Suspension forum the right place?

My front right rotor is squealing and I want to just "do it all" because I hate working on brakes. I was going to go with:

Front and rear Autozone blanks (current rotors would be too thin if resurfaced)
AEM pads
Earl or Goodridge SS lines (which is preferred?)
Motul brake fluid (DOT 3, DOT 4, DOT 5.1?- which one for a street car?)

I thought of getting fancy rotors but I was told that even most of the A/X guys just use good ol' cheapy AZ blanks.

edit: also, I thought of sanding and using some high-temp paint on the calipers, perhaps some intended for calipers like G2 to offset all the rust, something like black or gray, no ricer yellow here.

Remember- "street car", is this a decent upgrade? I think it comes out around 325 total.




Modified by CaptivaBlue at 8:57 PM 5/18/2005

 

You have a pretty good plan going here.

If your gonna get stainless lines, I would go with a brand that has an extra protective coating on the outside of the SS braid. Dirt can get between the braids and wear away at the Teflon hose inside. Neuspeed & Stop Tech are the only ones I'm currently aware of. Nuespeed's lines have a bright yellow coating that is pretty offensive to the eye, but it certainly gets the job done. Stop Techs lines have a clear coating, and can be purchased in axle sets instead of only all 4 at once.

As for brake fluid, I don't know which one is the best for a street car. I just use new & fresh Valvoline fluid every time I bleed brakes. There is a really good article about those fluids on StopTech.com in the tech section (I've learned everything about brakes from their website).

I used high temp engine paint (ricer red ) on my calipers, and they still look good & shiny (5 years). I wish I had sanded them first. because I have gotten a few chips over the years. Make sure to keep brake fluid away from that paint though ...

AEM pads are made by Nissin, the manufacturer of the OEM brake pads. There is no question about their quality or fitment, so I think that's a good choice. I went with Axxis Ultimates, but I had to grind the ears down to get them to fit in the caliper properly...

Blank rotors are better than over priced ricer rotors (hands down).

 

yea, sounds good for street use. but i would go with carbotech bobcat brake pads, there good on the street,+hardly any brake dust,however they are a little squeeky when they get realy hot.

 

I ended getting the Earl's lines before I read your response, is there anything I can slide over and secure to the the lines that will protect them but not interfere with their operation?

 

I don't know. If you do use anything, it better be damn heat resistant. I wouldn't really worry about it though. You should be fine...

 

Check the price on the AEM before you order them. I've seen a wide range of prices on them (marked up because they're AEM, cheaper because they were AEM....). I use Hawk HPS on my cars (street & street/auto-x) and love them. Cheaper than the AEM usually too. For the brake fluid, the Motul isn't necessary. You SHOULD be able to get fluid from Ford cheaper. Just ask for the DOT4 Focus SVT fluid. I and my friends all use it in our cars for auto-x and have no issues. It's really not until you start tracking (or maybe autocrossing a heavy car) that you need the higher temp stuff like Motul. Oh, stay away from DOT5 stuff. It will not mix with DOT3 or DOT4 so you basically have to swap out your entire brake system in order to convert.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Dave421 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> Oh, stay away from DOT5 stuff. It will not mix with DOT3 or DOT4 so you basically have to swap out your entire brake system in order to convert.</TD></TR></TABLE>

He actually was asking about DOT5.1 which is usable in a honda (different from DOT5)...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 94eg! &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

He actually was asking about DOT5.1 which is usable in a honda (different from DOT5)...</TD></TR></TABLE>

Interesting. I saw it but didn't process it I guess. I've heard about something new/different than the DOT5 but don't know any of the details. Looks like I need to research it some.

 

The following is an excerpt from the stoptech "brake fluid 1A" tech article found here...

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by StopTech.com &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> In so many words, DOT 5.1 fluids are simply DOT 4-type fluids which meet DOT 5 performance requirements. Because of this, they typically can be mixed with DOT 3 or DOT 4 fluids without concern. In some circles, they are even referred to as ‘DOT 4 Plus’ or ‘Super DOT 4’ fluids because they are more similar to a conventional DOT 4 fluid by chemistry than they are to a conventional DOT 5 fluid. In fact, DOT 5.1 is essentially comprised of Borate Esters.

While it may not be obvious, the big advantage of the DOT 5.1 fluids is that they contain all of the nifty water-absorbing characteristics of the DOT 3 and DOT 4 fluids while simultaneously providing for very high boiling points and relatively stable viscosity over a wide range of temperatures. The best of all worlds, you could say. The table below sums it up quite nicely.

So, what is the downside of the DOT 5.1 fluids? Like most things in life, the good stuff isn’t cheap. DOT 5.1 fluids typically cost three to four times as much to manufacture as a conventional DOT 4 fluids. There’s always a catch…</TD></TR></TABLE>