FAQ: Vibration under braking: warped rotors? NO!

hello, I have 2018 kia stinger GT2 and want to buy brakes and rotors, i found powerstop brakes, z26 and z 23, may be you know, or running on it, can you tell me, which is better?
 
hello, I have 2018 kia stinger GT2 and want to buy brakes and rotors, i found powerstop brakes, z26 and z 23, may be you know, or running on it, can you tell me, which is better?
Can you elaborate on what "better" is to you?

Is it high friction coefficient?
Is it price?
Is it reduced dust?
Is it lack of noise?
Is it longevity?

Better is different to different to different people


Power stop says:
The Z23 pads are a Carbon-Fiber Ceramic formula that offer great dust-free braking performance. This kit is designed for increased braking power for a daily-driven car, truck, SUV or crossover.

The Z26, on the other hand is designed for extreme street braking performance on high performance vehicles. This kit includes premium stainless steel shims to provide better heat dissipation, as well as the Carbon Fiber Ceramic formula found on the Z23 brake pads.
 
Can you elaborate on what "better" is to you?

Is it high friction coefficient?
Is it price?
Is it reduced dust?
Is it lack of noise?
Is it longevity?

Better is different to different to different people


Power stop says:
The Z23 pads are a Carbon-Fiber Ceramic formula that offer great dust-free braking performance. This kit is designed for increased braking power for a daily-driven car, truck, SUV or crossover.

The Z26, on the other hand is designed for extreme street braking performance on high performance vehicles. This kit includes premium stainless steel shims to provide better heat dissipation, as well as the Carbon Fiber Ceramic formula found on the Z23 brake pads.
Additionally...

Some parts of the internet say:

  • Z23 and Z26 use the same friction material in the pad itself
  • They are both low dusting and will dust the same amount as they are the same friction material
  • Backing plate shim on Z23 is rubberized and backing plate shim on Z26 is stainless steel
  • The Z26 pad will tolerate higher heat due to the SS backing plate
  • Both pads are low noise but I would suspect that the Z23 may be even better in the noise department due to the rubberized shim (just a guess here)
 
______________________________
Buying brakes are like buying tires. You need to look for ones that match how and where you drive.
 
2019 Stinger GT2, Having a hard time finding in stock Posi-Quiet Pads. Anyone have advice or links to best current OEM alternative for similar OEM performance without the deposits issue? Also looking for a good alternative for Rear rotors, but will buy the brembos if I have to. Thanks!
 
From interior to exterior to high performance - everything you need for your Stinger awaits you...
2019 Stinger GT2, Having a hard time finding in stock Posi-Quiet Pads. Anyone have advice or links to best current OEM alternative for similar OEM performance without the deposits issue? Also looking for a good alternative for Rear rotors, but will buy the brembos if I have to. Thanks!

I have been using these for about 10k KMs. Perfectly silent, and smooth so far.



Also they are very economical

Also - relevant link
 
Last edited:
2019 Stinger GT2, Having a hard time finding in stock Posi-Quiet Pads. Anyone have advice or links to best current OEM alternative for similar OEM performance without the deposits issue? Also looking for a good alternative for Rear rotors, but will buy the brembos if I have to. Thanks!
OEM rotors are good ones. It's the pads that you want to shop around for. Most aftermarket pads have been reported on here to fix the vibration from pad deposits.
 
OEM rotors are good ones. It's the pads that you want to shop around for. Most aftermarket pads have been reported on here to fix the vibration from pad deposits.
Hell yea, Just ordered the rear rotors off of Brembo's amazon store for only 108.77 per rotor
 
Found a dealer nearby that had a "program" to replace the rotors and pads with after market drilled/slotted rotors and ceramic brakes as they said they have seen many Stingers come in for the brake wobble issue. I asked what brand they used and said it was advanced auto parts but didn't actually tell me what brand.

My question is,

I noticed when driving home that the brake pedal wouldn't engage till i pushed a little further than before. Meaning before I would push 1.5 inches and the brakes engaged but now feel like I push 2 inches. Is that normal for new rotors/pads until they get worn in? I asked the mechanic if I needed to do any bedding of the brakes as I know a lot of readers on here recommend it, he said no that normal driving will bed them.

So maybe in a couple weeks I can come back and comment as I normally only drive on the weekends and put about 800 miles a month. I have 25k miles right now.

Thanks for all the help as I am not very knowledgeable about cars!
 
I asked the mechanic if I needed to do any bedding of the brakes as I know a lot of readers on here recommend it, he aid no that normal driving will bed them.
Get ready for the OPINIONS...
 
______________________________
From interior to exterior to high performance - everything you need for your Stinger awaits you...
Get ready for the OPINIONS...
Yes, certainly. KIA recommends that during the first 600 miles break in period that while you're following the 2K to 4K RPM range, you also avoid harsh braking and brake moderately. I did this. Actually, I always do this. I don't use the brakes to slow the car down unless necessary. I only use them to stop. And the OEM pads have worked fine for me for 66K miles. Wearing in new pads is best if you just let them create a full surface contact through normal braking. Bedding in will work faster. But it also might create the very problem you're trying to avoid.
 
