PontiacBonnevilleClub.com

It is time for front brakes once again on the GXP.
I have read all the posts about what people have been installing
in the past but I need to know just a few particulars before I make
up my mind.

1. What kind of brakes came on the GXP originally? I have been
told semi-metallic and have also been told organic. Not sure what organic is.

2. Ceramic is better.....why? Stops faster or less dust or both.... or
maybe they aren't even better, just different.

3. Do you have to specifically match a type of rotor with a type of pad?
What do you ask for at the parts counter if the answer is yes?


If all the brake experts could comment on those three questions, I would
greatly appreciate it. I have always put original equipment back
on my vehicles without really researching other options.

1. OE is Semi-Metallic. Not sure what exactly is in organic brakes, used to be asbestos, now it's some other material.

2. Yes, all of the above and more. Better grip, less dust, less fade.

3. No. I'm a fan of running the best you can buy, and using the same brand if you can (NAPA Ultra Premium, whatever other brand top shelf) but they're not "Matched Pairs". You can run any pad with any rotor and as long as they are properly bedded in and all parts are in good shape, slides greased, etc. it should all work fine.

I have NAPA Premium Rotors and Ultra Premium (Ceramic) Pads on the front of our GXP and there is very little dust (especially compared to stock), they stop well and are quiet. I also painted the centers of the rotors black to prevent rust and improve cosmetics with Dupli-Color brake paint.

Thanks Beast, I read your earlier brake posts and I am contemplating
the Napa parts. The dust has to go, for sure.
I believe I have Wagner pads on the GXP now, but the parts guy
told me they matched original specs so I assume they are semi-metallic.
Lots of dust, just like the original pads.

I also have Wagner pads on my 95, but no dust. Are they semi-metallic?
Again I just told them to match original equipment.


Beast... did the Napa pads come with the slides? Many hardware kits
are seperate or not available in some brands.

Yes, they did come with new slide plates. My EBC's didn't, I was rather impressed. The NAPA parts are definitely worth the money. They weren't expensive, either.

I am no expert but a few days ago I installed a pair of R1 Concepts slotted/crossdrilled premium rotors and Posi-Quiet ceramic pads. Pics below. They look and stop very well. The center portion of the rotor comes painted black so it should hold up well against rust. I like ceramics over the stock pads because they don't give off much dust which keeps your wheels cleaner. The slots on the rotor are a little noisier than stock. The slotted/drilled rotors will not be as durable as a regular one, but they are eye-catching.

JEL wrote:I am no expert but a few days ago I installed a pair of R1 Concepts slotted/crossdrilled premium rotors and Posi-Quiet ceramic pads. Pics below. They look and stop very well. The center portion of the rotor comes painted black so it should hold up well against rust. I like ceramics over the stock pads because they don't give off much dust which keeps your wheels cleaner. The slots on the rotor are a little noisier than stock. The slotted/drilled rotors will not be as durable as a regular one, but they are eye-catching.

Nice..... This summer im planning to get R1 slotted/drilled rotors on front and back and front and back sets of these C-max pads from autozone.. I have the same setup on my intrepid now and the the dust very little if any!!!!

AC Delco Premium rotors with HAWK pads.

Rotors, unless they're slotted/drilled, usually come from one or two manufacturer's in China, so it doesn't matter if it's NAPA, AC Delco, Raybesto's, Bendix, etc...

As long as it's the top line, you'll be fine.

I would avoid "drilled" rotors on a DD. The rotor can crack around or between the drilled holes and it can explode. If the holes are cast into the rotor, then that is fine, but if they were drilled after casting they can and will cause issues, especially during cold weather, when they're being heated and cooled repeatedly very quickly. Just my $.02.

i bought my GXP a year and half ago, 4 months later i needed new pads, i always replaced my rotors with the pads, i dont believe in re machining them, sadly GM convinced me into it, so i did remachine my rotors, and installed new OEM pads, 2 months later, everytime you hit the brakes the car shakes like a belly dancer.

so i ended up buying drilled rotors only, not slotted why? i looked at every performance car out there and they had drilled and drilled only (corvette, grand prix gxp, lambos, C63 AMG, porsche etc...) then why slotted? so i bought them off ebay from a Canadian seller, they have over 30k on them right now, and they are riding amazing! stopping power is 3 if not 4 times better than stock, i installed the rotors along with the hawk ceramic pads, brake dust was cut 95%, and no noise. well woth the investment, when my brakes are gone, im buying the same rotors again and same pads

and IMO drilled only looks so much better & cleaner

here are some pics

rotors


pads


on my old 18" rims



on my new 20" rims





and this is the link


they come with semi metalic pads, i never used them
i just bought the hawk ceramic

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/04-05-Bo ... ccessories

My GXP is due for rear pads and rotors come spring time. The catch is, the caliper and brackets are likely not original. Both are originally red from the factory. I have an interesting wear pattern on the rotor, and I'm wondering if anyone else has seen this. From my understanding, the caliper and pads are the same across all models from SE to GXP. The difference lies in the bracket - did somebody install the wrong one? The consistent ring of rust seems to match the smaller non GXP rotor.

