malibuguy Posted August 29, 2007 Share Posted August 29, 2007 This is gonna be for my daily driver '79 Malibu, that i'm going to do a few brake & suspension upgrades to prepare it to eventully run in HPDE, & also make the DD life a little safer & enjoyable. I'm pretty much set on getting SP Performance slotted rotors, Russel braided lines (i'm so happy with these lines on my other Malibu), Speed Bleeders, as well as fresh rear brakes/hardware/wheel cylinders...undecided on turning the original drums, or just get new ones. The master cylinder was already replaced before i bought the car, & i'm thinking about getting fresh calipers. I want to flush out & replace the brake fluid...what would ya'll suggest? I run DOT4 in the other Malibu, but i wanna change that out too (eventully). I was considering Motul, or ATE fluid, but i have no experience with either of them. Now brake pads...I've run Hawks in my other Malibu before, i forget what line they where, but i liked them. My friend suggested EBC pads...this is a 3400lbs car people, so keep that in consideration. anyways, thanks in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nape Posted August 29, 2007 Share Posted August 29, 2007 Not sure about street pads, but have a seperate set of rotors and pads for the track. There's just no comparison and any crossover pad is a compromise that won't tolerate a 3400lb car, especially if you're still running the stock iron calipers up front. I've never heard anything good about EBC pads on a heavy car, go with Hawk, Porterfield, Carbotech, etc. Slotted rotors are just a dress-up item, go buy Autozone rotors with the long warrenty so you can return them when you burn them up. Their stock rotors worked fine for me. Fresh calipers aren't a bad idea, at least the bleeder screws won't be rusted, but you'll probably burn the dust seals off with race pads so get the long warranty on those too. Speed Bleeders are just extra money unless you have no friends. Anyone who has two brain cells to rub together can help you bleed brakes. For HPDE, the Valvoline SynPower fluid is like $6/qt at Autozone and has worked fine for me so far. If you're just starting out, all your stock equipment will be fine as long as it's fresh. I ran 2 years of HPDEs (up to 4) on stock calipers and Autozone garbage pads and I still ran stock brakes with Hawk Blues for the first 3 races this year (Hawk Blues chew up rotors, try a newer compound). The stock pads fade before the fluid does, the smell will tip you off. A brake upgrade in the future isn't a bad idea, but get seat time first. I didn't start fading pads until I got to HPDE3 and put R-compound tires on. 3rd gen Firebirds share a lot of equipment with your cars, thanks to parts bin engineering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malibuguy Posted August 29, 2007 Author Share Posted August 29, 2007 well, what works for your 'bird, would definetly be fine on my car The car is actully going to be inspected soon to get on the road...legally, lol, i love having twins, but you can only have so much luck anyways, i figured doing the upgrades, especially if the brakes don't meet spec, but if you say the stock replacement stuff is fine, then thats what i will stick to for now, & save money, lol i'm still doing at least the braided lines...rubber lines just scare me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renntag Posted August 31, 2007 Share Posted August 31, 2007 Nape's suggestions are perfect in keeping with HPDE and affordability. For fluid Nape's suggestion is great. FWIW: The ATE super blue is a great performance fluid that isnt expensive if you wanted to give it a try. For pads, Carbotech offers some performance street pads that are excellent. Give Danny a call at 704.481.8500 I run their pads on my street car, my suburban, and my race car. Soon my tow vehicle will have them too. As for the rotors, I cant comment with authority, but I'd be willing to bet that a set of top line stock rotors from NAPA will out perform the slotted units and last longer. Try both and see what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malibuguy Posted August 31, 2007 Author Share Posted August 31, 2007 I just sent Carbotech a email, asking about pricing, etc (since they don't have my application listed) I like the fact that they are kind to rotors, & last longer then typical stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tapaule Posted August 31, 2007 Share Posted August 31, 2007 I run Hawks and Motul on the race car (CRX), but don't suggest a full race pad on the street. I used to swap pads out at the track, but it can become a rushed job depending on the schedule. Just be sure to bring a couple sets of spare pads, and even a set of spare calipers if possible. No brakes will mean you are towing home! Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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