Hey all,

Just curious on your opinions for the best front brake rotors and pads....Im looking @ cross drilled and or vented but might just go with OEM type aftermarket ones. This is for everyday road rage type driving... What is best and where can I find @ the best price??

Thanks

 

Don't bother with drilled or slotted rotors, just get Hawk pads and good sticky tires 'cause you'll need 'em.

 

http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/index.jsp

Look like pretty good $$$$$ on Hawk pads. Anyone found the for less?

 

I paid 100 bucks Canadian for my Hawk HP+ (front end only).

I'd go with the HP+ rather than the HPS, they're just fine for everyday street use as long as you don't mind a little squeeking and a whole lot of brake dust.

Trust me, these are the pads you want. My brakes are otherwise stock, except for DOT 5.1 racing fluid, and they are absolutely phenomenal compared to stock pads. I almost want better tires, as I can lock up my 205 Toyo Proxes *very* easily now. In fact, be really careful while you're getting used to them, because any more than light/moderate pressure and you'll be locking up on the highway.

I've heard that the stock size rotor is too small to realize any benefit from drilling or slotting. Not to mention they'll probably crack and definitely won't last as long as stock rotors.

 

I got powerslot slotted rotors (brembo blanks with slots in 'em) for my Civic, and the slots are so dang small that all they do is fill up with brake dust. I wouldn't bother with slotted if I were you, and I heard cross drilled are prone to cracking, so I really don't know, I would say for everyday use, unless you do the occasional 130+ mph jaunt (and even then), you don't need the extra cooling capacity. It's up to you.

 

Axxis pads...Made in Australia, used by the RX-7 1st gen Rally competitor who the SCCA is basing their RX-7 ban on....Of course they're expensive....$75, but they're damn good!

Denny, from the 'ol corncrib

 

I'm running cross-drilled rotors right now so I hope I don't jinx myself by posting this but it's been two years since I hit the streets with them and there's no sign of cracks. It eats up pads a little bit faster and even "no dust" pads dust up my Weds wheels. It's been about a year since I changed pads so I can't even remember what they are now so this thread was extremely timely. If you decide to go the C/D rotor route, try this. Get new discs from Racing Beat (which I did...) and then take them to a machinist in your area that is mentioned by name from a couple of your local speed shops. Draw the direction of the holes (You'll be dedicating them to R and L sides of your car when you do this) with a marker on the discs and then trust your machinist to select the size and quantity of holes following your pattern. The lines don't have to be followed like connect the dots, they're just on the discs to make sure he has the orientation of the holes correct. By trust, I mean he's probably spent his life around metal and will know just by sight and sound what he can safely remove without compromising the disc. If you've really got donero, you could then send them to get cryogenically treated to restore the proper metal grain pattern although I personally didn't follow that route.

 

Cool thanks for the thoughts so far guys. Sounds like cross drilled isnt the way to go since I prolly will only be doing country road driving/racing. Seems I have always have a heavy foot and managed to warp about anything Ive ever owned So I was thinking about them. Ill prolly just pick up some regular rotors (aftermarket) and then find some pads. My current rotors are being turned but I could just slap some pads on em until I find a sweet deal on some rotors...

What pads seem to create the least dust in your experience and provide GREAT braking??

Whirled Peas!

 

Hmmmmm....any of these good? GREAT prices..

Vehicle: 1984 Mazda RX-7 F.I.
Part: Brake Pad Set
Front
GSL/SE Model
Fits
Year: -1986


To view shopping cart contents, click the View Cart link above.

Product Brand Price

N1010-10494 PBR $31.89

N1010-68830 Aftermarket $17.39

N1010-45306 Nippon $17.94

 

We already told ya what the best pads are - Hawks! They dust and squeal like a ****, but they also stop like a ****, which is what's important. If you want great braking, you pretty much have to deal with some dust. The stock pads are super quiet and never dust, but then they suck *** at slowing your seven down. It's all a compromise, but you'll be a believer if you try those HP+'s.

 

Isn't that brake dust corrosive as all hell? Do you just have to pressure wash the wheels every week or something to keep them from being demolished by the dust?

 

Pele, stop now buddy - I don't want to hear that stuff:p

I've had the Hawks since August and haven't noticed any wheel problems. But I haven't washed my wheels in a while (haven't driven my car in a while actually since I got rear-ended)... ah hell they need refinishing anyways. I guess I care about good braking more than I care about shiny wheels lol.

 

Shouldn't you wash your car once a week anyway?

 

Actually, I find the "Hawk" dust stays really dry and doesnt turn to mud when the wheels get wet. The easiest way to clean it (on my wheels anyway) is to buff it off with a dry cloth. Believe it or not, it actually polishes your wheels as it's buffed off.

 

Hmmm... Maybe it was race only pads or something... All metallic, semi metallic or organic...

I'm confuzzulating myself.

 

Whatever mystery pads I'm running now are dusting a rusty brown. I left it for a while since I wasn't washing the multi-colored beast and now regret it. The Weds were clear-coated and that stupid dust ate that and left a "pock" pattern in the metal itself. One of these days, I'll grind down to good metal and recoat them.

 

from what i recall too, performance brake pad dusts are indeed pretty corrosive.

does the Hawk pads squeak all the time? Even after warm-up?

How's the braking power when the brakes are cold?

 

My Hawk HP+'s squeal and grind when they are cold, but are smooth and silent once warmed up (when I slam on the brakes a couple times). Cold pad performance is equivalent to the stock pads.

The dust probably is pretty toxic, but my rims are polished bare aluminium and I've never had any problems.

 

How hot does it get in Ottawa? I'm thinking the TX sun along with the 110 F days made the dust reactive, although this is pure speculation on my part.:p

 

Hey, it gets hot up here... not at this time of year though . If you're driving around Ottawa at this time of year, brake dust is the least of your worries. <cough> salt <cough>.

 

I am SO glad they use sand down here but at least with salt kickin'up you could hang your Tecate out the window and then with a little lime...

 

Tecate? No way man, up here we drink real beer .

 

ouch...

 

Tecate? WTF is a Tecate?

 

I thought it was a really fast 3 wheeler