers. This primarily comes into effect when doing a complete caliper swap/replacement and initial bleed. In order to ensure the best pedal feel, you need to tilt the front calipers forward to get the bleeder valve(s) near vertical. This gives you the best chance of removing all/any air bubbles still trapped in the calipers.

2) I asked about the FSM instructions to disconnect the battery or ABS actuator harness. My mechanic said it wouldn't make a difference and that he has never disconnected the battery or ABS actuator when doing brake caliper/line upgrades/swaps.

At this point I believe the key step missing from the FSM is making sure the front calipers are tilted forward. Doing this should ensure you get all the air bubbles out!

This past weekend I went through the entire process of replacing my calipers, and rotors with Brembos. The process was made easier since I was previously running the 370Z Akebono BBKs and already had SS Lines. Because of this I did not need to cut the dust shields or worry about replacing the brake lines. However I still ran into some difficulties that I have not seen mentioned anywhere. So I will be adding my findings/thoughts to this thread to help others.

1) Before starting any work, it is recommended that you either disconnect the ABS actuator from the harness or roll down your windows and just disconnect the battery. I chose to roll down the windows and disconnect the battery as it was slightly faster/easier. Also, stating the obvious, leave the ignition in the OFF position.

2) A pro tip I picked up from ETCG (Eric the Car Guy); before disconnecting the banjo bolt or replacing soft lines with SS lines, push in the brake pedal and then put something on it to keep it held down.

[Note you must keep the Master Cylinder reservoir cap ON until all brake line work is done for this work as intended]

This keeps fluid from gushing out of your brakes lines and also helps prevent air bubbles from getting in the lines (you will be up **** creek if air gets into your ABS unit). I used a block of wood with a towel propped against my driver's seat to hold down the pedal. I was really surprised how well this worked, I only had about an oz or less of fluid drip out per corner and that was primarily from the caliper, not my brake line(s). This method really helps speed up the brake bleed/flush process and helps keeps the caustic brake fluid from getting everywhere!

3) Here's a list of the Torque Specs for the Brembo Brake System.
A - Banjo Bolts: 12 ft/lb
B - Hard to Soft line flare nuts: 12 ft/lb
C - Front Caliper Bolts (22mm): 113-114 ft/lb
Note: Don't torque down the front Caliper bolts until bleed process is complete, explanation later.
D - Rear Caliper Bolts (19mm): 62 ft/lb
E - Wheel Nuts/Lugs: 80 ft/lb

Pro Tip 1: While the rear rotors are off, take some time to clean up the E-brake shoes and sand them. Try not to get harsh cleaners/chemicals on your rear wheel bearing! Also take this opportunity to clean up excessive rust build up on your hubs. After using a wire brush, I like to follow up with some CLP, typically used for preserving firearms. It helps prevent future rust build up, but doesn't leave a thick/gooey film behind, so no worries about it reaching the E-Brake shoes or brake pads/calipers. WD40 is also a good alternative.

Pro Tip 2: Once you install all the rotors, hold them in place with a few spare lugs. This will make bolting the calipers on much easier and aids with the E-Brake adjustment later.

4) Once all the lines are connected to the new Calipers, remove the block of wood or w/e tool you have holding down the brake pedal.

5) FSM Bleed Sequence!
A) Rear Right (Passenger rear), outer 1st, then inner bleed valve.
B) Front Left (Driver front), outer 1st, then inner bleed valve.
C) Rear Left (Driver rear), outer 1st, then inner bleed valve.
D) Front Right (Passenger front), outer 1st, then inner bleed valve.
Explanation: This is the factory service manual bleed sequence, this separates from conventional wisdom because of the ABS unit in the car. All 350Zs including the base model have an ABS unit.

