Best brake upgrades on a budget?
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 26
Likes: 0
From: The Woodlands, TX
Best brake upgrades on a budget?
Hey guys. Been wondering, what is the best brake upgrades to do on a budget? My Z is my daily and does not get tracked so i can't see doing a BBK upgrade or anything. I would love to do a Brembo or Akebono upgrade but prices are a bit higher than i'm hoping to spend.
Would the Z1 non-brembo kit be the best bang for the buck? I had a buddy say that i may only really need to upgrade the pads and not necessarily the whole thing.
My Z is an 07 Enthusiast running on OEM spec brakes currently. It does get some spirited driving, but nothing too extreme.
Any thoughts, suggestions, etc are always appreciated
Would the Z1 non-brembo kit be the best bang for the buck? I had a buddy say that i may only really need to upgrade the pads and not necessarily the whole thing.
My Z is an 07 Enthusiast running on OEM spec brakes currently. It does get some spirited driving, but nothing too extreme.
Any thoughts, suggestions, etc are always appreciated
Pads are the main thing that do anything, for normal daily use , any pad works fine. I ran the autozone cheap pads , next upgrade is fluid, simple and easy , get Dot 4 and don't bother with the cool race stuff like ATE or Motul, it needs constant bleeding. Braided lines really don't do much unless you have a super sensitive foot, and the take the heat from track abuse better, they are useless unless you track heavily or your lines are getting old 7-10 years old. Rotors, at stock size, a rotor is a rotor . Some are better quality and will last longer , and take abuse better , I would just run autozone blanks for daily or track.
As for the Z, been using the Ate fluid since 2009, when I did the first fluid change in my '08, and it's not needed any extra bleeding in that application, either. No track time on that car, and I change the fluid every year, or so.
No clue what this means. I've been using Ate Super Blue and Gold for maybe 30 years, long before it was the "cool race stuff". Both are identical, spec-wise, except for the coloring. It was OEM in many German cars I owned (Porsche and BMW), as well as Alfa Romeo (I own 3 currently), all of which use Ate hydraulic hardware. No extra bleeding has ever been necessary, and alternating between the blue and gold shows you when a full flush of the previous fluid is complete. Ate fluid was/is also OEM in M-B, Volvo and Saab, and possibly other euro-made cars.
As for the Z, been using the Ate fluid since 2009, when I did the first fluid change in my '08, and it's not needed any extra bleeding in that application, either. No track time on that car, and I change the fluid every year, or so.
As for the Z, been using the Ate fluid since 2009, when I did the first fluid change in my '08, and it's not needed any extra bleeding in that application, either. No track time on that car, and I change the fluid every year, or so.
Trending Topics
Haven't heard that, and haven't ever had an issue, but as I mentioned, I change the stuff annually.
Anyway, did some quick searching, and it appears you're correct with regards to the Motul, but not the Ate, absorbing lots of moisture. Found several sites, but here's one which is the easiest to read:
http://www.timskelton.com/lightning/...rake_fluid.htm
Anyway, did some quick searching, and it appears you're correct with regards to the Motul, but not the Ate, absorbing lots of moisture. Found several sites, but here's one which is the easiest to read:
http://www.timskelton.com/lightning/...rake_fluid.htm
Registered User
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 831
Likes: 0
From: Philadelphia, PA
Basic upgrade = New rotors, pads, lines and fluid. Find the part #'s are TireRack.com, google around and find the lowest prices. KNSBrakes has decent prices too. I ran blank rotors, Hawk HPS pads and SS lines on a daily driver.
No use in upgrading if you are not going to bring the car to any motorsports event. I would rather save the money for some other mods.
The OEM system works fine on common spirited on/off ramps, mountain runs etc.
Maybe what the OP meant is upgrading it for aesthetics? Then just go for the slotted IMO.
That's good info re: brake fluids, Terra. Thanks for sharing.
The OEM system works fine on common spirited on/off ramps, mountain runs etc.
Maybe what the OP meant is upgrading it for aesthetics? Then just go for the slotted IMO.
That's good info re: brake fluids, Terra. Thanks for sharing.
