Mazda 6 Brake upgrade

[sneakypete]

And while I bought the calipers from a reputable seller, he was not able to give me a definite answer as to whether they are off of an I or an S model Mazda6. He did confirm that they are off of a non-Mazdaspeed sedan, though. I bought Hawk HPS pads and Centric rotors, both for a 2006 Mazda6.

 

[sneakypete]

Do you know what part brands/numbers/dimensions your pads/rotors are?

 

[sneakypete]

it doesnt seem like that should happen. my 2008 brakes dont do that. can you post a pic?

Do you know what part brands/numbers/dimensions your pads/rotors are?

 

[sneakypete]

picked up mz6 front and rear calipers from a junk yard $160 total....forzwin you are awesome! that site you offered saved me $240! haha

next steps are paint these red and get some drilled & slotted rotors!

Your front calipers appear to have the same wear pattern on the pistons, indicating smaller pads. What size pads did you use?

 

[sneakypete]

old brakes...

New brakes....

gonna paint them red at some point...just need them to be functional asap

Hmm, it looks like your fronts have the same issue as mine do, where the pad does not cover the rotor all the way in to the rotor's hub.

 

[Justin2129]

i have 2008 6 calipers, so I just went to autozone and asked for pads for an 08 mazda 6. Rotors are CENTRIC Part # 12761088...although they kept warping so I replaced them with cheap ones.

You are right, mine does have the same issue, although I hadn't noticed until now. Maybe that's why they're warping??

 

[esnave09]

I have 08 brakes on mine too, and I don't think my piston is completely covered by the pads. But I don't think that the brake fluid goes into the piston against the brake pad, cuz otherwise you would have a huge leak. Not entirely sure how the brake fluid would leak through when the pads get low though, so maybe it is a design flaw.

As far as the calipers covering the braking surface, this is how mine look. The calipers/brake setup is going to be the same for i/s models, I checked the part numbers on RockAuto when I ordered my brakes.

 

[sneakypete]

I have 08 brakes on mine too, and I don't think my piston is completely covered by the pads. But I don't think that the brake fluid goes into the piston against the brake pad, cuz otherwise you would have a huge leak. Not entirely sure how the brake fluid would leak through when the pads get low though, so maybe it is a design flaw.

As far as the calipers covering the braking surface, this is how mine look. The calipers/brake setup is going to be the same for i/s models, I checked the part numbers on RockAuto when I ordered my brakes.

You are correct about the brake fluid: it is sealed inside of the caliper. The issue would be that, if the pads do not completely cover the piston, it seems like a waste because there could be pads with more surface area, and therefore more stopping power.

Thanks for the replies, though! This alleviates my concerns.

 

[sneakypete]

i have 2008 6 calipers, so I just went to autozone and asked for pads for an 08 mazda 6. Rotors are CENTRIC Part # 12761088...although they kept warping so I replaced them with cheap ones.

You are right, mine does have the same issue, although I hadn't noticed until now. Maybe that's why they're warping??

I also have Centric rotors, except in plain (120.61088). Hopefully they will not warp, though.

 

[sneakypete]

OK, so it seems like the Mazda6 front brakes are just a weird design. I looked up a bunch of pictures of stock Mazda6 front brakes, as well as a YouTube video on front pad replacement for a 2006, and they all look like this. Can't wait to get mine painted and installed. They're going to look sick behind my FD rims.

 

[pablosqy]

I have a question...

if I want to put ms6 calipers on my msp... do I have to buy with calipers with their brakets? or I can use msp brackets???

 

[njaremka]

I have a question...

if I want to put ms6 calipers on my msp... do I have to buy with calipers with their brakets? or I can use msp brackets???

you will need the MS6 brackets

 

[pablosqy]

you will need the MS6 brackets

Thanks man!

 

[bpt323]

completed my brake swap last night.

05 MS6 front's
11" rear rotors & E-brake work fine. used the late model 626 caliper bracket with oem calipers (modded to clear pads)
definitely feels better. id say a worthwhile upgrade for anyone.

 

[Justin2129]

completed my brake swap last night.

05 MS6 front's
11" rear rotors & E-brake work fine. used the late model 626 caliper bracket with oem calipers (modded to clear pads)
definitely feels better. id say a worthwhile upgrade for anyone.

got pics? I dont think ive seen a pic of a protege with MS6 brakes

 

[bpt323]

that was a typo on my end. it just normal 6 fronts with 11" rear rotors(same across 626/MSP/6's/others AFAIK)

 

[Justin2129]

I've always wondered what a big brake kit for a mazda 6 would look like on a p5. WAY overkill, but I bet it'd be sweet looking. because racecar!

 

[sneakypete]

It looks pretty cool, but since I've installed mine, I have one beef: the pads don't quite cover the rotors all the way to the center. Not a huge deal, but it looks a little funky. Also, there is a ring of rust where the pads don't rub the friction surface clean.

 

[bpt323]

yeah thats kind of a minor annoyance I fully agree. 99% of all other pads i've ever seen fully cover the caliper piston. Im not sure who at ford/mazda was the genius behind that.

 

[sneakypete]

Also, I can't for the life of me figure out how the anti-rattle clips work for these calipers. After installing my calipers without them (I know, I'm dumb), the rattling is pretty annoying. Fortunately I don't get any squealing. I bought a set of the anti-rattle clips, but they are some kind of weird-ass multi-piece clip/spring setup that I can't figure out. Could somebody post pics or a link or something so I can install them?