If this is indeed an SE/SLE bracket, I would not be interested in sourcing a GXP one again. I would just get SLE rotors. Would be feasible, no? Right now I'm planning on a cheaper Wagner (# BD125702) and Akebono ProACT ceramic ACT714 pads.

Here's a quick shot of my rear brakes. Other than the pads, everyting else is stock.

Well it was time for front brakes again and while I really wanted to install EBC rotors with new pads the cost was an issue (especially at 80K miles on the car).

I had previously replaced the OEM original pads at 26K with Akebono pads and resurfaced the rotors. Needless to say I have been overly satisfied with these pads in terms of both performance but also longevity. 54K was a much greater result than what I got out of the originals and they weren't as dirty either.

Anyways I bought new Raybestos rotors and a set of ceramic pads from Autozone. Burnished them in and everything is back to good (and the rotor pulsation upon braking is gone thank god).

I wanted another set of Akebono's but nobody had them in stock locally and I needed to do it today. I highly recommend these pads to anybody that wants a longer lasting, minimal dusting pad that still performs great.

Next month I need to do the rears (still the original pads).

repinS wrote: The catch is, the caliper and brackets are likely not original. Both are originally red from the factory.

That seems odd that a rear caliper would need to be changed on such a new
car and even odder that they didn't put the original style caliper on it.

It could have been something as simple as a broken bleed screw. At the dealer when I had my Suburban brakes flushed, one of the bleed screws broke and they replaced the caliper. A remaned one from a local parts store.

Thanks for the pic dpnewfie. It looks like my bracket may just be original then. I can't seem to explain why both sides have the same wear pattern.

I recently got front rotors and pads as the original rotors got warped from 70k miles of somewhat hard driving. I did a bunch of online research on slotted and/or drilled rotors. I don't think there are any absolute right or wrong answers, but I ended up wanting slotted but not drilled rotors. However, I could not find any slotted only rotors that I felt were reasonably priced.

I ended up going with Centric premium rotors, and Bendex Ceramic pads.

One reason I did not want drilled is that for a rotor of a given size if you drill it, you are removing mass from the rotor. During braking, the rotor acts as a heat sink, and the less mass, the less heat it can absorb. That is another reason not to machine the rotors. The OEMs with drilled rotors generally have very large rotors which addresses that problem.

SamzGXP - what do you mean by "stopping power is 3 if not 4 times better than stock"? My stockers could easily lock the wheels and kick on the ABS on dry pavement. So more stopping power would not really make a difference, at least the way I'm understanding it.

Made my order for the rear on Rock Auto.

Centric Premium Rotors - part number 12062064
Centric Posi-Quiet Ceramic w/ Shims - part number 10507140.

Let's see how they'll do.

Double posting to add an update. They're here!

the coated rotor hats and non-braking surfaces look fantastic.

SAMzGXP wrote:i bought my GXP a year and half ago, 4 months later i needed new pads, i always replaced my rotors with the pads, i dont believe in re machining them, sadly GM convinced me into it, so i did remachine my rotors, and installed new OEM pads, 2 months later, everytime you hit the brakes the car shakes like a belly dancer.

so i ended up buying drilled rotors only, not slotted why? i looked at every performance car out there and they had drilled and drilled only (corvette, grand prix gxp, lambos, C63 AMG, porsche etc...) then why slotted? so i bought them off ebay from a Canadian seller, they have over 30k on them right now, and they are riding amazing! stopping power is 3 if not 4 times better than stock, i installed the rotors along with the hawk ceramic pads, brake dust was cut 95%, and no noise. well woth the investment, when my brakes are gone, im buying the same rotors again and same pads

and IMO drilled only looks so much better & cleaner

here are some pics

rotors


pads


on my old 18" rims



on my new 20" rims





and this is the link


they come with semi metalic pads, i never used them
i just bought the hawk ceramic

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/04-05-Bo ... ccessories

If the rotors come CAST with the holes in them, they're fine. If you take a casted rotor, then drill holes in them, that's where people like myself will chastize you.

Otherwise, they look great.

does anyone make stainless steel braided brake lines for us