front brake system suggestions

what is a good front brake system to get? i need rotors, pads, and shoes. I'm trying to find something cheap that I can do myself. I'm kind of out of money. I was thinking of duralast gold pads and shoes and duralast rotors. everything would be about 100 bucks. that sound alright? any other suggestions that work really well for a 97 cavalier z24 would be appreciated.

thats not a system upgrade. A system up grad would be like 12 inch rotors all around with 2 or 4 piston calipers.


what you aare talking about is just componet upgrades. You could go for somthing like Powerslot rotors with Carbon metallic Pads. It will help a bit.

what ever you do do not buy the drilled rotors that are drilled all the way though. They actually are not make for the daily stress and heating of everyday driving and WILL crack. Some people will tel you other wise but it actually weakens the structual integrity of the rotor.

well, im really poor right now...... so basically i just need cheap brake components that will get the job done. So your saying I should go slotted instead of drilled/slotted? also any brand names taht are good for the cavalier at a relatively cheap price (under 150 for everything)

try a set of Bendix Ceramic pads and a quality stock rotor. The ceramic pads dissipate heat better and won't fade as fast, plus they produce a lighter colored dust that won't turn your aluminum wheels black. Unless you're going cone rally racing, cross drilled and/or slotted rotors are a waste of money.

try a set of Bendix Ceramic pads and a quality stock rotor. The ceramic pads dissipate heat better and won't fade as fast, plus they produce a lighter colored dust that won't turn your aluminum wheels black. Unless you're going cone rally racing, cross drilled and/or slotted rotors are a waste of money.


Actually ceramic pads retain too much heat.


Powerslot rotors and carbon metallic pads are not a waste of money. They wouln't make them for pretty much every car / truck out todate if they were.

What they do is help expell the gass that builds up between the rotor and pads and create a better stopping surface. So you notice qicker and firmer stoping sessions. I have been runing Powerslots on my car for 3 years now. I had to replce them once because the part store gave me the wrong pads ( I didn;t realize it till it was too late and they warped the rotros bad. The wrong pads had ceramic in them and the heat retained buy the ceramic pads heated the rotors too much and warped them.

I got a new set of pwerslots two years ago and the correct carbon metallic pads and I havn't had to change them yet. No warping and after two years the pards still have 3/4 of the pad left on them.

Ceramic pads are supposed to be used with stock rotors only. They do create less dust but due to the heat they will also cause warping problems.

not trying to knock slotted rotors, but he said he's on a budget. For the price difference, stock rotors and ceramic pads are the better performance per dollar solution. Finally, I'm not sure where you got your info, (Auto Zone maybe?) but Ceramic pads dissipate heat about 50% FASTER than metallics.

not trying to knock slotted rotors, but he said he's on a budget. For the price difference, stock rotors and ceramic pads are the better performance per dollar solution. Finally, I'm not sure where you got your info, (Auto Zone maybe?) but Ceramic pads dissipate heat about 50% FASTER than metallics.


He said he wanted an upgrade from stock.

as for my info, this is from mechanics locally who see the problems, performace shops, Multiple forums and so forth. I even looked it up from such a response and a site that sells ceramics even states to be used ONLY where it is acceptable for OEM STYLE rotors.

They may disapate the heat faster but they also get hotter due to the ceramic. That combines with them being harder in nature (this is another claim to why they supposedly last longer) cause warping on rotors like powerslot, baer, etc. Not only that but since they heat up to high degrees they are prone to cracking which was deffiantly evident when I took them off due them warping my powerslots. The pads were cracked in two vertical places on the driver side and one vertical place on the passenger side.

Also the raybestos cermic pads that cause the problem were 54 or 60 bucks to begin with.

As stated when I changed those out two years ago I put on the Spowerslots and the Performance friction Carbon metallic Z-rated pads. I still have no need to change them or the rotors. The pads are 3/4 of thickness left.

In the long run the inital cost may be higher but You will not have to replace them as much.


(I'm looking for the sites and such that I searched the other night because I had a feeling you were going to ask where. Since I can;t have people I have talked to over the years call you I will just get the online info about it)

-Peace

Oh and On a side note, your Auto Zone comment to me is insinuating that I am a local pepboy ricer and go out and buy the coolest sets of pisser lights that come in. To answer that tone It would be ........Hardley

I research my stuff way before buying it. Like I said I origially told them I wanted carbon metallic pads, the part jockey gave me the wrong pads and after all was said and done (partly on my own stupidity) I found out the hard way and was down a set of Slotted rotors because of the Jockey not knowing the actual facts and just trying to push a sale.

I should have taken my warped rotors and the cracked pads and chucked them at his head.

Well as I looked through the sites more I did noticed something that I should have mentioned to begin with. All the manufactures of Ceramic pads say there is no problem yet as I am looking though the results I find more and more "actual expericence" information from people like me who have had the same problems. Dealers of the said products usally tell you " oh there fine" if they stock and sell them.

Best advice for the original poster is find more people who have had experience with the different pads and find out what condtions the brakes were under. Then make a choice best for you.

hey Sight, I apologize for that Auto-Zone comment, I was way off base on that one. we are in agreement, I was suggesting a better than stock option that was cheaper( he said he's broke) than slotted rotors/carbon metallic pads. You seem like a very educated guy and did your homework. I'll keep my smartass comments for those that deserve them, like the idiot parts jockey you had to deal with.

well, i live in wisconsin and have cold winters and hot, humid summers. I like the idea of stock rotors *like duralast?* and some metallic pads *duralast gold?* is duralast a good brand? they are at my local autozone and was just checking with you guys if they are reliable for at least 2 years.

Sight and Rich - thanks both of you so far, the best advice comes from people who have used them theirselves. thanks again!

Rich not a problem.

I have been pissing with these cars for 3 years now. My wife has a 98 that is a daily driver and mine right now is baiscally a show car, but its slowly changing this winter. I just made a trip to summit racing to pick up some parts this past weekend and got the first two things installed in preperation for the MSD Dis 2 i hopfully will have in the next couple months.

Here is a link to my Cardomain site if you want to read more.

Sight N Sound's Car Domain (http://www.cardomain.com/id/sightandsound)

NICE! wish i had the money to do some of that to my car!