2015 - Z26 PowerStop over kill for Daily Driver?
('14-'18)
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Better brakes are never overkill IMHO. It doesn't take too long to compensate with your foot. If the car has anti lock brakes, (You need to fill out your profile) they would take care of overbraking and locking up the brakes. Your tires would just be the next weakest link.
@Rii sounds like you'll want to start one of these!
Bobby...
['07 FSXT Member Journal] ['03 X Member Journal]
['07 FSXT Member Journal] ['03 X Member Journal]
The upgrades would be some justification for better brakes. But don't forget the suspension if not already upgraded. More power in both the go pedal and the stop pedal will test the suspensions' ability to keep it in the direction the steering wheel is pointed.
My 2 cents
Not overkill
Not overkill
As long as the pads are designed for street use--and it looks like they are, you're fine. Racing pads need to be warmed up before they work well.
No idea what the markup is; I would pay more for rotors cast in the US if that is still possible. I don't think the slots and holes will help much in daily use but they look good showing thru the wheels.
No idea what the markup is; I would pay more for rotors cast in the US if that is still possible. I don't think the slots and holes will help much in daily use but they look good showing thru the wheels.
You're going to wish you didn't buy drilled rotors later on, but you'll never regret good brake pads.
Next time, opt for the blank/flat rotors. Drilled and slotted rotors just end up wearing out the pads and cracking/rusting on the street. Unless you're stopping from 100mph pretty frequently, a flat rotor will be the better choice.
Side note- Change your brake fluid when you do the brakes. Just having new DOT 3/4 fluid in the system does wonders for pedal feel. Don't buy the "racing brake fluid".
Side note #2- Do lots and lots of reading before modifying anything with the engine. The FA20DIT's are notoriously picky about intake changes of any kind.
Next time, opt for the blank/flat rotors. Drilled and slotted rotors just end up wearing out the pads and cracking/rusting on the street. Unless you're stopping from 100mph pretty frequently, a flat rotor will be the better choice.
Side note- Change your brake fluid when you do the brakes. Just having new DOT 3/4 fluid in the system does wonders for pedal feel. Don't buy the "racing brake fluid".
Side note #2- Do lots and lots of reading before modifying anything with the engine. The FA20DIT's are notoriously picky about intake changes of any kind.
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After a few day of drivings my wife said nothing is different for the old brakes but I feel the car brakes more responsive. She drives it more daily than me.. if the rotors and pad gives me another 50k miles just like the OEM i will probably just buy the one step down from Z26 and maybe a new caliper will do the trick next time. As far as The intake they been saying the it really does need tuning..
After a few day of drivings my wife said nothing is different for the old brakes but I feel the car brakes more responsive. She drives it more daily than me.. if the rotors and pad gives me another 50k miles just like the OEM i will probably just buy the one step down from Z26 and maybe a new caliper will do the trick next time. As far as The intake they been saying the it really does need tuning..
I just put similar slotted and drilled rotors[ zinc coated Dynamic Friction] on with ceramic pads and have no regrets. Some people say they can wear the pad quicker but also claim there better in the rain, anyways the wet stopping was more important to me. I had a local mechanic put them on and paid for just labor which if I allowed a shop to put on their parts they would have been of lesser grade. My cost was the same with me supplying the parts and I got better brakes. The fact is the standard rotors rust faster when siting outside or is wet conditions causing them to wear out faster, these rotors are of a better steel and I have noticed hardly any rust occurring which will greatly offset any wear from the fact their drilled. The chamfered helps a little with that also.
@Rii
You don't need to tune with an intake (or exhaust for that matter) but you also won't see any performance gains until you do - just fun sounds. If the car isn't tuned to the modifications, they won't do anything, and an intake/exhaust won't do any damage un-tuned. Look at every civic out there
Although, personally idk why anyone wants to do an exhaust and hear even more of the cvt transmission...bleh (unless of course they have big performance plans which sounds like you do if you plan to upgrade the turbo)
You don't need to tune with an intake (or exhaust for that matter) but you also won't see any performance gains until you do - just fun sounds. If the car isn't tuned to the modifications, they won't do anything, and an intake/exhaust won't do any damage un-tuned. Look at every civic out there
Although, personally idk why anyone wants to do an exhaust and hear even more of the cvt transmission...bleh (unless of course they have big performance plans which sounds like you do if you plan to upgrade the turbo)
On the FA20DIT powered XT, any changes made to the intake do need to be tuned. A Forester XT is not a Honda Civic.
