Powerstop Z36 Pads/Rotors + Rear Pin & Bushing Kit For Brake Moan TSB

[Slingy]

I just replaced my pads and rotors with the Powerstop Z36 Extreme kit. For those that don't already know, the rotors are cross-drilled and slotted and the pads are ceramic Extreme Duty. My pads were getting down there at 35K miles so it made sense to just do it all. I also bought the parts for the Brake Moan TSB which included replacement caliper pins and pin bushings. I followed the TSB instructions and everything went quite smoothly. The stopping ability is a significant difference from OEM. Hard stops are incredibly confident and short while gradual stops are smooth as can be. I found the best price at Autozone by utilizing a 20% off promo code they were offering which beat every other price I could find on the internet. The free shipping was lightning fast and I got them in 2 days. Installation was pretty easy with the exception of the last rotor being rusted on. Thank you New England road salt!! Nothing a BFH (big hammer) couldn't loosen with a few good whacks. I did engage the brake service mode for the rears so there was no drama there. Thank you to Mark S for posting the procedure sequence here on the forum. I was able to reset the rear caliper pistons by hand but I had to resort to the F clamp for the fronts but that was easy as well. Now they stop great and look great. It'll be interesting to see if the moaning ever comes back. I'm pretty sure it's gone for good. One thing that was a surprise to see was that there was no signs of grease on the caliper pins for all four corners. Everything that should be lubed is now lubed. It's easy to say that I'm more than satisfied with my choice of brake parts.

The last pic shows how rusty things can get here in the Northeast.

 

[Escape2Bronco]

I just replaced my pads and rotors with the Powerstop Z36 Extreme kit. For those that don't already know, the rotors are cross-drilled and slotted and the pads are ceramic Extreme Duty. My pads were getting down there at 35K miles so it made sense to just do it all. I also bought the parts for the Brake Moan TSB which included replacement caliper pins and pin bushings. I followed the TSB instructions and everything went quite smoothly. The stopping ability is a significant difference from OEM. Hard stops are incredibly confident and short while gradual stops are smooth as can be. I found the best price at Autozone by utilizing a 20% off promo code they were offering which beat every other price I could find on the internet. The free shipping was lightning fast and I got them in 2 days. Installation was pretty easy with the exception of the last rotor being rusted on. Thank you New England road salt!! Nothing a BFH (big hammer) couldn't loosen with a few good whacks. I did engage the brake service mode for the rears so there was no drama there. Thank you to Mark S for posting the procedure sequence here on the forum. I was able to reset the rear caliper pistons by hand but I had to resort to the F clamp for the fronts but that was easy as well. Now they stop great and look great. It'll be interesting to see if the moaning ever comes back. I'm pretty sure it's gone for good. One thing that was a surprise to see was that there was no signs of grease on the caliper pins for all four corners. Everything that should be lubed is now lubed. It's easy to say that I'm more than satisfied with my choice of brake parts.

The last pic shows how rusty things can get here in the Northeast.

Are they using salt brine yet in the northeast? It’s amazing how fast these vehicles disintegrate when exposed to salt or brine. People give me a lot of crap because I refuse to drive the 2 door or the Lexus in the winter. Oh well, I’ve done the fluid film thing, I’ve got hot and cold softened water in my garage that has a drain, it’s basically impossible to keep back that monster. I used to crash cars before they died of old age. Now that I’m of old age, I rust them out first!

Let us know how the brakes work out. I remember replacing the rotors and pads on my step daughters Chevy Cobalt. I needed to resort to the RBFH (sledge) and a large gear puller so I hear your pain except here’s was probably 10-15 years Since they were changed, not 4.

 

[Slingy]

Are they using salt brine yet in the northeast? It’s amazing how fast these vehicles disintegrate when exposed to salt or brine. People give me a lot of crap because I refuse to drive the 2 door or the Lexus in the winter. Oh well, I’ve done the fluid film thing, I’ve got hot and cold softened water in my garage that has a drain, it’s basically impossible to keep back that monster. I used to crash cars before they died of old age. Now that I’m of old age, I rust them out first!

Let us know how the brakes work out. I remember replacing the rotors and pads on my step daughters Chevy Cobalt. I needed to resort to the RBFH (sledge) and a large gear puller so I hear your pain except here’s was probably 10-15 years Since they were changed, not 4.

Yeah we get a combination of brine and rock salt depending on location. My T-Bird hibernates from November through April as well. I was kind of surprised that the one rotor that was rusted on was the front left. Usually the right side gets the worst of the road hazards. It was also the last one I had to do and it was getting dark so I had to wait until morning before smacking the heck out of it with my mini sledge hammer. And now all of the hubs have a layer of anti-seize on them for future replacements.
The new brakes work amazingly. I've used drilled & slotted rotors on my 2010 Mercury Mountaineer from Brakemotive, which was an Ebay vendor, and they worked great and were like $160.00 for all four corners. In fact, I went through a couple of sets from them because, while my commute was only 4.4 miles, there were 8 traffic lights and the speed limit is 40mph so I was constantly having to stop from 50 to 0 which obviously does a number on brakes. Brakemotive no longer exists so I went with these Powerstops which seem to be more of a mainstream brand. One thing I really liked with the drilled & slotted rotors was their wet weather stopping ability. I haven't been in a rainstorm with these Powerstops yet but the similar Brakemotive sets were beasts in the rain. The holes and slots give the water a place to disperse to eliminating the brief and scary moment of no brakes due to water layering between the pads and rotors. Some will argue that the drilled and slotted rotors will crack over time but that's usually under "racing conditions". It is very unlikely to happen under regular street driving conditions. If that happens to my new brakes then I'm wrong but I never had any rotor failures in my past experiences with them.

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