Old Lady to Young Lady Part 4

Some of you might remember on the day I picked up my Nissan Fairlady Z, I saw that the brake pads were almost gone. At the same time I also worried about my brake rotors because I see lines on the surface. Sometimes when a brake pad gets too thin and the owner did not realized, the metal surface of the pad might scratch the brake rotor and cause damage. Previously, the owner of Redsun informed me that the brakes felt soft like jelly and I should change the brake rotor soon. Sometimes when I brake at high speed I could feel some juddering, which is usually caused by uneven brake rotor. It looks like I have to spend more money as brake rotors are not cheap. I thought of searching for used conditioned Brembo rotors because I believe in the quality since Nissan opted for it but I also know it is difficult to source for only the rotors. Most of the time, the shops sell the brakes as a set, caliper and rotor together. Then, Redsun's owner suggested I go for aftermarket rotors. I have to replace the rotors anyway, so why not upgrade it at the same time. I did always fancied those big rotors that are cross-drilled with slits. I was so hyped up to start searching but I have to be honest. I am not very well informed when it come to brake rotors. Redsun's owner suggested me to look at eBay for Stoptech (USA) rotors but I prefer Japanese brands like Dixcel, Project μ (Mu) and Endless but most of them were expensive and hard to get.

Brembo Stock Front Rotor

Brembo Stock Rear Rotor 

Used Brembo Calipers with Brake Rotor set

After 2 weeks, I still could not get my hands on some rotors. It began to frustrates me. Then I was at Redsun one day and the owner said he will make a call to look for rotors for me because I should not wait any longer. He called his supplier and the only brand that was in stock was DBA. DBA is a company from Australia and their brake rotors are famous. The downside of DBA rotors is the cost and in comparison, it is double the price of Stoptech and Dixcel but it is available now. I had to make a quick decision. I was already convinced that I will have to spend money for performance rotor and I do need the rotors quick. New rotors would last me a few years and it will be worth it for safety and my need for speed. Right on the spot, I told the owner to help order the DBA rotors. It would take one day to have the rotors delivered and another 3 hours for installation. Soon, I received a call telling me the rotors had arrrived. I took my 350Z over to Redsun as soon as I was available and had them installed. I could not wait any longer to have these awesome rotors on my wheels.

The rotors that will be installed is the DBA 4000 T3 series. Here are some comparison between the stock Brembo rotors and new DBA 4000 T3 rotors. Beginning with the similarity, both the Brembo and DBA has the same physical size. The front rotors are 324 mm in diameter and 30 mm thick while the rear rotors are 322 mm in diameter and 22 mm thick. This makes it perfect to replace the stock rotors and it is very easy without modification a.k.a. "Plug n Play". Although both brand of rotors have the same physical size, the DBA front rotors are slightly heavier with an extra of 300 grams each but are the same for the back. The main difference though, is the many slits that the DBA rotors have but Brembo does not. For those who have no idea what these slits do, when you apply your brakes, heat waves and debris from brake pads will collect in between the pad and rotors. Over time, this may cause your rotors to overheat, warp or even crack. These slits and/or drilled holes on brake rotor helps channel these heat waves and debris out quicker. This significantly reduces prevents overheating and brake fade, making for better bite. Each of these slits is 1.5 mm deep and 3 mm wide. Usually when the slits becomes shallow, it is time to replace the rotors.

Old vs New Front

Old vs New Rear Rotor

DBA has a few benefits over other brands that also produce slotted rotors. The slits on DBA 4000 T3 series are called Tri-Symmetrical slits. These specially designed slits allows a quieter, responsive and smoother brake feel. It also increases the consistency and effectiveness of every brake stop. It also has a Kangaroo Paw ventilation system. The inside of the ventilated rotors are teardrop shape pillars that assist with heat dissipation which differs with the conventional straight vane design. You can have a better visual reference by looking at the beautiful diagram below. This will minimize brake fade and prolongs service life for the pads and rotors. All of these sounds very cool and feels like what I needed for a performance car that will last me a long time. At first. I was just excited at the thought of having fancy looking rotors that will show off my 350Z. Now with DBA, not only will it look much more sportier, it also provides me greater stopping power and increases my safety when driving fast.

Kangaroo Paw vs Conventional Straight Vane

You can see how much sportier it becomes with the many slits above. It took a total of 4 hours for the installation of all 4 rotors. This time I did not have to leave the car at the workshop and could drive off after it was done. However, the mechanic told me my front brake pads is finishing soon and I should order. The pads that I am using are Endless brand and it will hurt my wallet a lot. I was also told by the owner that usually when car owners replace brake rotors, they do replace the brake pads too. He warned that I might see some markings on my rotor but it is normal. Thanks for scaring me. My first impression of the new rotors was, it is much better than the previous soft, jelly like feeling it had. However, compared the first time I tried my Toyota Celica GT4 4 pot brakes, it still lack some bite. I am going to enjoy the rotors and test it out more before I make my conclusion. This was an expensive modification but it should be worth the money.