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What type of brake pads do you prefer?

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  • What type of brake pads do you prefer?

    Well it turns out the front pads on my S30 have all kinds of hairline fractures in them. I'm not sure why they did this, but I think that age and heat were factors. The pins that the pads are supposed to slide on got rusty and seized up, which is where the heat probably came from.

    Those cracks may also explain the very loud barking/squeeling when I got on the brakes.

    Anyway, I need to pick out new ones. I do ocassionally autocross with this car, but I don't rack up many miles. My wheels are painted gunmetal gray, so dust isn't an issue. I want a high performance, yet perfectly streetable compound.

    My uncle owns a CarQuest store (family discount), so I went there today and they only offer an organic brake pad. However, it seems to me that those from Carquest would be more for quietness and long life rather than performance.

    Here's what else I found so far:

    http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/results. ... toModClar=

    http://store.summitracing.com/egnsearch ... 4294922533

    I also looked into Porterfield R4S pads, but from what I've read they are really noisy.
    1976 280Z 2+2 Turbo
    '81 L28ET, '84 Turbo ECCS, '84-'85 rotors + Toyota 4x4 front calipers + 240SX rears, Z31 DXD Stage I clutch kit, Evo intercooler, Tokico lowering springs and HP blues
    "I drive an S30...your stock equipment is my future upgrade!"

  • #2
    the porterfield r4-s pads rock.. i didnt notice any additional noise. i have them in my z31 with z32 calipers, and in my 240z with toyota 4 piston calipers.. they do need to heat up a bit to work best, but when they are cold they are no different than any other street pad. in the 240 with solid rotors and 90 degree heat outside i experienced NO fade under serious (120-45mph) braking at limerock. that was with 2 drivers driving consecutive 25 minute sessions.. and thats braking between the #1 and 2 brake zone markers.. a lot of race cars dont brake that late.. we abuse the hell out of the brakes. this past season i experienced some fade at pocono (north course i think?) but that was with a more powerful motor and a harder braking zone than at limerock.. in my z31, however, i overheated the R4-s pads fairly quickly at pocono.. next season i will be getting straight R4 (for twice the price!).. you will abuse them a lot less than i have, so they will hold up just fine.. but in all honesty, from the type of driving you described i would be comfortable with some regular metalic pads.

    Comment


    • #3
      Never run an NAO (organic) pad in place of a semi-met pad, even if they offer them. The only advantage is the quiet operation. They don't perform nearly as well in less than ideal conditions and will overheat and lining fade quickly with heavy braking.

      The sets of 'parts-store' pads I have run for a little while and thrown away before getting good pads was no less than 10. I am sure very few parts stores actually offer brake pads that match the performance of axxis metalmasters (and are as insanely cheap) but the napa premium and raybestos pads were both very close. The napa pads liked to smoke heavily after 2 full-force stops from 100, while the raybestos simply faded away and the metalmasters kept on giving stopping power. Hawk HP's are also an option for your car, but they destroy rotors super fast. The metalmasters create a lot of dust and make a little more noise, but have the absolute best warm bite of any I have tested so far.

      Comment


      • #4
        I too like the metalmasters, and I have been using them for a long time. Too bad that no one seems to be able to get them anymore. I had to do some searching to find a set in stock a few months back.
        Chuck Stong
        300+ Parts and Performance owner
        http://www.300-plus.com
        2002 ZCOT president and always active member

        Comment


        • #5
          These?

          Axxis Metal Masters Brake Pads

          http://www.buybrakes.com/axxis/
          Selling left over z31 parts from an 85.

          Comment


          • #6
            I see them on ebay all the time... but all I see right now are rear sets. The 87-89 turbo front pads I used to never be able to find though, but just now I actually found them:

            http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/AXXIS-ME ... enameZWD1V

            Comment


            • #7
              Chris86NA2T wrote: the porterfield r4-s pads rock.. i didnt notice any additional noise. i have them in my z31 with z32 calipers, and in my 240z with toyota 4 piston calipers.. they do need to heat up a bit to work best, but when they are cold they are no different than any other street pad. in the 240 with solid rotors and 90 degree heat outside i experienced NO fade under serious (120-45mph) braking at limerock. that was with 2 drivers driving consecutive 25 minute sessions.. and thats braking between the #1 and 2 brake zone markers.. a lot of race cars dont brake that late.. we abuse the hell out of the brakes. this past season i experienced some fade at pocono (north course i think?) but that was with a more powerful motor and a harder braking zone than at limerock.. in my z31, however, i overheated the R4-s pads fairly quickly at pocono.. next season i will be getting straight R4 (for twice the price!).. you will abuse them a lot less than i have, so they will hold up just fine.. but in all honesty, from the type of driving you described i would be comfortable with some regular metalic pads.
              I'm considering going with Porterfield now.

