How-To: Mazdaspeed6 Replace Pads and Rotors and Install Stainless Steel Brake Lines

[elieleb1303]

wannabe he told me he got painted centric/stoptech rotors. they do look nice. i found the stock rotors for either 75 or 92, i forget the price. one was for the pads, the other for the rotors. if u found anythin cheaper for the stockers, let me know

 

[MATT DAMOND]

Yep, I bought centric/stoptech painted, plain faced rotors, from SU for around $240 for a whole set. You might want to give http://www.raceshopper.com/ a call, I got my pads from there, and I think they had good prices on rotors.

 

[wannabe]

yeah...i should have read. completely missed that.

why the hell are the fronts SOO much more than the rears?

the stoptechs you got are $100 for the rears and $220 for the fronts??

 

[elieleb1303]

theyre different sizes, arent they?

 

[redspeed6]

vented and non vented. bigger up front, smaller in rear

 

[MATT DAMOND]

yeah...i should have read. completely missed that.

why the hell are the fronts SOO much more than the rears?

the stoptechs you got are $100 for the rears and $220 for the fronts??

If you get them both it's only $249, the link: [unauthorized vendor]



The rotor's are so expensive because of our car's low production numbers, that and the fronts are going to be more for being bigger+vented, like redspeed6 said.

Tunersteeve, I bought the car in IL, but I'll check in my owner's manual, there's some business cards from the dealership the car was originally sold.

 

[wannabe]

i ordered the rear rotors (stoptechs) and pads (rotora H3 ceramics) from therpmstore for $160 shipped. i guess thats not THAT bad...but i'm gonna wait on the fronts a bit longer.

the rears are where my problems are.

 

[Afroman]

Quick Brake Question:

How do you bleed the brakes with a car that has ABS?

I have heard a few different things that the its hard to do because of the valves in the ABS solenoid pack. Basically air could get caught in there and without the right tools to open those valves you could damage the system.

 

[TXspeed6]

Bump. I don't want to pay $90 to have someone bleed the brake lines.
Also, what fluid? Is some better than others or are the all the same?

 

[MATT DAMOND]

You bleed the brakes the same as you would any other car.
Air would only get trapped in the ABS junk if 1. you opened the lines at the ABS mechanism, or 2. while bleeding the brakes you didn't keep the reservoir full with fluid, causing air to possibly get trapped in the MC and the ABS stuff.
As for what fluid to run, I'd recommend something DOT3 or DOT4. 4 has a higher boiling point than 3, and 4 would be better for sprinted driving/track days. I just have some prestone DOT4 fluid in for now, but I'll switch to ATE Super Blue DOT4 before I hit the track.

 

[TXspeed6]

Thanks for the reply matt.

 

[Xmax]

I just picked some rotors for the rear of my MS6 from Carquest, got them for $43 a piece which is a heck of a deal.

 

[nickows]

Thanks very much for providing this comprehensive and easy to follow 'How To'. It made my rotor and pad replacement alot quicker.

 

[chuyler1]

Thanks for the write-up! I've done rotors and pads before on other cars and it was a good refresher.

FYI, at 50K on the ticker and my first brake job, i had to drill out all the rotor bolts. Pain in the butt, but everything else went smooth.

 

[speed6lukasz]

FYI for the ppl that want to do they brake jobs u do not need to drill out the rotor bolts.....if u invest 20 bucks or 30 get a tool that will save your life when unscrewing the bolts.(plus it could be used for anyother job with rusted bolts)...ill get a pic up today if i get a chance.....and since i work at a car part store my brake job cost me $ 90 plus a can of monster....i just got monroe brakes and resurface the original rotors since they were in descent condition. performance is as good as new........and i still got cash in my pocket to pay off this damn loan (gah)

 

[OJ Bartley]

A couple of quick brake bleeding questions... I'd like to bleed mine when I take my winter wheels off this spring, and have a general idea of what I need to do, but wanted to check a few things first.

1) Standard DOT-3 fluid is fine, right? Is the specific "ABS" fluid necessary, or is it the wrong stuff? (I was looking at Prestone ABS)
2) What is the proper order to go in for the Speed6? eg. LF, RF, RR, LR, or whatever it happens to be?
3) Is the "gravity method" the way to go for me if I'm doing it solo?

 

[chuyler1]

I believe you go Rear-Right, Rear-Left, Front-Right, Front-Left. That's the order on most cars with the assumption that the master cylinder is in the front on the left side of the car. You want to do the farthest caliper first. It's best to have someone help you. All they have to do is push the pedal down and repeat as you dictate.

 

[Speed_Demon]

You said in the directions, DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN the guide pins. Do you know how much to torque them to?