Upgrading my brake pads!

Discussion in 'Chai' started by Chai, Jul 16, 2011.

  1. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    Well, unfortunately, I can't afford to own nice cars like Audi S4, so I have to resort to upgrading minor parts like brake disc and pads, and I even have to do it on my own to save some money. :haha:

    Anyway, my N16 is not a high performance car in anyway, in relatively stock form (unless you consider K&N air filter, light weight rim, suspension upgrades modifications). That doesn't stop me from making my daily driver a better car.

    Instead of making the car going faster, why not make it stop better? There's almost no choice for any better performance brake pads for my car, and I had to buy from US! And the shipping costs as much as the pad itself! Hawk Performance HPS stands for High Performance Street, perfect for my usage since I don't go track days. The exact model for my car is HB598 F.606.

    It comes with some grease, and a horsepower boosting sticker. I also bought a set of new Brembo blank disc rotors. It is highly recommended to replace the rotors with the pads together since the worn rotors are not flat anymore.

    Some of the additional tools that I got to upgrade the brakes, jack stand, G clamp.
     

    Attached Files:

    1 person likes this.
  2. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    Let's start by jacking up the car. Here's a shot of before and after all the brake caliper, disc, caliper bracket, disc pads removed from the car.

    I also bought some rotor cleaner to remove the oil/grease from the brand new rotors.

    Removing the caliper bracket was the toughest part of the brake upgrade process. It took me almost an hour to untighten the bolts. I was too weak, and I wasn't sure how much strength it required. Finally, I used a hammer to untighten it, since it has very little room in the wheel arch.
     

    Attached Files:

  3. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    And finally, I got the new disc pads and rotors installed.

    Here's a comparison shot of the old and new rotors. The new Brembo rotors have a thicker solid area, which should make it less prone to rotor cracks, while the cooling vents are slightly thinner because of that.

    Although it carries the "Brembo" name which is commonly associated with high performance cars using Brembo calipers, this is not high performance rotors, and it is stock OE replacement with some improvements over the stock. It has a wear indicator on the surface to show the wear level.

    So what's the improvements over the stock pads? It is not a straight forward answer.

    It has an operating temperature of 100-800F, so it will not work right from cold start. You will have to press on the brakes harder on the first few brake attempts. After that, the brake pedal feel more consistent, and it gets harder and harder once it is warmed up. On normal street use, the brake pads never fade, perfectly suits my requirements.

    Most people will not appreciate such an upgrade, but if it is a life saving feature (to stop the car more efficiently), it is definitely worth it for me!

    It was a tiring work, but this could have potentially saved me RM100 of workmanship! :thumb:
     

    Attached Files:

  4. zy

    zy zynine.com Staff Member

    I used HAWK HPS Before, pretty good pads :thumb:

    Right now running EBC slotted & dimpled rotors with PosiQuiet Ceremic Pads.

    I have some friends running EBC slotted & dimpled with EBC yellow stuff :shock:
     
  5. belikethat

    belikethat Just Started

    wow nice job. how you know to do this stuff ?
     
  6. PsYkHoTiK

    PsYkHoTiK Admin nerd

    LOL someone got pwnt on the first sentence... I wonder who... :lol:

    Good stuff man. I'm still in a brake conundrum but will probably be going Carbotech (either XP10 or XP12 all around for a track setup). My race car driver instructor hooked me up with a contact to get the "racer's price" with them direct. My pedal feel is slowly coming back so I'm wondering if I have tapering on my current pads (the fluid should be pretty bullet proof - Motul RBF 600). I'm still waiting to hear back from Performance Friction Brakes (their Carbon Metallic compound seems to be a perfect blend between streetable and track capabilities)... :| A slotted BBK setup is still in the back of my mind though (nearly 20lbs lighter per wheel in unsprung mass!)

