2009-2021 Nissan 370z Brake Job Tools and Torque Specs

By Core Brake Parts Tech Team — Circleville, OH warehouse

A brake job on a 2009-2021 Nissan 370Z needs a torque wrench, a basic metric socket set, a pad spreader or piston tool, and fresh brake fluid of the right type. Nissan's own owner's manuals list the wheel nut tightening torque at 80 ft-lb (108 N-m), and the caliper and bracket bolt values are in the BR (Brake System) section of the factory service manual. The bigger thing to get right before you buy anything is which of the two 370Z brake systems your car has.

First, Identify Which Brakes Your 370Z Has

The Z34 370Z was built with two different front brake designs. Cars with the Sport package use a larger opposed-piston caliper with 4 pistons up front, while other cars use a different factory caliper. Nissan's own technical bulletin NTB16-024 separates them this way, applying only to 2009-2016 coupes and 2010-2016 roadsters "with 4-piston front calipers as original equipment."

The two systems do not share rotors, pads or calipers, so a Sport-brake rotor will not fit a car with the standard caliper. The quickest check is to look through the front wheel. An opposed-piston caliper is fixed to the knuckle with pistons on both sides of the rotor and pads held in by pad pins across the top. A sliding caliper floats on guide pins and has its piston only on the inboard side. If you are unsure, your VIN tells a parts counter which system the car left the factory with.

Tools You Need for a 370Z Brake Job

• Torque wrench that covers the wheel nut value and the caliper bracket bolts. Guessing on bracket bolts is how calipers come loose.
• Metric sockets and wrenches for the lug nuts, caliper bolts and bracket bolts, plus a line wrench if you open a brake hose fitting.
• Jack and jack stands rated for the car. The 370Z sits low, so a low-profile floor jack saves a lot of frustration.
• Pad spreader or piston retraction tool. On a sliding caliper a C-clamp or single-piston tool works. On a 4-piston opposed caliper, use a pad spreader that pushes both sides back evenly so you do not cock a piston in its bore.
• Punch and small hammer for driving out the pad pins on Sport calipers.
• Wire brush and brake cleaner to clean the hub face, caliper abutments and bracket.
• Brake fluid and a bleeder kit (a clear hose and catch bottle at minimum) if you open the hydraulics or the fluid is due.
• Brake lubricant made for caliper slides and pad contact points. Keep it off the pad friction surface and rotor.

Torque Specs and Fluid Specs

These are the values Nissan publishes in the 370Z owner's manuals. The 2015 coupe, 2017 roadster and 2018 coupe manuals all list the same numbers.

Nissan's manuals say to tighten wheel nuts with a torque wrench and to retighten them after the car has been driven for 600 miles, which also applies after any wheel has been off for a brake job. Tighten in a star pattern in two passes rather than running each nut all the way down at once.

On the NISMO, Nissan states plainly that R35 Special II is the factory fill and that using a non-equivalent fluid can cause improper brake system operation. Nissan also says never to mix different types of fluid. If you are bleeding a NISMO, buy the correct fluid before you start.

Symptoms That It Is Time for Brakes

Nissan says the 370Z disc pads have audible wear warnings. Nissan describes it as a high-pitched scraping sound while the car is moving. At first you hear it only with the brake pedal pressed; after more wear you hear it all the time. Either way, the pads are at their limit. Nissan also notes that occasional squeak or squeal during light stops is normal and is not by itself a sign of a problem.

Other signs to look for:

• Judder under braking - steering wheel shake, body vibration or pedal pulsation that changes with road speed. On 4-piston cars this is a known issue (see the next section).
• Grooved or lipped rotors you can see through the wheel spokes.
• A low fluid level in the reservoir. Fluid drops as the pads wear, and if you have to add fluid often, Nissan says to have the system checked.
• A weak parking brake, which on the 370Z uses separate shoes inside the rear rotor hat.

Vibration while cruising or coasting with your foot off the brake is not brake judder. Nissan's bulletin points to tires and wheels for that. Fast, even pedal pulsation in a hard stop on a slick road is the ABS working, not a problem.

