Brakes/Bleeding/SS Lines
- Thread starter EmersonHart13
- Start date
Front tires are due this fall, but I am not usually having issues where I skid and that affects it. More of a pads don't bite like they used to feeling, or I should say I need to push harder on the pedal than I used to.
I was thinking the very same thing... Eagle always reads!
I was thinking the very same thing... Eagle always reads!
Dot 4 just has a higher boiling point than Dot 3.
Changing the break fluid will not help your breaks out any. It causes a big mess and trying to get all the air bubbles out of the lines can sometimes take a long time.
When you have your rotors turned down they obviously make them thinner. The calipers have to push out further and use more fluid. Make sure your break reservoir is full first.
The ceramic pads actually wear the rotors out faster than the carbon types.
Without actually looking at your rotors and weather you have the proper amount of break fluid, I would say that you might need to replace all 4.
If you plan on keeping the ceramic pads you may want to look into an aftermarket rotor that are made of better metals. Good rotors can make a world of difference.
Changing the break fluid will not help your breaks out any. It causes a big mess and trying to get all the air bubbles out of the lines can sometimes take a long time.
When you have your rotors turned down they obviously make them thinner. The calipers have to push out further and use more fluid. Make sure your break reservoir is full first.
The ceramic pads actually wear the rotors out faster than the carbon types.
Without actually looking at your rotors and weather you have the proper amount of break fluid, I would say that you might need to replace all 4.
If you plan on keeping the ceramic pads you may want to look into an aftermarket rotor that are made of better metals. Good rotors can make a world of difference.
Yes, but new fluid whether dot 3 or 4 has a higher boiling point and less water which equates to improved pedal feel.
I am not worried about a mess, I even change my own oil.
The backs are fine, I only have 28k on my car so the fact I am already through front brakes just attributes to the type of pads that were on teh car.
As stated before the pads have already been changed and rotors turned the brakes are fine, the question is whether to put on stainless braided lines...
Does anyone read posts before replying anymore? :gives:
Oh shit what the fuck do I know?
Obviously I don't know how to fucking read now do I?
So sorry I put in my two cents and tried to help someone out, OH heaven forbid I try to help out.
So OK smart guy spend your money, buy some stainless lines, bleed your breaks out. Then tell us how much better you breaks work.
Guaranteed I'll be the first mother fucker to say "I fucking told you so".
Try being a little nicer to people when you go on a public forum asking for peoples help and advice.
I hope you fix your breaks and I just want to help others look around at every cause of a problem. Stand back for a min and think about what your doing first. Jumping in head first is a good way to break your fucking neck.
So go ahead and jump
Pardon my French
The biggest difference in braking you're going to notice is in the pads. If you don't feel that bite it's most likely in the pads. I've putzed with so many different pad combos it's not funny. A set of $15.00 generic pads makes an F Body setup feel like a stock setup. On the flipside, the Hawk HPS pads I have on my car right now stopped me from upgrading to the GXP setup because they stop so hard.
If you're complaint is about bite/ grab/ whatever then consider swapping those pads out. You're not going to see much pedal improvement from a fluid/ line swap.
If you're complaint is about bite/ grab/ whatever then consider swapping those pads out. You're not going to see much pedal improvement from a fluid/ line swap.
Real quick. It's WHETHER. "weather" is what we have outside. BRAKES are what are on a car. "break" is when things stop working correctly.
Have a nice day.
Best response yet. (about pads)
I looked up those akebono carbon pads and they get good points for ultra low dust but they seem to be similar in grip as the oem pads. What made you choose these over other pads?
SS lines will improve pedal pressure if your regular rubber lines are worn or you tend to heat up the brakes a lot.
Changing fluid is always a good thing to do every 2-3 years or once a year if you drive hard (autoX or road course racing). Aside from water developing, the excess heat can break down the fluid as well.
For bite/grab it comes down to pads and rotors. One thing to be aware of is some pads require some heat to work better. An example is the Carbomet pads. These work great for performance driving. They reduce fade and dust. Problem is on cool/cold days with normal driving their bite lacks a little until they warm up. Last thing, While some performance pads are required to warm up, using them on slotted/cross-drilled rotors can actually decrease the bite all the time.
So if you do some autoX'ing or a lot of hard braking, upgrading pads, lines and fluid is good. For typical street driving a quality set of regular pads should be fine.
