Need help picking brakes! Soon!

[bonzo4ever]

Well, as if losing my job 3 months ago wasn't enough fun, I found out today that I need to do the brakes on my 2003 Vibe GT. Which I was planning for eventually, yet hoping I could wait on for a little while longer. Anyway, I've been told by a friend that he had good luck with the drilled and slotted rotors he bought on eBay. He says that the metal was good quality and that the finish lasted, and that the stopping power was definitely better than stock. The prices look pretty good to me, but I wanted to throw the question out to you guys for some experienced guidance. Any recommended sellers on eBay that you've gotten good stuff from? I'm going to have to place an order soon, unfortunately.

[ehoff121]

I don't have them, but these looked interesting: http://catalog.brakewarehouse....ht=27 They're $165/pr delivered.Good luck!

[Sublimewind]

You absolutely do not need drilled or slotted rotors.. In fact you LOSE brake performance because of the loss of actual swept area. You would be far better off with a decent set of rotors and some good pads.. Following a proper bedding and seasoning procedure I think is paramount as well... I personally had a set of rotors last me 6-7yrs and that was with many a day of flogging the crap out of the car.. and I feel it was because I followed a proper bedding and seasoning procedure.. (which can be found on Bear Brakes in the tech sections)In fact, you would be better off with a Cryo treated rotors than you would be a drilled or slotted one... (for the Vibe application)

[bonzo4ever]

Thanks for the heads up. I know the drilled and slotted rotors look pretty through the rims, but for the sake of safety I need as much stopping power as possible. Are the cryo rotors available online or on eBay anywhere in particular?

[HighMileVibe]

Don't buy into the "snake oil" brake BS.Ditto - crossdrilled / slotted rotors if on proper cryotreated disc help in RACING applications, i.e. high speed, very hard full braking over and over again. You will NEVER need this kind of braking on the street. Racing brakes also need to heat up for proper power whereas street braking is BETTER than racing brakes on the first and second or so hard braking (hard enough to trigger ABS or wheel lockup) in a short period. You also dont need cryotreated unless, again, you plan on doing some track days.If you want maximum street braking, just invest in some of the Akebono ProACT ceramic pads or something similar. They have very good cold braking and still hard up well under extended hard braking. You should not need rotors unless they are warped or too thin (below specs).If you want more effective braking, your best bet is sticky summer high performance tires and wider than stock. They effectively increase the traction thereby raising the threshold (more G's) for the ABS kicking in or skidding.If you are still gungho for braking power, a full brake kit from Brembo, StopTech or Bear will do it. These are full race, 4 piston calipers but you will still need sticky tires to take advantage of them. Just remember, as long as you can lock up or trigger ABS you are getting plenty of braking power.Here's some Conti's that would be pretty sticky...

[bonzo4ever]

@HighMile Vibe - Wow, 123k and counting! That makes me feel even better about my GT. When I bought it I did so fully intending to keep it for a long time. Thank you also for the tips. It seems like the D/S rotors on eBay are meant to draw in poor folks like me who want to look like they have a performance car. Of course, I'm mostly concerned with long brake life and being able to stop when I need to. I'm going to be shopping around for some prices this weekend and seeing what I can come up with for good quality parts. If anyone has any tips, tricks, or problems with their own brake jobs that I should know about before turning the ratchet, let me know. Thanks again, guys. This board is the best.

[Sublimewind]

It just so happens, I have a full front brake tutorial...lol.. shouldn't be hard to find.. Also, I feel VERY strongly about proper bedding and seasoning.. I honestly feel it extends the life of the brakes and quells the warping... The rotors I spoke of earlier, were actually cross drilled rotors (KVR rotors) I put them on after I moved to VT... so they got flogged regularly in the mountains!! I since moved form VT to NY and then to MI... I've never herd of rotors lasting like that, with the abuse they saw from me.. So please, get on Baer Brakes and look through the bedding and seasoning procedures.. to do it properly, it can take multiple DAYS.. Another thing, get yourself a torque wrench, should you not have one already.. you can get a cheap one through Harbor Freight that will do well enough, for 20$ (get a 1/2" drive) Properly torquing lug nuts is another big thing I often speak of.. you might be surprised how LITTLE torque is recommended, compared to what you THINK it would be.. (75-80ft/lbs)This can also help the warping issues, by having even pressure on the rotor

[HighMileVibe]

Another warping prevention step: anytime you brake to a long, hard stop be sure to creap forward and not just sit there. what happens is the rotor gets very warm, and sometimes hot from the long, hard braking. Staying at a standstill, the brake pads keep the rotor hot in that one spot while the rest of the rotor cools. This temperature differential can cause some rotors to warp. If you creap forward slowly, i.e. stop short a couple car lengths then slowly creap forward as you are waiting at the light, it allows the rotor to cool evenly. It has been my experience some cars have rotors that warp very easy - 89 Mazda MPV every 10k and some never warp - 95 Honda Odyssey with 240k miles. I am new to the vibe so I do not know how well the rotors stay straight but this process should be a good habit regardless. Ditto on the torque wrench. Also, every time you have the tires off in a shop, request they hand torque the lugnuts or use a proper torque limiter. I now have a torque calibrated arm just for lug nuts after repairing and calibrating torque wrenches for many years. ALWAYS set your torque wrench to the minimum setting (NOT below) when storing. This keeps the tension off of the torsion arm, maintaining its accuracy.

[bonzo4ever]

Well, after a good bit of shopping around online for some decent prices, I went with Premium rotors from Napa, and Bendix CQ pads from and rear, ordered from auto parts warehouse (online). It really did take quite a bit of shopping around though to get the prices. One place would have the rotors at a decent price, but be asking way too much for the pads, or vice versa. Either way, I'll have brand spanking new brakes this week. Thank you guys again for the tips.

[Sublimewind]

Read up on pad bedding and rotor seasoning while you are waiting.. It's a good read..

[bonzo4ever]

Thank you guys again for the tips. With a good deal of help from a friend, we managed to get the fronts and rears done yesterday, plus replace a worn exhaust donut gasket in the back. I will say this though - Sublimewind's front brake tutorial is great, but where I really needed help was the back. Any chance you've got a back brake tutorial in the works (Disc, perhaps)?