The 4-Piston Caliper Judder Fix

Nissan bulletin NTB16-024 (BR16-001, March 2016) covers brake judder on 370Z models with factory 4-piston front calipers, especially when braking from highway speed. The fix it calls for is a useful checklist for anyone doing front brakes on a Sport or NISMO car:

1. Inspect the front rotors and decide whether they can be machined or must be replaced. If replaced, replace both front rotors as a set.
2. Replace the front brake pads.
3. Replace both pad pins in both front calipers - four pins total. The bulletin lists the updated pin as part 41217-JL10B.

The takeaway: on a 4-piston car, do not reuse the old pad pins. Worn pins let the pads move and contribute to judder. If your rotors are worn past the minimum thickness cast into them, replace them instead of machining. Our DBA 5000 Series T3 two-piece front rotor for the 370Z Sport is a direct replacement for the Sport front rotor.

What to Replace at the Same Time

• Pads and rotors together on the same axle, and always both sides. New pads on worn or grooved rotors are noisy and bed in poorly. Browse brake pads and brake rotors, and match them to your standard or Sport system.
• Rear rotors on Sport cars: the DBA Street Series T2 slotted rear rotor for the 370Z with Sport brakes fits the factory Sport rear caliper.
• Hardware: pad pins and clips on 4-piston calipers, slide pin boots and abutment clips on sliding calipers. A brake hardware kit is cheap insurance.
• Brake fluid: if it is due by the maintenance schedule, or dark, flush it while the wheels are off.
• Parking brake shoes if the parking brake no longer holds. Nissan says to break in the parking brake shoes whenever the shoes or the rotors are replaced; the procedure is in the service manual.

How Hard Is the Job?

Pads alone on a standard-brake 370Z are an approachable driveway job for someone with basic tools and a torque wrench. Sport-brake cars take a bit more care: the pad pins have to come out, all four pistons on each side have to be pushed back evenly, and the caliper bracket has to come off to change the rotor. Rear rotors add the parking brake shoes inside the hat, so check their condition while you are there.

When you finish, pump the pedal until it is firm before moving the car, check the fluid level, and bed the new pads in with a series of moderate stops. If the brakes get wet from washing or water on the road, Nissan says to dry them by driving at a safe speed while lightly tapping the brake pedal.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the lug nut torque on a Nissan 370Z?

Nissan lists the wheel nut tightening torque as 80 ft-lb (108 N-m) in the 370Z owner's manuals. Retighten after the first 600 miles once a wheel has been removed.

What brake fluid does a 370Z use?

Non-NISMO cars use Genuine Nissan Super Heavy Duty Brake Fluid or an equivalent DOT3. NISMO models use Genuine Nissan Brake Fluid R35 Special II, and Nissan warns against using a non-equivalent fluid. Do not mix fluid types.

Do I have Sport brakes or standard brakes?

Look through the front wheel. A fixed caliper with pistons on both sides of the rotor and pad pins across the top is the Sport 4-piston caliper. If the caliper slides on guide pins with its piston only on the inboard side, the car has the standard brakes.

Why does my 370Z shake when braking from highway speed?

On cars with 4-piston front calipers, Nissan bulletin NTB16-024 addresses this judder by servicing or replacing the front rotors as a pair, installing new front pads, and replacing all four front pad pins.

Can I reuse the pad pins on a 4-piston caliper?

It is better not to. Nissan's own judder fix replaces both pad pins in both front calipers, which tells you how much worn pins matter on these calipers.

Sources

1. Nissan 2018 370Z Coupe Owner's Manual - wheel nut torque, brake fluid types, pad wear warning, parking brake break-in, wet brakes
2. Nissan 2015 370Z Coupe Owner's Manual - confirms the same wheel nut torque and brake fluid specs
3. Nissan 2017 370Z Roadster Owner's Manual - confirms the same specs for the roadster
4. Nissan Technical Bulletin NTB16-024 via NHTSA - 4-piston front caliper judder, applied vehicles, pad pin replacement