need someone to clear some brake stuff up for me. would getting slotted rotors do much for the tc? would the trd break pads or axxis break pads help? other than spending $1500 on a big brake kit, what other things are available?

 

Good Question, i would also like to know..

im intreasted in the TRD Pads

 

Someone suggested getting bigger rotors, which because of the very physics of it, would stop better. Better pads would help, but usually they come at the cost of increased dust and/or noise. If the car could stop better with no compromise, don't you think Scion would ship them that way? Oh, by the way, if you go to bigger rotors, they may or may not fit with the wheels you have. Slotting the rotors won't help much. It takes away durability and they use them on high performance cars because they cool faster.

 

First off, the brakes in the tC are very good. People will argue, but they are above average for street use. That being said...

Better pads will stop you faster. They will also wear faster and be noisier. In some cases, like if you use full race pads, they will work very poorly until you heat them up, but then they will provide lots more braking power than the stock pads.

Short of a big brake kit with bigger rotors and calipers, you can get just a big rotor kit from Powerslot (used to be the AEM big brake kit, but they sold the business.) It uses a 12.9" rotor on the fronts, and a special bracket to use the stock caliper. Combine those with stainless lines and good pads and you can't do any better for the money.

 

i say just get some new brake pads...thats i plan to do soon

 

Most big brake kits are for show...unless you are doing major track use, your car will not need the extra heat dissapation.

Axxis Metal Masters or Ultimate will do the job for pads.
Then go Motul or ATE brake fluid. I'll give you a $1 if you don't say "Wow, this thing stops like a ****!"

 

Will getting better pads mean that it will eat up rotors faster>?

 

first off, big brake kits are NOT just for show. they serve many purposes. first they incrrease the size of the rotor and therefore increase the surface area the caliper has to grab onto. you cannot just buy bigger rotors without getting a caliper re-locator bracket. second. since the rotor is now bigger it also has more rotating mass. and so the caliper is usually larger and often has more pistons. more pistons=more grip. think of the differnece between a pinch with two fingers and the grip of a fist. now as for slotted rotors, they serve two purposes. when the brake is pressed, the pad rubs the rotor, when this happens, gasses are created between the pad and rotor and can cause "brake fade" thats that rubbery feeling. the slots sweep the gasses away and keep the pad on the rotor. brake fade is also cause by a few other things. like flexing brake lines. the brake lines direct the fluid into the caliper. and if they start to flex, then fluid isnt getting there and u go flying off the cliff wile-e-coyote style. thats where stainless steel lines come in handy. the lines are covered in a steel braided net and refuse to flex. speaking from experience, brake fade can also be caused by the brake fluid itself. if u are hard on your brakes, it is possible to actually boil the fluid. i suggest bleedin in at least DOT 4 fluid if you are an avid braker. someone mentioned "super ATE". thats what i use. it comes in 2 colors so its easy to flush. as for brake pads, well thats a sensetive subject. a lot of "stock" pads can actually glass over under high temperature and become slick. kinda like a polished rock. i personnaly use hawk pads on my other car (90 EF civic hatch) and i love em. havent changed em yet on the tC, but ill be calling hawk about it when the time comes.

i hope i helped sombody out there.
happy braking!!

 

I got custom Earl's Stainless Steel Brake Lines with Motul DOT4 Synthetic brake fluid. I once went to the Canyons to race and I boiled fluid, and my brakes were shot. I can now ride my brakes harder and so far I haven't overheated my brakes with stock pads and rotors.

Now from what I know (I may be wrong here), Slotted rotors are more for people who brake hard or at the last moment (or track use mostly) and you want to get rid of the gasses when the pad makes contact with the rotor. Cross Drilled Rotors are more for street use or peoplke who use the brakes a lot but no so hard. Cross Driled and Slotted rotors are for show use and is not better than the other two, because they warp easier than the other two because the rotor is inconsistent in weight, contact area, and also in its methond of cooling (does that make sense?) I hope I helped and didnt confuse you any further.

 

you kinda got it, crossdrilled are more of a looks thing if the holes are not beveled or countersinked, like brembo's are. brembo patented the countersink crossdrilled rotor. all others are knock offs. crossdrilled rotors have been known to crack. thats why they have gone to dimples instead of drilled. its stronger and just as effective. the crossdrilled/slotted combo is again a knock off and not intended for hard driving.

 

so without having to spend a signigicant sum, what should i get?

 

upgrade your pads. i dont know if there are any out yet. and get some stainless steel lines. then flush in some DOT 4 brake fluid. that should completely improve your brakes. without totally emptying your bank account. its not cheap though. total yer prolly looking at like 300 bucks at the least

 

i agree upgrade your pads.. i liked porterfield brakes.. http://www.porterfield-brakes.com/ i tried them on my old civic.. the R4S.. which was the street version. worked great.. and definitely improved stopping.. they are a carbon/kevlar mix.. take a little time to break in but worth it.. i used the stock rotors.. they were $90 a set (front).. probably would last close to 40k miles