Wearing in new pads is best if you just let them create a full surface contact through normal braking. Bedding in will work faster. But it also might create the very problem you're trying to avoid.
So, you are giving a +1 to what @baws22489 's mechanic recommended? Just drive normally

We might need a poll on this very question
 
Sorry,
my question was more about should the brake pedal go down further than before (maybe 1 inch further before engaging) while the brakes are settling in or does that mean he got air in the brake line.

the bed or no bed is very divisive so wasn't meaning to start that discussion again
 
I noticed when driving home that the brake pedal wouldn't engage till i pushed a little further than before. Meaning before I would push 1.5 inches and the brakes engaged but now feel like I push 2 inches. Is that normal for new rotors/pads until they get worn in?
Sorry,
my question was more about should the brake pedal go down further than before (maybe 1 inch further before engaging) while the brakes are settling in or does that mean he got air in the brake line.
There is the pedal free play itself, which is usually adjustable at the pedal by moving a nut on the pushrod, and then there is the travel of the brake cylinder before the pads are pressed against the rotors. Neither of those is self-correcting, but while it's possible they messed with the pedal adjustment, the first thing to check is that they're bled properly.
 
From interior to exterior to high performance - everything you need for your Stinger awaits you...
Sorry,
my question was more about should the brake pedal go down further than before (maybe 1 inch further before engaging) while the brakes are settling in or does that mean he got air in the brake line.
Right after you install new brake pads, yes. That's because you typically have to push in the caliper pistons to install the new pads, so initially there will be larger gaps than with the old pads. However, once the hydraulic pressure pushes the pads toward the rotors, and the pads settle into the proper positions just slightly off the caliper, your brake pedal should resume its normal feel (firmness).

I just installed new pads on the '23 GT-Line yesterday, and that's exactly what happened.

Now, it is entirely possible (especially if you didn't resurfaces the rotors) that the new pads won't make as even contact as if all the mating surfaces are nice and square to each other. In that case, each brake pedal push will first have to push the pads to close on the rotors, before you'll feel the brake pedal firm up and produce proper braking force. A small amount of this is normal for "seating in" the new pads and should slowly get better as the pads wear in and begin to make fuller contact with the rotor. You should ALWAYS inspect the rotors after each drive to check on the status of that "seating in" process. I would say, if your brake pedal still feel soft after, say, 100 miles of driving, something is not right.

BTW, if your new pads' instruction says "bedding in" is recommended/necessary, that should ONLY be done after the pads are seated in properly (making full contact with rotor).

How quickly "seating in" is completed depends on the brake pads and how square the new pads/rotors are to each other. Some pads have a built-in "breaking-in" layer to shorten this process. Others do not. For example, the EBC Yellowstuff I install on the rear does have a break-in layer, while the EBC Bluestuff I put on the front does not.
IMG20240114152602.jpg
IMG20240114141536.jpg
 
Last edited:
______________________________
Also, different brake compound will have different brake pedal feel, some more drastic than others. Some have stronger initial bite, so that might give you an initial impression of needing less pedal travel to get good braking force. Others might take a bit of warming up before producing good friction coefficient, so you might need to step on it harder to get the same braking force you were used to with the old pads.

Ceramics, vs. organics vs. metallics will all tend to feel a bit differently, as will different formulation within each category. Each compound has a different friction coefficient curve. Suffice it to say, unless you bought some cheap ass crappy brake pads, none of them should give you a "soft" pedal.
 
A small amount of this is normal for "seating in" the new pads and should slowly get better as the pads wear in and begin to make fuller contact with the rotor. You should ALWAYS inspect the rotors after each drive to check on the status of that "seating in" process. I would say, if your brake pedal still feel soft after, say, 100 miles of driving, something is not right.

BTW, if your new pads' instruction says "bedding in" is recommended/necessary, that should ONLY be done after the pads are seated in properly (making full contact with rotor).
Looks like @baws22489 got new pads & rotors - so - "seating" would be new pads on new rotors.

Found a dealer nearby that had a "program" to replace the rotors and pads with after market drilled/slotted rotors and ceramic brakes as they said they have seen many Stingers come in for the brake wobble issue. I asked what brand they used and said it was advanced auto parts but didn't actually tell me what brand.
 
I just talked to the service manager and he asked the technician and was told that he didn't bleed the brakes and that the further travel isn't expected with new rotors/brake pads but that the thickness of the new pads could be less that what was on there before and that could make it have to travel a little further before engaging with the rotors.

So they said they could bleed the brakes but no guarantee it will make them feel like it did before since the brakes are working as expected.

So I will just keep driving and will see in 500-1,000 miles and maybe I will get used to how they are working and it wont be an issue anymore.

thanks for everyone's comments and help!
 
From interior to exterior to high performance - everything you need for your Stinger awaits you...
Back
Top