              The problem is that I can get great pads for the front, but there's not much for the rear shoes. The only performance shoes are from Porterfield, but they are $80 for the front and $70 for the rear.

              Balance is important when it comes to brakes so why upgrade the front and not the rear?

              So either I get cheapass pads and shoes from Carquest or go all out and buy the Porterfields for $150.
              1976 280Z 2+2 Turbo
              '81 L28ET, '84 Turbo ECCS, '84-'85 rotors + Toyota 4x4 front calipers + 240SX rears, Z31 DXD Stage I clutch kit, Evo intercooler, Tokico lowering springs and HP blues
              "I drive an S30...your stock equipment is my future upgrade!"

              Comment


              • #8
                I personally like the Hawk HPS' = no noise, nice inital bute, very little fading (never taken to track but driven hard), little dust. I've only had them on for about 10K and haven't noticed any abnormal rotor wear as Jason mentioned.
                Also look into EBC Greenstuff, nice aggressive compound and similar qualities to the Hawk's. Either brand can be had for under $80.
                Go for the bucks and get what you really want, save yourself the time and aggravation of being unhappy with the cheap-o's. My .02

                Comment


                • #9
                  Gregmatic wrote: I personally like the Hawk HPS' = no noise, nice inital bute, very little fading (never taken to track but driven hard), little dust. I've only had them on for about 10K and haven't noticed any abnormal rotor wear as Jason mentioned.
                  Just ordered those pads yesterday.

                  Now I need new calipers. My old ones are seized up. Trying to decide between Black Dragon or MSA rebuilts.
                  1976 280Z 2+2 Turbo
                  '81 L28ET, '84 Turbo ECCS, '84-'85 rotors + Toyota 4x4 front calipers + 240SX rears, Z31 DXD Stage I clutch kit, Evo intercooler, Tokico lowering springs and HP blues
                  "I drive an S30...your stock equipment is my future upgrade!"

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I know you have already ordered pads but I too have the Porterfield R4-S and love em. I wouldn't upgrade the rear unless they are severly worn. I have done many track events with a stock grade rear shoe on my 1970 240 and it stops without any issues. The rear drums just don't work hard enough to suffer from any real fading. All the work is done up front.
                    1970 240Z

                    88 Shiro Special (SS)
                    185 RWHP
                    205 RWTQ

                    88NA2Turbo w/
                    311 RWHP
                    393 RWTQ
                    If you BOOST it ........ it will run!!!!!!!!!!!

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      My buddy's supra has the porterfield RS-4's and they are to good for his abs :lol: . Hold up real well in his heavy car too
                      Attached Files

                      Terrible idea putting those wheels on...

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Jason84NA2T wrote: I am sure very few parts stores actually offer brake pads that match the performance of axxis metalmasters (and are as insanely cheap).
                        Probebly the best price to performance ratio on the market, I've driven a few cars with them and they've never let me down.

                        Jason84NA2T wrote:
                        The metalmasters create a lot of dust and make a little more noise, but have the absolute best warm bite of any I have tested so far.
                        Never had much of a dust problem with them that I've noticed, espically compared to something like a Hawk Blue, possibly the dustiest pad I've ever seen.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Calipers- get them local from Napa or your store of choice. If you get a bad caliper, which happens, returning it and getting a replacement is easy compared to mail order stuff.

                          Over the last 6 years I have replaced 8 calipers on 3 different vehicles. (not all my own) I did all 4 on my Z. Sadly 2 of those 8 calipers failed fairly quickly and both under the same circumstance. Quick braking due to hazard blew the seals within 2500 miles on both. (1 on the Z)

                          My point is, rebuilt calipers can be an item that fails. If you get it locally your exchange process is pretty simple.
                          Just stand back and throw money.
                          Performance costs money.
                          Reliable performance costs more.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            I got Bendix rebuilt calipers through Advance Auto. Bendix is supposedly the same company that does MSA's so they must be okay.

                            I just installed the Hawk pads and Nissan hardware. I'm also flushing out the lines and cleaning the master cylinder reservoirs (they were gunky!). The rears are next with a seal kit for the wheel cylinders and new shoes.

                            I'm sure it will work much better. No more barking from the brakes!
                            1976 280Z 2+2 Turbo
                            '81 L28ET, '84 Turbo ECCS, '84-'85 rotors + Toyota 4x4 front calipers + 240SX rears, Z31 DXD Stage I clutch kit, Evo intercooler, Tokico lowering springs and HP blues
                            "I drive an S30...your stock equipment is my future upgrade!"

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              280Z Turbo wrote: I'm also flushing out the lines and cleaning the master cylinder reservoirs (they were gunky!).
                              Agreed, flushing the heck out of the lines and master cylinder is a good thing. The amount of gunk that can build up is unreal.
                              Just stand back and throw money.
                              Performance costs money.
                              Reliable performance costs more.

                              Comment

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