best way to upgrade factory brakes?

**eclimax13** · 10-10-2008 04:59 PM

did some searching and it has led to me asking it here...if i want to do a complete setup..without changing calipers...what should i do for better brakes..what really makes a difference?

**Ultra B6** · 10-10-2008 05:25 PM

without changing the calipers, your only option is going to be;
-Stainless steel brake lines
-Rotors- "Adams" rotors are a very nice and cost effective upgrade(find them in the group buy section)
-Upgraded pads: people run different pads but the hawks are pretty popular
-Upgrade the fuild to 5.1 but it may be a lil overkill for the stock calipers

or if you want a cheap alternative to a BBK, do what i did and snatch a set of S4 calipers up from the classifieds or somewhere as the 2 pistons make a HUGE improvement any of the upgrades listed above

**Tomek6** · 10-10-2008 06:05 PM

You can also upgrade to 3.0 V6 rotors. They are slightly bigger. You can keep your stock calipers but you will have to change the caliper carriers to the V6 ones. + all the stuff mentioned above.

**B6Lovin** · 10-10-2008 06:51 PM

^the 3.0 brake upgrade isn't necessarily the most cost effective way, but it is the biggest you can go without having to bleed your brakes. (aka, bolt and go..... err.... stop)

if you're paying to do all that i HIGHLY recommend that you just go ahead and get b5s4 brakes. you can get them cheap as hell, and the rotors are going to run you about the same price. I got mine through adam and he's really a great guy to deal with.

on the same note about rotors though - if you're not looking to change calipers, and you're not tracking the car, normal flat blank rotors are going to be the best for you. drilled/slotted are really a waste of money if you're not a more aggressive/competitive driver the majority of the time.

**cjonesgo** · 10-10-2008 07:31 PM

i did the 3.0 upgrade and noticed a significant difference from stock 1.8 (in a good way)

it's not expensive if you can find the carriers used. I did my whole break job for well under 300. carriers, pads, rotors. fronts and backs.

well worth it in my opinion if you need to do a brake job anyway and are just looking for a little more grab over stock. NOT worth it if you are planning to track it, or are doing it for aesthetic purposes. this is not a bbk.

**eclimax13** · 10-10-2008 08:36 PM

i just want to buy a complete set that will stop a little better...lines make a difference?...i did everything possible to my 03 maxima and saw minimal results..thats why im cautious about this car...so far everything has turned out good...

**Ultra B6** · 10-11-2008 11:26 AM

basically with the ss lines when pressure is applied to the brakes the lines dont will not expand as much as say the rubber(i think) lined that are on the car now, so in theory you should see a little bit better performance!!

the way i look at it is that you should only really do things once on a car upgrades wise... A majority of people dont need a BBK so they opt for the s4 swap which is great even if your not going to track the car(which i dont) the brakes are one of the most important aspects of your car and if you spend a little bit now you wont have to redo/upgrade in the future.

**Spinnetti** · 10-11-2008 12:50 PM

IMO, short of track duty, a set of Hawk HP+ is all you need for good braking performance unless you ride the brakes all day. I road race a couple other cars, and have a BT with lots of other mods on my A4, but still running stock brakes with Hawks with no issues whatsoever.