    But I've heard Hawk HPS are great pads. Certainly were considering them at one point and quite a few B8 S4 owners run them to great success. Remember to bed them in nice and good... :thumb:
     
    Last edited: Jul 17, 2011
  7. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    LMAO, I just love to mention Audi S4 as reference. :haha:

    HPS is quite good for street use. It doesn't dust as much as OEM! I think I'm starting to feel the limits of my calipers. It doesn't lock my brakes no matter how hard I tried (I don't have ABS).

    belikethat: Everything seems easy with Youtube. :haha:
     
  8. PsYkHoTiK

    PsYkHoTiK Admin nerd

    LMAO! Yeah... :p

    Brakes are definitely limiting if you can't get them to lock. I can't get mine to lock at above 100mph but ABS does start kicking in at about 60mph.

    I changed mine to StopTech street performance due to dust as well. OEM pads dusted like stupid crazy. The Street Perf pads after a week of driving had the same amount of dust as the OEMs after 2 days.... On the OEM, after a week, my wheels look gunmetal LOL!
     
  9. zy

    zy zynine.com Staff Member

    At least you don't have to deal with much rust.

    The last time i changed my brakes, an hour job became 2 hour job.

    One side, struggling to get the rotor off from the hub... rusted in.

    The other side, struggle to pull the caliper pin out, it was all seized up.
     
  10. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    I was so tempted to get the Wilwood calipers, but I don't intend to use this car for long. :haha:
     
  11. Adrian Wong

    Adrian Wong Da Boss Staff Member

    Wow! You did it yourself? Cool, man!

    BTW, will it void your warranty, if it's a new car?
     
  12. PsYkHoTiK

    PsYkHoTiK Admin nerd

    I don't see why it should. Brake pads are wear items anyways.
     
  13. Adrian Wong

    Adrian Wong Da Boss Staff Member

    Hmm.. Just wondering because my new Hyundai comes with a 5 year warranty and they told me I would have to use Hyundai approved parts to ensure the warranty is valid. Tyres can be changed, of course. I just never asked them about brake pads or rims.
     
  14. PsYkHoTiK

    PsYkHoTiK Admin nerd

    Haha yeah things can be a little "weird" over there. :(

    Not all countries enjoy the Magnuson-Moss Act I suppose.

    Over here they must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that anything aftermarket caused damage. My dealer hasn't even batted an eye at my stage II+ car. :angel:

    But that is almost insanely ridiculous if they voided your warranty because of pads. Aftermarket stuff have a higher tendency of being higher quality (and cheaper) than OEM. (of course not the cheapo stuff)
     
  15. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    Anything you do to the car voids the warranty, including change pads, wheels, and even bodykits! I have heard some stories about voiding warranty due to gearbox issue because of non-stock wheels! :faint:

    Unless you change to new OEM parts without the dealer knowing.
     
  16. PsYkHoTiK

    PsYkHoTiK Admin nerd

    That is way bunk... :|

    Thank God we have SEMA and consumer laws here...
     
  17. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    It is not so bad on Nissan cars here. There's a declaration form if you were to bring in your own parts, or modification parts. I think that's fair, especially if the part is directly related to the fault of the components.

    Unlike VW dealers here that I know, changing to original VW wheels also void warranties on engine or gearbox components! It is that insane. The warranty is as good as no warranty! It is not like they honour their warranty well if you use 100% VW parts directly from them either. They will give tons of excuses, or they are simply too lousy to diagnose them.
     
  18. Adrian Wong

    Adrian Wong Da Boss Staff Member

    I'll be seeing them for the first check-up this week. I will ask them about the warranty.

    Frankly speaking, I asked them about the warranty before.. and every salesman tells me a different story. :wall:

    However, they basically told me that if I want to ensure my warranty is valid - don't change anything! :)
     
  19. PsYkHoTiK

    PsYkHoTiK Admin nerd

    I sometimes forget how anti-consumer Malaysia is. :\
     
  20. Adrian Wong

    Adrian Wong Da Boss Staff Member

    Just an update... I sent my car for the first service and guess what they told me - I cannot use my own engine oil!!!! :mad: :mad: :mad:

    Basically, they claim that we may purchase "fake" engine oil which can damage the engine. Therefore, we must purchase their engine oil for each service. :mad: :mad: :mad:

    That's their reasoning, of course, but the truth is it's all about the money. They are charging more for their own engine oil.

    As far as brakes go, they say I can change the brake pads, but if I do that, I will likely void the warranty on the brake discs.
     

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