kikcaffine

How are Axxis Ultimate brake pads? Im planning on ordering some tomorrow and wondering if people have them what they thought of them.

The_Instigator

I use them on my car and have had them on the stock system and with my BBK. They have excellent bite and are very responsive. They are on the dusty side however so be aware of that. If you wash the car regularly you wont have any issues with that.

hahaitzskippy

good pads...

only problem is that they DUST a lot

Neothin

does anyone know what's a reputable brand of fully ceramic pads that fit the tC? I want ceramic for their far less than normal dusting.

The_Instigator

Almost all brake pads have some level of ceramic in them so dont get tied up with marketing terms. Pads with high ceramic compounds do tend to dust less, but dont make that be your deciding factor. If you want a good low dust pad the Axxis Deluxe Plus is a great choice and is also very inexpensive. The Hawk HPS is also a great low dust performance pad although much more expensive. The Hawk Performance Ceramic (theres that word again) is a new compund that also works very well, but is not available for the tC at the moment. There are no rear Hawk pads out for the tC yet, but the Axxis Deluxe Plus are available for the front and rear for well under $100.

hahaitzskippy

^^
instigator knows it all :D

Neothin

awesome. thanks bunches :D

KCTTC

iTrader: (2)

Erik, what pads come with the stoptech BBK? And what pads would you recommend for the rear?

Thanks,

Jeremy

yellot00tr

iTrader: (1)

i'm using hawk hps street pads in the front and satisfied pro ceramic pads in the rear. neither one is very dusty, and the bite is much improved over stock. i'm also using the stoptech ss lines and motul fluid. overall, a significant improvement over stock. pretty soon i'll be getting cross drilled rotors. i hate that the stock rotors get all rusted. they look like crap. when i get the rotors done, i'm also going to have the calipers painted in red.

The_Instigator

Our BBKs ship with Axxis Ultimates as standard. We can substitute pads on our BBKs to any of the 24 compounds we carry for our ST40 caliper if requested. For the rear of the tC I would recommend the Axxis Ultimate since it is the best pad that I know of for the rear on the tC, but only when an Ultimate or higher bite pad is used in the front. If something with realtively lower bite like a Hawk HPS or Axxis Deluxe plus is used up front, the Axxis Deluxe Plus is the better rear pad. If a high bite rear pad is used with a low bite front pad, bias can be shifted enough rearward to the point where it could become dangerous to drive. By dangerous, Im referring to snap oversteer where the rear tires begin to lock before the front under braking in situations like freeway on/off ramps or in wet conditions.

kikcaffine

Getting the bigger brake rotors what do I need to get to relocate the calipers?

The_Instigator

If you do a big rotor upgrade it will need some kind of a caliper relocation bracket that should be provided. We do not recommend these kits as the brake balance will be negatively effected and stopping distances will likely increase. The car will tend to nosedive aggressively under braking due to the increased torque that is inherently developed by the caliper more leverage on the rotor. By increasing the toruqe in an unchecked manner, the tires will be asked to do more than they are capable of causing brake distnaces to increase.

hahaitzskippy

^^
sounds like a contradiction to big brake kits

The_Instigator

In many cases it is quite true actually. Many companies offer big brake kits with larger rotors and at the same time they increase overall piston area. They will advertise that they have more torque for "better stopping power" and try to make you beleive that more pistons=better braking which simply isnt true. Often times in braking tests they regularly stop worse than a stock car on stock tires with a tuned car on performance tires. This balance word keeps coming up, but it really is the best tool for reducing stopping distances and improving performance outside of a tire upgrade. Myself or anyone at StopTech will be the 1st to tell you that in the majority of our kits, our piston area is smaller than stock and that our torque output is equal to or less than stock. By increasing rotor diameter, piston area/torque output must reduced to maintain the same output as the stock calipers. On most occasions, the factory brake systems have very close to ideal balance and there may be no improvement to be had, but if we can dial in a little more rear bias by reducing the front torque some, there can be improvements.

Symptoms of overbiased front brake systems are aggressive nosediving under braking, an overamplified pedal that has a microswitch effect where the brakes grab very hard suddennly without a linear feel, and longer than stock pedal travel if the piston sizes are increased.

citizen

what about just changing out stock rotors for slotted and vented ones? that'd be a positve upgrade, no?

The_Instigator

Rotors by themselves in slotted or drilled are more of an appearance upgrade on a street only car, but there will be some added bite and better performance in wet weather. Pads are where the majority of the performance increases come from, and a nice new pair of rotors to go along with them is a good idea but certianly not required.

playindagamewell

i just got new pads... hawk HP+ 's

they are pretty good so far... will let you know after the auto-x this weekend :D

The_Instigator

HP+ will have excellent bite when cold which is great for autocross, but you may find they are on the noisy side and dust pretty bad. If you need the performance though they are are a great pad for street/autoX. Just dont open track with them as they dont have a very high maximum operating temperature and will damage the rotors if they get too hot.

Cucumber

i'm planning on getting the stoptech stage 2 upgrade next week. have any adivice you can give me for this?

The_Instigator

Nothing special. Just make sure when bleeding the system to not let the master cylinder suck air. If you havent bled brakes before, you should find a friend who has done it to help you out. Its not a difficult precedure, but if done improperly can cause some problems. Also after the install is complete to get the most out of your new parts do a complete bed-in precedure: http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp...contents.shtml

FYI, the Axxis brake pads for the Celica/tC are on back order form the manufacturer so it probably wont ship out right away. We have been told they are on a boat from Australia where they are made with no specific date as to when they will be available.