Thinking about ordering SS brake lines for the FX and I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with these two companies or any other company that makes SS lines for the 2nd Gen FX. A Google search turned up mixed reviews on which was better calling both good companies.
Goodridge vs Stoptech Stainless Steel Brake lines
- Thread starter neva4self
- Start date
- Car
- 2004 Infiniti FX35 Supercharged
I have StopTech Stainless Steel brake lines on my ride, no complains here. Nice quality product.
I have a set of Stoptechs I'm planning to put on whenever I get around to installing Akebono's. I think the only reason I got them was they were slightly cheaper than Goodyear.
Get whatever rotor you like whether it be drilled/slotted/both/blank. Stock ones work just fine, Nissan designed them to do their job. Drilled ones are suppose to cool better due to the holes, but then you lose some mass which dissipates heat as well so it's really a wash. No one has proven one way or another. They look great though. Slotted ones supposedly help keep the pads clear. I have no idea if this is true or not, but notice that most race cars run slotted rotors and not drilled.
Honestly though, we all drive an FX, it's not a high performance race car. The brakes will never be pushed to the limits repeatedly so all of the debates are moot. I'm getting drilled and slotted simply because I like the way they look. I've run them on past cars without issues, never had a crack or failure. I run them on my BMW right now without issue. I've used drilled, drilled and slotted, slotted only rotors on previous cars and never could tell any difference. If you want better brake performance, get a higher performance brake pad. The rotor type has very little impact on anything.
Also, don't expect to notice any difference with the SS lines. They have very little impact on pedal firmness, that's all in the master cylinder. It's not like the stock rubber lines are so soft they bulge out during braking. I don't know why I keep buying them, maybe because they look cool.
Get whatever rotor you like whether it be drilled/slotted/both/blank. Stock ones work just fine, Nissan designed them to do their job. Drilled ones are suppose to cool better due to the holes, but then you lose some mass which dissipates heat as well so it's really a wash. No one has proven one way or another. They look great though. Slotted ones supposedly help keep the pads clear. I have no idea if this is true or not, but notice that most race cars run slotted rotors and not drilled.
Honestly though, we all drive an FX, it's not a high performance race car. The brakes will never be pushed to the limits repeatedly so all of the debates are moot. I'm getting drilled and slotted simply because I like the way they look. I've run them on past cars without issues, never had a crack or failure. I run them on my BMW right now without issue. I've used drilled, drilled and slotted, slotted only rotors on previous cars and never could tell any difference. If you want better brake performance, get a higher performance brake pad. The rotor type has very little impact on anything.
Also, don't expect to notice any difference with the SS lines. They have very little impact on pedal firmness, that's all in the master cylinder. It's not like the stock rubber lines are so soft they bulge out during braking. I don't know why I keep buying them, maybe because they look cool.
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- Car
- 2014 Mercedes-Benz GL63 4Matic
1) plain faced rotors has the most surface area, but look boring. most surface area = best braking.
2) drilled are just that, drilled into the rotor. These create stress cracks not visible to the eye and are only recommended for street driving under normal conditions. yes, these do help escape gasses that may build up for a better initial bite, but thereafter, there is less surface area. Brake dust can also build up in the vanes inside the rotors, which would diminish cooling, but most dust escapes.
Porsche is the only company i know that cast the holes in the rotors, therefore, no structural integrity is lost. Drilled to me looks awesome, which is why I have drilled and slotted.
There are a handful of people that have cracked rotors, but it is rare. It's usually under heavy driving or towing. I never had any issues, just go with a good brand.
cross drilled does eat up pads a little more as it's like "grating cheese" but that never bothered me.
3) slotted. best of both worlds, as good surface area and still escape routes for gasses for initial bite. so wet braking, etc... is better with initial bite. slots do make a distinctive sound. i love it, some hate it. these do reduce pad life as well.
these are harder to turn, but i personally never turn rotors and just buy new rotors when it's time.
4) drilled/slotted - what I personally get.
If you're a normal driver, drilled/slotted is good. If you're a heavy driver, slotted. Then last, plain - just because slotted looks better with no structural integrity loss.
note, it's pretty much the tires and pads that do the stopping -- if that's your #1 concern.
2) drilled are just that, drilled into the rotor. These create stress cracks not visible to the eye and are only recommended for street driving under normal conditions. yes, these do help escape gasses that may build up for a better initial bite, but thereafter, there is less surface area. Brake dust can also build up in the vanes inside the rotors, which would diminish cooling, but most dust escapes.
Porsche is the only company i know that cast the holes in the rotors, therefore, no structural integrity is lost. Drilled to me looks awesome, which is why I have drilled and slotted.
There are a handful of people that have cracked rotors, but it is rare. It's usually under heavy driving or towing. I never had any issues, just go with a good brand.
cross drilled does eat up pads a little more as it's like "grating cheese" but that never bothered me.
3) slotted. best of both worlds, as good surface area and still escape routes for gasses for initial bite. so wet braking, etc... is better with initial bite. slots do make a distinctive sound. i love it, some hate it. these do reduce pad life as well.
these are harder to turn, but i personally never turn rotors and just buy new rotors when it's time.
4) drilled/slotted - what I personally get.
If you're a normal driver, drilled/slotted is good. If you're a heavy driver, slotted. Then last, plain - just because slotted looks better with no structural integrity loss.
note, it's pretty much the tires and pads that do the stopping -- if that's your #1 concern.
I probably drive my FX harder than most, not that I could compare my driving to race cars at all, but I got pulled over clocked at 110 mph the other day and I'd say I'm usually driving on the more aggressive side most of the time. I probably push my brakes hard 80% of the time since driving that hard requires the braking to match lol. I do feel like my brakes get slightly mushy after a long drive usually with some friends driving much faster than we should be. Which is why I'm exploring upgrade options.
