Thread: Need Brakes
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Old Sep 10, 2009 | 11:57 PM
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OKC-XFR
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Joined: May 2008
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From: Moore, OK
Default Re: Need Breaks

Originally Posted by BoilerUpXFire
Once you get those installed, please post some pics, I am thinking about going with the exact same setup you are talking about and think it will look/perform excellently...
Well, it's been about 700 miles since I put on the rotors and pads, so here's my report:

I opted for the black anodized drilled and slotted rotors from www.BrakePerformance.com and Rotex Gold pads. They took less than a week to arrive - here is what the rotors look like out of the box:



They anodize the entire rotor, so nothing is missed that can rust. Here is the front mounted:



You have to be careful when you first put the rotors on. The anodizing has to wear off the contact area before the braking becomes consistent - sometimes they grab tremendously, other times they are a little soft. Also, I noticed more grinding/scraping noise than normal, but no squealing at all - I put a lot of anti-squeal spray compound on the pads just to be sure. This lasted for about 2 weeks of careful driving (the manufacturer recommends no hard braking until they are broken in). Now they perform at least as well as the OEM pads/rotors ever did. I had to make an emergency braking maneuver when some stuff fell off a trailer in front of me on the highway, and they performed admirably (I felt sorry for the people behind me - probably had to change their shorts). No pulsing, fading, vibration or squealing -- just solid braking power.

It took me about 5 hours to do the whole job, but that was taking my time to be very careful and included a significant amount of time to scrub the backs of all the wheels. The dust was baked on badly since they had never been cleaned in 4 years. The how-to's on the forum on brake replacement were very helpful.

The passenger side outboard OEM pad had separated from the backing causing a lot of squeal:



Here is what they look like now - just painted the calipers last weekend:

The blue isn't as bright in person...can't see much through the stock wheels, either.

The best part of the whole project is NO MORE DUST!!! There is a lot of dust for the break-in period while the anodizing is wearing off, but after that, your wheels stay clean! Hard to believe, but it's true.

For anyone that is interested, this is what the e-brake looks like under the rear rotors:



All in all, I am very happy with the results. The total cost was about $375 - $260 for 4 rotors and $115 for the Rotex Gold pads.
 
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