Front Brakes - 302mm?

[ojdorson]

Well, here's the parts list I worked up... since most people around here say that drilled or slotted aren't really worth going crazy for, I found Centric Premium rotors. I was thinking of just reusing my calipers, but at the price below doesn't it make sense to put on new/rebuilts?

Centric 302mm rotor (for 2000 V70) - $46.25/ea - $92.50
Centric Posi-Quiet Ceramic Brake Pads w/Shims - $35.70 (I was going to do Akebono and the tech I spoke to at Centric assured me that they'd tested both and while they each performed very well, the Centric were even lower in dust)
Centric Caliper (Left) - $30.62
Centric Caliper (Right) - $30.62
Stainless Brake Lines - $44 from FCP for fronts only
Caliper Brackets (8251319) - $23.50 from Tasca (their website says $0 core charge)

So, this is Big Brakes for ~$280 - $220 if I skip the calipers. And, I need rotors and pads anyway, and would be getting the SS brake lines anyway. I've already got SuperBlue fluid and I'll flush the entire system before the swap (so I don't run the old fluid through the new calipers). Did I forget anything?

[zhenya]

Spend the money on better brake pads. It will make a FAR bigger difference than very slightly larger rotors.

[ojdorson]

I was going to go with Akebono's, but I was assured the Centric posi-quiet ceramics would perform just as well. Anyone with experience?

[zhenya]

Either of those pads are designed for long life and low dust. Those are the polar opposite of what makes good stopping power. And pad compound is much, much more important than rotor size.

[jblackburn]

Hawks are supposed to be good pads.

http://volvospeed.com/vs_forum/topic/14 ... ggestions/

I have Akebonos; they stop about the same as the old OEM ones, but are less dusty and bite instantly in rain (something the old ones did NOT!)

[ojdorson]

Just an update - there is a $10 core charge per retainer making them $33 each. Still better than I've found anywhere else (not including junkyards, that'd be your best bet!).

[ojdorson]

Centric 302mm rotor (for 2000 V70) - $46.25/ea - $92.50
Centric Posi-Quiet Ceramic Brake Pads w/Shims - $35.70 (I was going to do Akebono and the tech I spoke to at Centric assured me that they'd tested both and while they each performed very well, the Centric were even lower in dust)
Centric Caliper (Left) - $30.62
Centric Caliper (Right) - $30.62
Stainless Brake Lines - $44 from FCP for fronts only
Caliper Brackets (8251319) - $23.50 from Tasca (their website says $0 core charge)

I finished this job last night. I took many pictures, but they're at home - I'll try to get them all up soon with a write-up for the upgrade to 302mm rotors.
The brackets from Tasca were perfect. They ended up being $78 total after that core charge. Not horrible, but not as nice as $50.
The Centric Premium E-coated rotors are very nice looking - of course, Amazon goofed and shipped me one Premium with E-coating (shrink-wrapped in the box) and one Standard rotor without (In the right box, but not shrink-wrapped and it looked "handled" but not used, too!). They're both on the car now - as I had to drive today - but I just got off the phone with Amazon and they're shipping me the correct rotor asap and sending me a label to return the incorrect one.
The Centric refurbed calipers were beautiful and clean and very well put together.
The Centric pads were also very nice looking and so far they're dead silent.
The stainless brake lines from FCP are nice. They don't come with the rubber doughnut bumpers, though. They didn't touch lock-to-lock, but I was a little worried and wrapped them with a piece of large silicon tubing I had left over from the Stylin' Motors kit. The passenger brake line replacement went without a hitch, but the driver's side was terrible. The hard line nut was VERY stuck and I ended up rounding it off. FYI - it's a 7/16" line wrench. Vice grips saved me - got the nut off and onto the new line - and I won't be replacing that line again (I hope).

Amazon's prices fluctuate frequently - by the time I bought the calipers, they were $33. Today, the rotors are $50. Anyway, my initial opinion on this stuff was that it was all very nice quality parts and everything installed as expected. I'll try to remember to report back in a few months with my thoughts.

Now, I didn't bleed the rear brakes - time and darkness foiled me - and everything stops really well, but the pedal isn't rock hard right at the top of its travel. Will that firm up after I bleed the rears (I'll probably do that tonight), or just get better with a few days of driving?