---------- Post added at 11:46 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:37 AM ----------
Yeah I read about the cracking with the drilled rotors but most people were saying that came with the extreme of race conditions. I still wouldn't want to deal with that headache. Then I'm reading that the slotted rotors are best for harder than normal and race applications but they wear the brake pad much much faster than normal. I'm also reading that originally drilled and slotted rotors were intended to dispel gas just as much as reduce friction but with the technology used in making today's brake pads, dispelling gas is not an issue. So maybe I will just go for the SS brake lines and a better than stock quality brake pad.
Any suggestions on an excellent brake pad for the FX50, one that is NOT ceramic.
- Car
- 2009 FX50S
I love my drilled rotors. I did a bunch of research through help of guys like Tim and Ed on the site, but Ed explains it well. The looks of just drilled rotors is ridiculous. I've gotten more comments on the drilled rotors than the car lol. At the dealer when it was sitting there some guy wanted to buy a FX with those rotors. 
I find the performance the same, however they are lighter than stock rotors. I think if you get a really good brand rotor and mine are not exactly just drilled but drilled in such a way where it doesn't have sharp edges then you should not have that rare occurrence of a crack. My garage has more details and pictures.
I find the performance the same, however they are lighter than stock rotors. I think if you get a really good brand rotor and mine are not exactly just drilled but drilled in such a way where it doesn't have sharp edges then you should not have that rare occurrence of a crack. My garage has more details and pictures.
- Car
- 2014 Mercedes-Benz GL63 4Matic
chamfered drilling of the holes reduces stress.
I prefer ceramic pads, specifically Akebonos. If you get squealing, just bed your brakes/pads a few times and the glaze will come off and you're good to go.
Right now, I'd probably get cyro rotors and slots for a family car and cross drilled and slotted for a weekend car.
I prefer ceramic pads, specifically Akebonos. If you get squealing, just bed your brakes/pads a few times and the glaze will come off and you're good to go.
Right now, I'd probably get cyro rotors and slots for a family car and cross drilled and slotted for a weekend car.
I love my drilled rotors. I did a bunch of research through help of guys like Tim and Ed on the site, but Ed explains it well. The looks of just drilled rotors is ridiculous. I've gotten more comments on the drilled rotors than the car lol. At the dealer when it was sitting there some guy wanted to buy a FX with those rotors.
I find the performance the same, however they are lighter than stock rotors. I think if you get a really good brand rotor and mine are not exactly just drilled but drilled in such a way where it doesn't have sharp edges then you should not have that rare occurrence of a crack. My garage has more details and pictures.
What brand rotors are you running JD? StopTech also has cross drilled and slotted rotors as well as either one by itself.
---------- Post added at 07:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:17 PM ----------
[video=youtube_share;_L_ev1iuGzg]http://youtu.be/_L_ev1iuGzg[/video]
---------- Post added at 07:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:25 PM ----------
Is there a reason why you perfer ceramic pads? I was going to get ceramic because they are supposed to keep the brake dust down considerably better than other materials but after researching them, many were saying the downside to ceramic is that the stopping power of is lackin.
---------- Post added at 07:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:31 PM ----------
I ride motorcycles and most of my previous bike rotors were upgraded to wave rotors to dissipate heat and increase friction for stopping power. So I am aware of the advantages of a cross drilled rotor but if its going to crack eventually it sounds like an expensive headache in the making. The original plan was to get a set of both cross drilled and slotted rotors like in the video above.
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- Car
- 2009 FX50S
I'm not a fan of slotted rotors (appearance-wise). I think that is why exotics typically don't have slotted rotors either. Drilled rotors imo look the best and matter to me more than losing that 2% in braking power over stock or whatever although I can say I don't notice any difference at all.
Here is what I bought exactly:
https://www.infinitiscene.com/searc...FX50S-2009-Infiniti-FX50S?p=393172#post393172
---------- Post added at 07:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:38 PM ----------
Oh I also didn't go with stoptech because of the appearance of their drilled rotors and how they drill compared to r1concepts. If you get drilled, I would go r1 concepts, if anything else probably doesn't matter. Stoptech and r1concept are parent companies, but they still do differ just like any companies under the same branch like infiniti and nissan.
Here is what I bought exactly:
https://www.infinitiscene.com/searc...FX50S-2009-Infiniti-FX50S?p=393172#post393172
---------- Post added at 07:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:38 PM ----------
Oh I also didn't go with stoptech because of the appearance of their drilled rotors and how they drill compared to r1concepts. If you get drilled, I would go r1 concepts, if anything else probably doesn't matter. Stoptech and r1concept are parent companies, but they still do differ just like any companies under the same branch like infiniti and nissan.
- Car
- 09 FX50
I did stoptech on my FX35 and upgraded the rotors to drilled/slotted. My fx50 brakes are already ten time better than that upgraded system. Why do you want to upgrade?
Y
YetiFX50S
Guest
Personally, I would try to upgrade to 2 pieces rotors to save so weight and improve the performance and the ride quality since less unsprung weight should reduce the stress on the suspension.
If your stock FX50 brakes feel ten times better, imagine what they would feel like upgraded. Remember I'm riding 24's during the summer months and they don't slow me down any as far as how I push it on the highway, any help I can get to improve performance in speed I'm looking to do since for now I plan on keeping the 24's.
- Car
- 2007 FX35 AWD
Recently had stoptech brake lines put in all around. Felt a difference not tremendous but good enough. Good quality product.
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