Thread: Brake upgrade?

I've got a few questions on upgrading my brakes. I currently have AD22 (NX2K) brakes on the front of my '96. The pads and rotors are just about done, so I'm looking to replace them.

What does everyone suggest for new brake rotors? This isn't a track vehicle, so I'm not really interested in the cheap throw aways that autozone offers. I want something that wont' rust up on me and look as good as they stop. Something that is Zinc Coated or Parkerized (gun metal coating). Cross Drilled/Slotted aren't a sales feature for me for obvious street reliablity reasons, so if I can buy a nice set without em, that'd be prefered.

I'm looking at replacing the rear brakes as well... is there a good replacement upgrade option for a B14? I've read mixed things about the Maxima/NX2000 rear upgrade working on a B14, so I'm not sure if that's an option. I don't mind installing the Altama MC if that's the only downside. Did I just misunderstand? What does everyone suggest... I'd like to keep the rotors the same brand on the front and back if possible.

For pads, I was thinking of going with Axxis Ultimates. In the past I've only used OEM Nissan pads but would like to try something a little more agressive for the street. I'm not looking for a high temp race pad. What does everyone suggest? I'd like to avoid dusting if possible, but can live with it as long as it can be easily washed off (IE, not track pads like Hawk Blues lol). Street stopping power matters more to me than the annoyance of cleaning off the dust.

For brake lines, I was thinking about going with the Crown Stainless/Kevlar lines that Greg V offers. Any other suggestions/advice?

Fluid - ATE Super Blue. Been using it for years on all my cars, great stuff.

I'm running the Crown lines good stuff seem a little bigger than Goodridge.Axxis are great pads just be ready to clean your wheels more often they dust quite bad.

Thanks for the response... I can live with the dust, but are there any pads with similar street performance that dust less I should consider?

I have the setup written up here:

Project Nissan Sentra SE-R - Tech Part 9: In The End, You Always Have To Stop with the addition of the superb lines from Greg you mention. Those are great.

Brembo sport rotors would not be a bad choice (plain, vented front, plain, solid rear) and are available for low $$$ but good quality.

My front pads are Hawk HPS, but only because it's not street-only. Your pad choice would be great.

The Wilwood fronts are IMHO nearly on par with my 4-pot Brembos on my other car, they have a little more flex at the caliper but with the larger B15/U13 MC, it works great. I run plain Nissan pads on the rear - relatively low dust, and if I ran pads with more grip, I'd ruin the F/R balance. The brake conversion using Maxima brakes (same calipers as the front on my Altima first gen) is good, they face the right way and keep the bleeder screws up, plus fit the e-brake perfectly. I would not have had the patience to file out rotors like Dave did, but he's a resourceful guy. The rears work really well and are a very good balance to the 4-pot fronts - all you need, more in the rear would be bad.

I run 11x0.8" rotors on the fronts, mine are VW Corrado rotors but Brembo should have a set that fits, I have Brembo sports on the U13 fronts also 11x0.8" although in the slightly different bolt spacing.

I swear by this setup, once the hawks were broken in, which took some time, the bit of rear bias that Coleman was running into went away, the fronts bite really well. HPS pads do not bed so quickly, they feel like bricks for awhile. I'm amazed at how well they work considering their cost relative to the "big names" out there. I think the setup is perfect for the B13, and since you already have NX2K calipers, clearly you're looking for a good deal more braking. The MC I'm using is the Nabco 97 Nissan U13/B15 No-ABS MC.

Works great. Plus the Wilwoods fit well and work well with an 11" rotor, meaning I can run 15x7 wheels with plenty of room, at 4.4 kilos a wheel, the traklites don't have material to spare being shaved down by the brakes! Don't get me wrong, they are incredibly strong wheels.

More pics and info here, plus nice shot comparo of Greg's lines to goodbridge, they are so well made it surprised me.