Here's a quick question: Is the '03 standard brake packaged Z33 the same brake master cylinder as the Brembo equipped model? I know people with '05+ model swap to Brembos but I haven't heard of too many earlier models going with that swap especially since the earliest Z33 standard brakes came with that single piston front caliper.

When I had a Z32 "upgrade" done to my S13 I also had to get a bigger master cylinder from that era Z. I also know that the master cylinders varied from year to year from Z32s. So, there may be variations on our Z33/V35 models...

 

Im going to have the system re-bled then, that settles it.

What happens if they werent properly bedded in? These rotors arent prone to warping, so can they still be bedded in?

 

I use Super Blue Racing Brake fluid on all the vehicles I've done brakes on and I do believe that is DOT4. No problems. What you do not want to use is DOT5 or silicone based brake fluid. Heck, I don't even know what types of vehicles use that stuff..

 

Any rotor (cheap or expensive) can possibly warp. However, yours are brand new and are mated to brand new pads. The idea is to get the top layer of pad to match exactly to the rotor. In terms of temperature treatment, right off the bat the brakes are good to go. The pads are manufactured that way. Out of habit I personally do about 10 medium stops from 40mph before driving the car normally. I've read that it takes a new rotor/pad combination 1,000mi worth of "normal" driving (whatever that means) to reach 100% potential, but those pads with new rotors should want to grab your eyeballs out during the very first day of usage.

Can't hurt to bleed them once this week. Maybe again this weekend. Make sure that MC is fully bled if it was allowed to drain empty.

 

That's a good point, since 2006+ models have bigger OEM standard brakes than 2003-2005, so the master cylinder and booster are sized accordingly. But even if his 2003 MC is undersized for the Brembo's, I can't imagine it's undersized to the point of allowing the pedal to fall to the floor. Might be worth upgrading those components though, if he's going back to a shop anyway.

 

i've read conflicting reports of whether it's neccesary to upgrade the master cylinder or not.

Anyone else?

 

Alright bud, I did a very quick search on RockAuto and they list the MC are different between the standard brake vs the Brembo equipped models in that model year. The price ranges from $97-$207 + shipping. I'm not sure about the size specs between Brembo/non Brembo (are they close?) but I will tell you from my S13 to Z32 upgrade experience, in this case, size does matter lol. Hope this helps, as I too hate having problems with modded cars..

 

I did the swap a few years ago and I have had no problems with the swap. I have stoptech street performance pads and super blue 600 with slotted rotors. I abuse my car at HPDE's and used to in autoX as well. After bedding in it took about 3 days of normal driving to get that super "bite" in the pedal that you're talking about. I power bleed myself and I get all the air out as well.


Also you don't have to change your master cylinder. Read the sticky thread on swapping brembos.

 

After doing a more thorough RockAuto search bigcloud is correct! up to 1/'03 standard and Brembo equipped Z33s use the same 1 1/16" MC

The only difference would be a similar year automatic model which uses a 11/16 MC." I wonder if that would even make a huge difference in feel.
The question is should be if the swapped car is an automatic '03 model?

The problem is most likely air, but I'm not willing to bet lol.