I wanted to wait a bit to break it all in before I shared.

I upgraded the brakes to
Zimmerman drilled rotors
Hawk HPS
SS lines
Blue fluid.

I originally had not planned on buying new rotors but once the car was up on the rack and the tires off, it became evident that it was time to replace. The original rotors and pads lasted 38 miles. I didn't have much choice nor time on rotor selection.

Minspeed guarantees replacement if the Zimmerman drilled/chaffered rotors crack so it became a moot decision between the guarantee and the Zimmerman name. If there were a negative, they do rust at the base of the rotor as well as the outer edge but then again I live in Florida next to the bay. My aftermarket rims expose much of the braking system so my advice and something I need to do is paint these sections.

The parts and install came to 800 bucks - all four.

The installer bed the pads and told me that the next day they should be "normalized". Going home I was stopping very poorly and the next day no better. SO I went out and bed the pads again, and again - not sure why they fought the process so but the end result = .

Now that I've had them for a couple of weeks, the brake pedal has nicely firmed up, and no doubt that the pads give a noticeable bite improvement. I wish I had had this set-up last year at the dragon for last year half way threw the run my brakes had given up. Brake warm up difference compared to stock is minimal, I really don't notice a difference. There seems to be less dust but then again, I run black rims.

Conclusion - when the time comes a level 1 brake upgrade is a nice upgrade w/ just a little additional cost.

 

or this setup https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...uct/270/cat/79

 

Lots of good options, your link being one of them.

More importantly than what components I selected is that a brake level 1 upgrade is a nice noticeable improvement for the spirited driver and if tied in when OEM needs replacing for a few extra bucks its a no-brainer in my opinion.

I like the firmer brake pedal feel that the SS lines and fluid provide and I like the stopping feel that the more aggressive pads provide.

footnote - had I had the choice of getting slotted rotors, I would have opted for them but my choice was smooth or drilled that day.

 

There are many options for brake upgrades.

I did a similar stage 1 upgrade with the same rotors, SS lines and brake fluid 5 years ago.

On a budget all one needs to do is upgrade the pads assuming the rotors are usable and not worn. If the rotors are worn I usually suggest the stock OEM rotors because they aren't costly and they are functional. Brembo solid rotors with a finish will resist rust vs any rotors with no plating or finish. You can also paint the rotors for a bit more rust resistance.

Zimmerman Drilled rotors did crack for me (street use) in the fronts, not to a dangerous level but still I replaced them after a year. Rears were fine. Holes got jammed and plugged with brake dust easily. Drilled rotors will wear pads and offer less surface area for stopping.

For best stopping choose good pads. Slotted rotors are OK but again you loose some surface area on the rotor and it wears the pad a bit. No big problem with durability under street use but with track use you can generate enough heat to damage a slotted rotor.

SS lines are OK, I didn't feel that much change in brake pedal feel when I did the upgrade myself. Upgraded brake fluid (ATE superblue) helps with increasing the boiling point of the fluid to resist boiling it with repeated stops (helpful on the track, at driving school, or doing long stretches downhill) but isn't something that affects pedal feel under normal street driving. Tyrol caliper stiffeners also can be used but I can't really say that I noticed much difference when I upgraded my front and rear calipers. They do require some maintenance to lube them.

Sometimes if you upgrade to track/street brake pads you can get-
A bit more noise
A bit more brake dust- but not as much as with stock pads
A bit more rotor wear

 

What about good pads on a budget? I like the sound of the carbotech ones, but I don't want to pay $240 for all 4 pads. Any suggestions? What about the green stuff pads? I need something with good cold bite.

 

After using both EBC Green and Red pads my recommendation has switched from green to red. The price difference between them is minimal and in my use of them the reds just seem to perform better (both in cold stopping and under heavy track-day style use).