Brake upgrades?
best and cheapest are not going to be the same.... there is tons of brake info on this site, do a search
also kind of hard to help you if we don't know the current setup of the car and what your goals are (street, strip, autox, weekend cruiser etc.)
also kind of hard to help you if we don't know the current setup of the car and what your goals are (street, strip, autox, weekend cruiser etc.)
The stock brakes are capable enough. But better or different pads can make a big difference. Given that you are just normal driving and not performance driving, what improvement do you want to feel/get from "new brakes"? Bigger rotors mean less fade on a road course, don't improve street stopping ability a whole lot (at street speeds). 4 piston calipers could also stop harder/more aggressive, but on the street do you need to stop like you're punishing your passengers? Slotted drilled rotors make 0 difference for daily driving. Pads can give you better friction to stop quicker/harder without a lot of cost or major parts replacement. I autocross my car and I have been on stock calipers for years but have a *very* aggressive pad compound that works great even when cold. I can get to lockup/ABS whenever I want - that's the benefit of a good pad, that's made specifically for that kind of use and heat range. The downside is 1. cost - much higher than normal pads, and 2. lots of dust, and some noise. For street, you don't want a high heat range. You're going slow, never putting a lot of heat in from multiple stops from over 100mph. You probably want a pad with a low heat range that works good when cold and is reliable. But it won't tolerate many stops from 100mph, it will glaze over.
So... does this help you to consider what you want out of your car and what new brakes mean in your driving style? If you are on standard grade pads, changing to a slightly more aggressive pad could be your best bang for a low price.
So... does this help you to consider what you want out of your car and what new brakes mean in your driving style? If you are on standard grade pads, changing to a slightly more aggressive pad could be your best bang for a low price.
what year is the car? I'm assuming it is a 98+ but just want to make sure. Chris hit the nail on the head, a nice aggressive pad on the stock calipers with a quality blank rotor will be more than enough for a weekend cruiser street car. if you were pushing 500+hp or racing the car then it would be time to look at a bigger front brake setup but for what you are doing a nice aggressive pad upgrade should suffice.
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If you are not going to track the car but want more performance from the brakes, a simple pad upgrade will suffice. There's a wide range of options depending on how much bite you want (and the resulting dust and wear/tear on the rotors you are prepared to accept), however looking at the Hawks line of pads, the HPS 5.0 pads are a simple upgrade from stock. Candidly, HPS 5.0 on the front is all you need to get real improvement on the street. No need to upgrade the rear pads as the bias favors the front (hence, very little real benefit to a better pad on the rear).
For what it's worth, there are a bunch of great upgrades available in the form of better calipers, rotors, etc. however that isn't necessary if you just want better stopping from the stock system. I track my car heavily (road course) and after 30+ events I'm still running the stock brakes with extremely aggressive pads and they hold up very well. One day I will eventually upgrade the full system (calipers, etc.) and in my mind right now, Strano's Wilwood kit with StopTech blank rotors is the best fit for me and what I intend to do with the car.
For what it's worth, there are a bunch of great upgrades available in the form of better calipers, rotors, etc. however that isn't necessary if you just want better stopping from the stock system. I track my car heavily (road course) and after 30+ events I'm still running the stock brakes with extremely aggressive pads and they hold up very well. One day I will eventually upgrade the full system (calipers, etc.) and in my mind right now, Strano's Wilwood kit with StopTech blank rotors is the best fit for me and what I intend to do with the car.