Powerslot rotors and hawk pads goign in today, what fluid should I use?

[16g-95gsx]

Ok a few quick questions here. I ordered hawk pads and powerslot rotors for the front and they should be here today, I still have yet to buy pads for the back and wasnt sure if I should even replace the rear rotors. Where should I go for the rear pads? And should I replace the rear rotors? My fronts are pretty warped but I dont know about the back. Also what DOT fluid would you recommend?

 

[Enraged78]

Well, this answer totally depends on what you want to do with your car. If you autocross, your brakes are going to be sacrificed daily, and hard pads are what you need to stop the quickest. If it's a daily driver/road warrior, a set of medium compound organics might work well for you. I had a set of powerslot cross drilled rotors with mitsu pads on my '94 Elicpse. I loved every minute of them. I gave the car to my little brother, and he has yet to warp them. However, on your '95, you have twin piston calipers up front, so if you're warping your rotors, you are probably pretty hard on your brakes, or you are using a very hard pad. Personally, I like the combination of a moderate to soft pad on all four corners. It keeps you from going through rotors as fast, as hard pads will eat through rotors, and get them hot, which promotes warping. If I were in your shoes, I would stick with the Powerslots up front, and get the new style mistu OEM pads (the green ones with two air ducts) on all four corners. The new style pads don't clog your wheels with crap, and they don't fade very much. They don't have the bite that metallic pads do, but they work very well, and I haven't warped anything yet. See if you can cut your rear rotors. If you can, keep 'em. As far as fluid, I just use straight up DOT. I think it's 3/4. I don't use 5, and I don't use synthetic. Do a search on DOT fluid on DSM.org. There was a big debate on this a few years back, and they had some interesting results.

Good luck,
Matt.

 

[16g-95gsx]

Thanks Matt, I have already ordered Hawk HPS (street) pads and powerslot rotors for up front. I picked up some 3/4 fluid and some replacement advanced auto pads for the back for 15 bucks, I think I'll keep the rear rotors and just sand them slightly, they dont seem too bad. The pads have already arrived in the mail, Im still waiting on the rotors which should be here today but its 5:19 already and perhaps UPS is going slow because of the Holidays, o well. Hope they come in today. Anyone else feel free to chime in here. Again I already have Hawk HPS pads and powerslots for up front, just curious about the backs.

 

[2-0turbo]

The Hawk HPS street pads will perform well. I don't think the dust is too bad--I'm trying to remember. For fluid, you cannot do better (bang for your buck) than Ford Heavy Duty DOT4 in the metal can. You can get it at any Ford dealership for like $4 a can and it is great stuff. I have used it open tracking with no problems whatsoever.

The Porterfields are also great pads. Get the R4S for street use and autocross. You don't necessarily want a high temp pad for autocross because your brakes are not going to get that hot. Use R4 or R4E for open tracking.

 

[Enraged78]

What the other Matt said in the post above is dead on. Porterfields are GREAT pads. I wouldn't go with anything other than the R4s', unless you plan on changing pads and rotors a LOT. The R4 have the best bite of any pad I have ever used, but they wil literally eat through cheap rotors. The R4S would be a great combo with Powerslots. In regards to your rear pads, I would return the Advance $15.00 pads ASAP. They will heat your rear rotors and generate a LOT of dust. What vendors do on the cheap pads is offer a warranty on the pads (Brake centers of America and other do this on brake jobs too...), and sell you a set of very hard pads that eat the rotors quick. That way, you will come in for a new set of rotors, pay and obscene amount for the setup, and get a new set of bad pads for free, and the whole cycle starts over again. Do yourslef a favor and get the OEM pads for the rear, and a shim kit. You won't be dissapointed. I remember reading something about the ford Dot 4 stuff as well on dsm.org. Can't go wrong with it. Isn't it kinda funny how we use other OEM brand fluids in our cars? (BG syncroshift, GM Syncro, Ford DOT 4 for brakes, GM Dot 3/4 for clutch cylinder....)

Later,
Matt.