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 26
Likes: 0
From: The Woodlands, TX
Alright, so I lucked into a Akebono kit with the red anniversary Nissan calipers, 2 piece front rotors, stoptech rear rotors, PosiQuiet pads, and SS lines for a steal. Fresh off a 370z with 500 miles on them.
Question i have is, will the 370z's SS lines work on a 350z?
Also, what is the best way to store these for a few weeks until i have a moment to install them?
Question i have is, will the 370z's SS lines work on a 350z?
Also, what is the best way to store these for a few weeks until i have a moment to install them?
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 34
Likes: 0
From: Bossier City Louisiana
I dont know if they are any good, but I got an email about autozone having a sale through Ebay..... anyway There was a full set of drilled and slotted rotors and pads for $212. Th brakes were Eline. I have never heard of them.
No clue what this means. I've been using Ate Super Blue and Gold for maybe 30 years, long before it was the "cool race stuff". Both are identical, spec-wise, except for the coloring. It was OEM in many German cars I owned (Porsche and BMW), as well as Alfa Romeo (I own 3 currently), all of which use Ate hydraulic hardware. No extra bleeding has ever been necessary, and alternating between the blue and gold shows you when a full flush of the previous fluid is complete. Ate fluid was/is also OEM in M-B, Volvo and Saab, and possibly other euro-made cars.
As for the Z, been using the Ate fluid since 2009, when I did the first fluid change in my '08, and it's not needed any extra bleeding in that application, either. No track time on that car, and I change the fluid every year, or so.
As for the Z, been using the Ate fluid since 2009, when I did the first fluid change in my '08, and it's not needed any extra bleeding in that application, either. No track time on that car, and I change the fluid every year, or so.
I'd go with pads. If you want, upgrade rotors and stainless steel lines.
The car itself is designed to be able to brake efficiently enough with the oem setup. If you need to push your car beyond it's daily driving limits, then you should consider BBKs.
If you got lotta $ to blow, go ahead and get BBKs for show.
The car itself is designed to be able to brake efficiently enough with the oem setup. If you need to push your car beyond it's daily driving limits, then you should consider BBKs.
If you got lotta $ to blow, go ahead and get BBKs for show.
New Member
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 510
Likes: 7
From: Pflugerville,Texas
I went with Centrix Slotted/XDrilled rotors which ran me about $200 shipped for all four and some Autozone C-MAX pads with lifetime warranty for $105.I upgraded due to the noise the factory pads and rotors would make, never could get them quiet and the pads were about 40% left and rotors turned.Went with upgrade, installed myself, and no more noise last 20K ive had them on.
Heard great things about the CMAX pads from the Mustang forums.So for about $305 and my labor, it was fairly cheap.
Heard great things about the CMAX pads from the Mustang forums.So for about $305 and my labor, it was fairly cheap.
Last edited by HK350 Z; May 14, 2014 at 09:18 AM.
Brake upgrades, budget limited, in this order (assuming all existing parts are functional and in good shape)
1. Pads
2. Fluid
3. Lines
4. BBK.
Drilled/Slotted rotors are a pointless upgrade, as they just reduce the mass of the rotor, and thus it's heat handling capabilities. The old arguments of offgassing are not valid any longer with current pad technologies. In stock size, a rotor should only be replaced with a high quality stock equivalent, cryotreated if you want to spend a little more for some durability. The only exception to this would be if you're actually competing, and looking to shed weight, where i would suggest something like a RacingBrake 2-peice stock sized rotor.
a BBK is only a worth while investment if you're actually tracking the car, and need the additional heat management capabilities that come with larger rotors. On the street, it's a style thing at best.
1. Pads
2. Fluid
3. Lines
4. BBK.
Drilled/Slotted rotors are a pointless upgrade, as they just reduce the mass of the rotor, and thus it's heat handling capabilities. The old arguments of offgassing are not valid any longer with current pad technologies. In stock size, a rotor should only be replaced with a high quality stock equivalent, cryotreated if you want to spend a little more for some durability. The only exception to this would be if you're actually competing, and looking to shed weight, where i would suggest something like a RacingBrake 2-peice stock sized rotor.
a BBK is only a worth while investment if you're actually tracking the car, and need the additional heat management capabilities that come with larger rotors. On the street, it's a style thing at best.