If you need further proof, go do some crawling around on NASIOC about people with WRX's and their experiences with intakes. MAF scaling issues, lean idle issues, CEL's, etc.
Try this one.
Or this one.
This one is good, too.
After a few day of drivings my wife said nothing is different for the old brakes but I feel the car brakes more responsive. She drives it more daily than me.. if the rotors and pad gives me another 50k miles just like the OEM i will probably just buy the one step down from Z26 and maybe a new caliper will do the trick next time. As far as The intake they been saying the it really does need tuning..
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What are you expecting from new brakes? If the new pads are soft, brake pedal pressure may be reduced and the pads will wear out quicker, and if the pads are hard, brake pedal pressure may be increased. Otherwise, the stock brakes have plenty of power to lock up all 4 tires at will and if you replaced the brakes on a new car with slotted/drilled rotors and performance pads, I doubt you'd see a shorter stopping distance.
Where performance brakes and rotors may help you is in repeated braking, such as doing laps on a road course or autocross course, or doing like a magazine tester and doing numerous 60, 70, or 80->0 stops consecutively. Good performance brakes will not fade as rapidly when they heat up.
Most performance brakes are sold for looks and advertising hype. Painted calipers look nice but don't work any better than unpainted ones.
[/QUOTE]
What are you expecting from new brakes? If the new pads are soft, brake pedal pressure may be reduced and the pads will wear out quicker, and if the pads are hard, brake pedal pressure may be increased. Otherwise, the stock brakes have plenty of power to lock up all 4 tires at will and if you replaced the brakes on a new car with slotted/drilled rotors and performance pads, I doubt you'd see a shorter stopping distance.
Where performance brakes and rotors may help you is in repeated braking, such as doing laps on a road course or autocross course, or doing like a magazine tester and doing numerous 60, 70, or 80->0 stops consecutively. Good performance brakes will not fade as rapidly when they heat up.
Most performance brakes are sold for looks and advertising hype. Painted calipers look nice but don't work any better than unpainted ones.
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It's only a waste if you think it is but then again, it really depends on what you were looking to gain from the "upgrade" as @YoGeorge pointed out. Personally, I won't get into the whole aftermarket drilled rotor debate but I think George is spot on about the benefits in your scenario and also doubt you would see better stopping distances than new, stock components. Your choice in tires I suspect would have a greater, more immediate impact in that case. ....short of going with larger rotors, etc. like in some aftermarket performance kits.
Now, as also pointed out, its a different story in scenarios where you are making constant hard stops, towing, regularly navigating long, steep grades, etc. where the brakes have the potential to be overheated resulting in brake fade, glazing, etc. I'm not familiar with the pads / rotors you bought but perhaps they are better at handling heat and there is where your benefits will be felt most. .....but if your exposing your car to demanding situations like that, you should also consider other factors like the brake fluid (regularly changing it and using something with a high boiling point).
Good brakes don't fix bad habits though.
so I could have gone with autozone's top end brake kits and saved $300..
But.. a local shops quoted me $750 to replace front rotors+brakes, rear brake pads and brake fluid replacement.
At the end of the day I saved $200 by doing it my self and i have a pleasant looking slotted/drilled brakes.
i know next time. Thanks for the input.
But.. a local shops quoted me $750 to replace front rotors+brakes, rear brake pads and brake fluid replacement.
At the end of the day I saved $200 by doing it my self and i have a pleasant looking slotted/drilled brakes.
i know next time. Thanks for the input.
Don't feel bad at all about upgrading because you legitimately did save mucho $$$ by doing the labor yourself.
The rotors definitely look very well cast and machined. You will just have to find some autocross events and wear out some tires and brake pads
The rotors definitely look very well cast and machined. You will just have to find some autocross events and wear out some tires and brake pads
Generalization alert: all modern brakes are overkill for street use otherwise we wouldn't need ABS as standard equipment. The racing brakes are for repeated and prolonged hard braking that make regular pads fad with heat.
Even cars from the 1960's could lock up the brakes. Tires weren't nearly as good back then. ABS is more for less than ideal road conditions as well as to keep the steering intact in panic situations. Although most people forget to steer when panicking. Hence the latest collision avoidance features.
The bigger point of ABS is so you can steer. The shorter braking distance is just a side benefit.
If the object is still within the shorter distance, not being able to steer away from it defeats the whole purpose of ABS.
The bigger point of ABS is so you can steer. The shorter braking distance is just a side benefit.
If the object is still within the shorter distance, not being able to steer away from it defeats the whole purpose of ABS.
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