6) Start the bleed/purge process. I used the Motive Power Bleeder, however it did not work perfectly. It's possible I just didn't bleed the system enough or because the first time I bled the system, I left the battery/ABS-Actuator hooked up, I ended up using the FSM instructions to get the best pedal feel (A.K.A. the conventional method).
A) Attached my Genesis bleeder bottle to the rotor or other magnetic surface on the car and connected the flexible hose to the bleeder nipple. Make sure the bleeder hose bends up above the caliper then down into the bottle. This ensures any air that escapes will not get sucked back into the caliper (Note this primarily applies if you are using the conventional brake pedal pump method).
B) Continue bleeding (following the FSM sequence) until no bubbles are seen and clean fluid is visible (if you wish to purge all the old fluid out).
C) Once you get to the front calipers, loosen the lower 22mm bolt just a little and remove the upper 22mm bolt. Now you want to tilt the front caliper forward so the bleeder port is as near vertical as possible (Note: tilt it forward slowly if you care about the caliper's paint, it will eventually make contact with your rotor and stop, don't continue pushing/forcing it, you may also need some extra slack in the brake line for this). Make sure you keep the brake pads over the rotor(s). Failing to do so could make your caliper pistons pop out! The mounting orientation of the front brakes is at an odd 30 degree cant, because of this it's still possible for some air bubbles to get trapped in the caliper. Although this is not laid out in the FSM, Stoptech recommends doing this on their Caliper installs/bleeds for 350Z/G35.
D) Once all 4 corners/calipers have been thoroughly bled, top off the reservoir to the MAX line and check the pedal feel. Take extra time to carefully inspect all the bleeders, caliper pistons, and flare nuts (if you replaced your soft lines) for any signs of leaking.

7) Not done yet! E-Brake Adjustment Time!
A) Pull off the dust cover/plug from your rear rotor hat with some needle nose pliers and rotate the assembly until the you can see the E-brake shoe sprocket (Near Top Dead Center).
B) Rotate the sprocket down with a flat head screw driver to expand the E-Brake shoes.
C) The FSM recommends rotating the sprocket down until it stops (shoes making contact with rotor drum, locking the wheel). Then backing off 5 to 6 notches.
D) Check the E-Brake lever feel once you've adjusted both sides, don't worry too much if there's a tiny bit of drag on the E-brake when you first roll the car out, especially if you have new rotors with the inner drum surface painted.

8) Again, stating the obvious, now it's time to install the wheels and drop the car down, snug up the lugs as best you can before dropping the car down, final torque will be done when it's on the ground. Make sure to torque the lugs in a star pattern to 80 ft/lb.

9) Go out for a test drive and follow the Pad/Rotor manufacturer's bed-in procedure! If the pedal feels mushy or slowly sinks to the floor, you may need to bleed the system more. It could also be possible your master cylinder is going out, but if you didn't have a mushy pedal prior to the install, air bubbles are the more likely culprit.

Other Considerations:

1) If you have the whole car up on jacks and a bleeder bottle handy, now is also a good time to bleed the clutch system. The FSM is very clear about warning against using a power bleeder to do the clutch. There's so little fluid in the clutch system that using the manual pedal pump method works just fine. I find that 3 repetitions of 5 x pumps + hold and open/close bleeder brings you to the clutch reservoir's MIN line. Refill the reservoir and repeat until no bubbles and clean fluid comes out.

2) If you replaced your factory rubber lines with aftermarket SS lines, sometimes there can be too much slack on the front caliper lines depending on the brand. Make sure you double check the brake line clearance with the steering wheel turned all the way, both left and right. It's best to do this with your wheels/tires on the car to ensure there is no contact between the SS line and rim/tire + brake rotor.

My Experience:

I made a few minor mistakes which I think led to the issues I had with a mushy pedal. Part of these mistakes were due to inaccurate information I picked up from researching this job on various forums. Here are the mistakes I think led to my issues.
1) On the first brake system bleed I did, I forgot to remove the wood block holding down the pedal.
2) I reconnected the battery prior to starting the bleed process, even though I left the ignition off the whole time, the FSM clearly states keeping the battery or ABS actuator disconnected during the bleed/purge procedure. I'm guessing the ABS actuator still receives power even when the ignition system is OFF. (Note: Disconnecting the battery/ABS actuator is not necessary according to my mechanic)
3) I did not tilt the front calipers forward to get the bleeders as close to vertical as possible until my second bleeding session. (Note: This is the most common cause of brake bleeding woes.)
4) I discovered that my inner front bleeder valves were not tightened up enough. They were firm, but not what I considered to spec. I think this was because I didn't have a lot of working room for my wrench thanks to the front shock + brake line. I never saw any fluid leaking/dripping, but it's still a possibility.


I think that about covers it, sorry for the super long post. I wanted to be as detailed as possible! I really hope this extra information helps others.
-Icer