Question for pros or shop staff

[TruSlide]

Hey guys, I'm moving back to San Diego (left in October) from Virginia. I sadly enough have put 20,000 miles on me Evo so far and I am dreading making the drive back again... although it is fun. Anyway, I just recently got new tires (Continental Exterme Contact DWS are AMAZING BTW) and did a maintenance tune up. I'm going to need to replace my brake pads pretty soon. I say this because the other day the "service brake" indicator flashed on for a second. I'm hoping it might have been faulty or something, but I know with 20k in stop and go traffic it's probably not likely.

I told myself when it was time to do the brakes I wanted to do a slight upgade. I was considering upgrading to

steel braded brake lines
slotted rotors
street pads

I'm also kind of going to be on a budget for the brake (lowest prices but good quality) components, and if I can find a shop that will do it for the right price i'll take it to them rather than do it myself. So my questions are...

1. What do you guys suggest I do in general?
2. What parts/manufactureres should I buy from?
3. Is it even beneficial to swap my rotors yet, or should I just turn them when I put the new pads on and install the steel lines?
4. Do you have any other suggestions or recommendations for me?

I'm trying not to dip into the money I've been saving to buy my I/E, ICP, and tune (RRE will be doing the work).

Thanks for the feedback guys. :mitsu:

[1WkdEvo]

1. Turn the rotors, don't replace them unless you have an actual issue with warping
a. Rotors for a X are significantly more than rotors for an VIII/IX
2. Get the steel braided lines
3. If you decide to get rotors anyway, don't bother with slotted. I track 6-8 times per year and use Regular Centric rotors for both the IX and X. They are way more than enough for anything you throw at them
4. RRE can provide the Centrics to you at a bargain rate
5. The Stoptech Street pads are great for the street and moderate tracking. Almost no dust, no noise, and they work great

Good luck no matter what you decide

[TruSlide]

Bro thanks a lot for the feedback. That helps a lot and solidifies some of the research I have been doing. Hope fully I won't need to get new rotors yet and I can dedicate that money to the rest of the parts. I'll go with your advice and take your word for it. Thanks again man.

[Azian]

For good budget street/light track pads I recommend the stoptech pads(very cheap around $150-$160 for front and rear). DO NOT resurface brake rotors just because you are replacing the pads. There is absolutely no reason. You shorten the rotor life, make it thinner so it does not hand the heat as well and spend money you should not be spending.
Almost every auto manufacturer has now come out and confirmed that all of there dealers should not be resurfacing rotors when brakes are done. It is only done to make money for the dealer.

Reasons for a rotor to be resurfaced.
1. Parallelism. The rotor is not true as it relates to the hub when it is on the vehicle. This is why they all recommend on car resurfacing.
2. Rotor scoring due to poor pad formulation, etc. Even then, GM's recommendation is to check the depth with a penny and if you can still see the top of Lincolns head then they are okay (believe it or not!)


If you would like to remove old pad transfer material from a rotor surface then you can use a 120 grit sandpaper to scuff up the surface. Excess pad transfer buildup can be removed without resurfacing. Many times it can be done by re-bedding the pads. Roll-loc discs is also an option to clean up the surface of a rotor for pad transfer but even then I would go with a red (aluminum) disk, browns are just a bit to heavy.

[bardabe]

For good budget street/light track pads I recommend the stoptech pads(very cheap around $150-$160 for front and rear). DO NOT resurface brake rotors just because you are replacing the pads. There is absolutely no reason. You shorten the rotor life, make it thinner so it does not hand the heat as well and spend money you should not be spending.
Almost every auto manufacturer has now come out and confirmed that all of there dealers should not be resurfacing rotors when brakes are done. It is only done to make money for the dealer.

Reasons for a rotor to be resurfaced.
1. Parallelism. The rotor is not true as it relates to the hub when it is on the vehicle. This is why they all recommend on car resurfacing.
2. Rotor scoring due to poor pad formulation, etc. Even then, GM's recommendation is to check the depth with a penny and if you can still see the top of Lincolns head then they are okay (believe it or not!)


If you would like to remove old pad transfer material from a rotor surface then you can use a 120 grit sandpaper to scuff up the surface. Excess pad transfer buildup can be removed without resurfacing. Many times it can be done by re-bedding the pads. Roll-loc discs is also an option to clean up the surface of a rotor for pad transfer but even then I would go with a red (aluminum) disk, browns are just a bit to heavy.


He basically hit the Nail right on the Head, I wouldn't resurface rotors unless they are warped or damaged from going too low on brake pads. but then at that point i just recommend new rotors. Personally I don't recommend you install resurfaced rotors. I completely agree with him on the brake pads. as those are the ones i will be running when my OEM pads are done. (god i hope its soon they are extremely dusty.) Also I will have my vendor account set up within the next week or so hope you keep some money aside for the killer deal I am going to have on the brand New Bardabe Performance UICP and Turbo Inlet combo introductory sale.