Just doesn't seem possible to me, but the tech showed me the pad and it looked shot. I asked the service tech and he said alot of people are blowing through them by 15K. Does this seem right?

I drive pretty conservatively and like to down shift alot to slow down.

My brakes have been squeeking for a while, the tech said something about a shim for the pads I don't know

They had to turn the rotars as well. I wanted nismo pads but they didn't have them in stock.

On a side note I saw Dan Zeigler and saw the new 350 z drag car they are getting ready for this season. Holy shi^ 34 in wide slicks on the back, two massive turbos. I don't know much about drag racing but it was pretty cool to see the shop. They supposedly have Vinny Ten building their motors.

Any way anybody else replace their pads yet?

 

yep

 

I went through mine in about 18k, but I drive fairly aggressively and that includes a road course day.

 

i shot through them around 15,000 agressive driving .
in fact i now have 32,000 miles and have had the front brakes done twice. rear once

 

Its called the wear indicator. Most pads have one. The squeaking is there to tell you to change your pads. Now if you ignore the squeak like you apparantly did, then that metal wear indicator grinds on your rotor and causes you to have to have the rotors turned and possibly replaced if enough damage is done. As for getting 26,000 miles out of the pads, sounds just about right to me.

 

replace them with some low dust pads... I have 10k miles on my pads and plan on replacing them early b/c I am getting sick of cleaning my rims 4 times a month

 

I had the same prob. Turned out my calipers were set too tight. After getting new pads, make sure the guys calibrate/adjust the tension in your calipers.

~AJ

 

Sounds about right. I just had mine replaced front and back at 32,000.
ozz

 

Any of you guys have sqeaking with new pads? Ive put around 600 miles on my car and the stock brembo's have been sqeaking rather loudly when coming to a slow stop.

 

congratulations on making that long!!!!! i made it to 25 almost 26k myself and i drive this thing gingerly 85% of the time. i am at 35k now and am needing rear ones also.

so give yourself a pat on the back for making it that long cause that is the exception. usually everyone has to change by the mid teens.

 

Regular stock brakes and genuine nissan replacement pads. No squeaking
ozz

 

OEM pads suck. I had the fronts replaced at 12k miles to Hawk hps.Now have 12k miles on them and still at 80% pad left. Much less dust and stops better when it heats up.

 

Holy crap. I didn't realize the stock pads were so crappy. I guess like my tires, I'll just burn through them the first year and upgrade next year.

 

I don't feel so bad now

Thanks fellas

So this proves that I must drive my Z like a sissy

Oh well

I'll have to forward this thread to my dad. He couldn't believe that i needed new brakes so soon.

 

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know the normal dealer cost to replace the front stock pads? I am looking at going with the Hawk pads, but just wondering? And would the dealer install aftermarket pads for you or would it be best to find another shop to do it?

 

Labor rate shouldnt be any different from doing a brake pad job whether its stock or aftermarket. I would definitely recommend going with Nismo or Hawk. The stock pads composite material is not the best to be used with the Z33 rotor, that is why there is so much noise from the brakes and wears out faster. The Nismo or Hawk will reduce the brake noise and offer more longevity(depending on how you drive) over the stock pads and theyre made for high performance so the pads can take more abuse than the stock pads.

 

If you've got a jack and basic tools, you should be able to do them yourself... pretty simple process and you get the satisfaction of "tinkering" with you car. There's lots of how-to's out there to guide you too.

 

Takes about an hour per axle, a wrench, and a C-clamp to compress the piston. PM if you need the instructions from the repair manual. Among the easiest brake job I have ever done. And amen to the Hawks!

 

i wouldn't get a brake job at a dealership. When I was in highschool; I was broke and drove a 626.. the mazda dealership told me with a straight face it was going to be $800 for 4 new pads installed. I figured thats how much it cost and drove around in a car that was unsafe for me and others for a month while I saved up. Luckly I found an import shop that gave me 4 new OEM pads installed for less than 300 or 400 (I can't remember).

I would recommend you ask around to find a garage to do the brake pad install or do it yourself.