Hello folks! Newbie here. The wife just upgraded out of her 2004 Mazda 6. We were going to trade it in but the thing barely has 45K miles on it and "stealership" wouldn't even want to give us BB value for it so I decided to keep it as my daily driver instead to keep mileage off my baby ('09 MB C63 AMG). Its a sport model with pretty much every option and great condition except for normal wear and tear on the front end paint due to rocks. Believe it or not, in the 5 years we've owned this car, I had driven it maybe 5 times. Now that I drive it regularly, Im starting to get used to it and it's "nuances". For starters (and I know this is no way a remotely fair comparison), I just can't get used to the brakes on this vehicle. Hopping out of my C63 and into the 6 just seems like the things takes forever to stop compared to the MB, so this has become my 1st project. I'm looking to upgrade the brakes to cross-drilled/slotted rotors and hi-perf brake pads and possibly even calipers if i can find something better than the stockers out there. What do you guys recommend as far as calipers and rotors for this car?

 

Wilwood performance brake kit or Brembo performance brake kit. They can be pricey!

 

Stoptech also makes a BBK for the 6. Or you could go a slightly different way and do a mazdaspeed brake swap. Basically putting the brakes from the mazdaspeed 6 onto the standard 6. It'll yield improved braking, but still look stock. Crossdrilled rotors are a bit of a scam, they will not improve the brakes performance, slotted will, but they will also chew through pads quicker. Also BBK's main advantage over stock brakes is heat dissipation, something you really don't have to worry much about on the street. I'd say either upgrade to some Hawk or EBC red stuff pads or do the mazdaspeed6 swap with the same pads.

-Cameron Keffer

 

Thanks guys. I'll look into each option. Would there be any significant increase in breaking power with the Mazdaspeed conversion that would justify the cost or should I just avoid skimping and go to the BBK? I know I'll never be able to replicate the feel of the 6-piston, 14in brakes on my C63 but I'm looking for a nice in compromise somewhere in between that and the current "rental car" feel I have right now.

 

Stainless steel braided, Teflon brake hoses will help a lot with a more solid pedal feel.

From what I've been reading, the BBK's are primarily for heat dissipation, as Cameron said. You can't really expect that the car will stop a whole lot better with one installed. For +/-$1.5-2K, that's not where I would spend my money.
I don't know about the MS6 swap, though it sounds like a good suggestion and I'm sure Cameron knows what he's talking about (just look at his other posts here,) but better pads and the afore mentioned new hoses should help a lot with that squishy feel.

 

+1 on the steel braided lines, though you'll have to wait a couple months for a set to be available for the 04 mazda6. That's when the Goodridge lines will be done. There are lines out from techna-fit, but they have been known to leak for some people (it seems to be hit or miss as to wether or not they will have issues). In regards to the mazdaspeed 6 brake system, it is a system from a heavier version of our car that out brakes (or does the job equally, I really can't remember) our version. So couple it with some performance pads, and good tires that are properly inflated and you should have a nice little upgrade in braking performance while still maintaining the car's brake ballance.
This being said, you will never get the "insta-brake" effect some cars get, this is due to the way our brakes are set up. Our braking system was designed to be easily modulated in a track setting, ie you tap the brake and all you do is shave off some speed to make a turn rather than put your passenger through the windshield and lose half your momentum. You can get pads that will do this, but initial "bite" is rarely indicative of actual braking performance. The only other things you can do to improve braking would be to invest in a set of lighter wheels and sticky tires, both of these would help considerably in reducing stopping distances.

In all honesty, we have a pretty good braking system on this car, there have been multiple times at autocross events when I have had experienced and successful drivers comment about how good the brakes on my car are after a ride along.
Now that being said, is it on par with an AMG? Hell no, that's like comparing a toyota celica to a porsche. Yeah they're both sportscars, but there is a very good reason that the porsche costs a bunch more. Hope my ramblings can help you out.

-Cameron Keffer

 

Thanks for all the adice folks. What i'm basically getting is that I should put my money elsewhere. Like CKeffer said, maybe I'm just too used to my AMGs brake but I'll never be able to replicate it on the 6. What's the difference between the stainless steel braided lines Ckeffer was talking about and these available from therpmstore.com?

http://www.therpmstore.com/product_i...roducts_id=428

The car already has new wheels and some pretty good Pirellis on them so no need to upgrade those. I basically got (or been limited by the wifey ) to $3000. If brakes is not the best recommended upgrade, where should I begin then? Thanks again.

ROD

 

Not a clue. I honestly only mentioned the ones i did because of the discussions taking place on another forum that I'm on, so that name was closer to the front of my mind. Stop tech is a well known and trusted brand, so they should be just fine.

Which Pirellis are you running, just cause a tire is one brand or another honestly makes little difference in it's preformance (and IMO Pirellis are a bit over rated anyways). Also what wheels did you go to? What size, weight, and offset (they will all make a difference in how the car behaves)?

As for parts you can get, try a set of Hawk HPS pads, or EBS redstuff pads, both are much more agressive pads than what come stock on the 6. Only other thing I could tell you to try is checking your brake fluid, if it has developed bubbles, is low, or has developed contaminants it can lead to a mushy pedal.

-Cameron Keffer