Posted: Feb 22 2004 at 7:16am | IP Logged

CaliforniaTitan wrote: Fronts: $86 Rear: $64

LOL, have you guys seen the size of our brakes??!?!  Not to mention the stopping distance tests?  I think $86 bucks is super cheap for the performance (granted, I'm used to buying race pads at $160-180)

As far as the brake dust,

A. The pads are new, so they have to break in properly, so they will create more dust than later on in the pads life

B. Pads are cheaper than rotors, Nissan finally figured that out.... so I'm sure the pads are softer in compound (working with nissans for quite some time, pathfinders and maximas are notorious rotor warpers, sometimes with only 5-7k on them)

But in all seriousness, these are some of the best vehicles out on the market today.  The parts arent going to cost the same as a mid 80s F150 (17 bucks for front pads!) because they are better.  Just to keep in mind, for the same price as our Titans.... you could have purchased a cheap new 3 series and replaced the front pads at $150 set minim

My apologies on the rant...  Just saw the gasps on the price of our pads.  Remember, you can always get them at near employee costs at a Dealership called Courtesy Nissan online.  I think its near DC.

Corey

Posted: Feb 25 2004 at 11:30pm | IP Logged

http://www.courtesyparts.com/titan/maintenance.html

Looks like good prices!  Good enough to stock up on even.

Posted: Mar 03 2004 at 5:32pm | IP Logged

I have a white 4x4 SE king cab that I have owned for just over a month.  I have put about 3000mi on and I am getting a TON of brake dust off the pads, and I baby the rig.  I have noticed that it doesn't stop smoothly when applying pressure on the brakes, but jerks a little as it slows down.  I am having it looked at by the dealer for the second time.  We'll see how it goes... 

Posted: May 10 2004 at 1:02pm | IP Logged

First time post here.  Picked up a Titan LE Crew Cab in Red Brawn with sand/grey leather interior a couple of weeks ago.  We've got almost 1000 miles on it now.  It was between this truck and the new F150.  Boy - are we glad we didn't buy the F150.  We absolutely love this truck.  WOW!    Anyhow....

Thanks cauerbach.  I checked the Raybestos site and didn't find any product listing for the Titan.  I'm sure as time goes on the aftermarket folks will catch up and offer pad material compound options for our most wonderful truck.

As for the comments about the soft pad material being a compromise trade-off for not warping rotors...I'm sorry, but I just can't buy into that.  There are many disc brake rotors out  there that see just as severe a duty as what the Titan will see and don't warp.  Additionally, these rotors are being clamped by pads with friction material that doesn't leave the amount of brake dust the stock pads are depositing.  Enough research in material science will yield a rotor material that won't warp when using harder, if you will, pad material.

And one last thing about that brake dust.  When mixed with water, the chemicals in that dust become rather caustic.  You may not see the effects now or even in a year or so, but it will eventually eat through the overcoat on the rims.  And once it gets to the exposed aluminum, Katie bar the door.  Just look at some older BMW and MB rims where folks haven't been diligent about keeping the dust off.  They're pitted something fierce and look like crap.  That's unacceptable to me. 

Posted: May 11 2004 at 2:44pm | IP Logged

In my experience, all the high performance brake pads seem to generate a lot of dust.  I use Pagid Orange pads for the track and a week of street driving will turn my wheels almost black.  I do believe that good stopping power becomes a compromise between wearing pad material versus the rotors. 

I've no complaints with the brake dust since the Titan brakes work so well.  Perhaps someone will come out with stainless brake lines to reduce some of the initial pedal softness.