Changing fluid is always a good thing to do every 2-3 years or once a year if you drive hard (autoX or road course racing). Aside from water developing, the excess heat can break down the fluid as well.
For bite/grab it comes down to pads and rotors. One thing to be aware of is some pads require some heat to work better. An example is the Carbomet pads. These work great for performance driving. They reduce fade and dust. Problem is on cool/cold days with normal driving their bite lacks a little until they warm up. Last thing, While some performance pads are required to warm up, using them on slotted/cross-drilled rotors can actually decrease the bite all the time.
So if you do some autoX'ing or a lot of hard braking, upgrading pads, lines and fluid is good. For typical street driving a quality set of regular pads should be fine.
HAHAHA. I el oh el'd.
On brakes though, SS lines will only help with feel, they don't necessarily help in performance unless you are auto-xing and constatly heating up the brake fluid to almost or past boiling point, there also lies the only reason you need DOT 4, in feel though DOT 4 and DOT 3 are the same.
If you're missing the bite, switch out your pads. Try only BLEEDING you brake lines as well instead of doing a full swap of fluid. Maybe you have some bubbles you can get out real quick.
Jumping... This is fun. I did not call you any names nor did I say you did not know what you are talking about, merely replied to your post. I am trying to weed out any and all problems in the system not just assuming it is one thing or the other. I just did the pads so I would like to think they are fine, especially considering the reviews I have gotten from multiple sources.
From what I have read online fluid is changed much more often in vehicles than we do in the states, sometimes as often as every 2 years. I have not done it ever in this car so I figured it was safe to start there as the possible source of my problem.
Finally, if I liked spending money I would have ordered the lines from Mike K and never even posted here, even more so I would have paid someone to do the flush and to install the lines... So that theory doesn't add up either.
Thanks for your input.
They float fine, car is garage kept so I would be surprised if that was my problem anyway.
I do love Hawks, and I only migrated away from them because of the rave reviews these pads got from multiple sources. That is also why I am trying to be sure the problem does not lie elsewhere in the system because these pads are supposed to be just as good as OEM with no dust.
Also it isn't like the pedal goes to the floor or the car doesn't stop. Maybe I am just getting picky because the car is getting older and doesn't stop as hard as it did when I bought it.
Thanks.
Exactly what you said, similar in grip to the OEMs, which I was happy with, and low dust because the stockers dusted A LOT. I felt like I was driving a BMW with how gray my front wheels were.
I doubt the rubber hoses are in that bad of condition, I garage the car and it is low miles for the year, but anything is possible.
That is what I was thinking, the lines was only because it would be logical to change them now as I am already swapping fluid.
I am thinking in a 3 year old car I might be due for a fluid swap, I have read a lot of areas and manufacturers, mostly European recommends or requires this.
So what I am gathering from all this is that those areas or manufacturers that require fluid changes are just doing it for fun, because the majority seem to say it isn't worth it. My only question then would be are the people that are saying it is a waste those that have never done it?
Mike K, looks like you lost out on some coin, would have bought the lines from you but haven't been told it was a smart way to spend money. I will tell you that the next time I will be buying Hawks again, even if they do dust more. I knew that day one after installing these pads but decided to give them a real chance as we all know judging a book by its cover is never a good idea.
I think I will just try bleeding the system to be sure there isn't any air in the lines, though I doubt there is any significant amount. I thought the fluid swap would probably net a larger result as it would remove water and other contaminants from the system as well as restoring the boiling point (not that I believe I get the brakes that hot but anything is possible).
So yeah, I am still not sure.
You can pick up a can of ATE super blue fluid for like $15. It's a great quality fluid with a very high boiling point. I think it's a great idea to change it out for the price and piece of mind.
I highly doubt its a rotor problem. Unless they're warped (which I know you just cut them) then nothing to be concerned about. A thin rotor won't hurt braking performance unless it gets too hot in which case it'll warp. I've used nice quality napa rotors, junk autozone rotors, junk cross drilled eBay rotors and powerslots. All feel re same for braking IMO; only difference is how long they'll last.
I think new tires will trips the best results in getting your braking performance back.
I highly doubt its a rotor problem. Unless they're warped (which I know you just cut them) then nothing to be concerned about. A thin rotor won't hurt braking performance unless it gets too hot in which case it'll warp. I've used nice quality napa rotors, junk autozone rotors, junk cross drilled eBay rotors and powerslots. All feel re same for braking IMO; only difference is how long they'll last.
I think new tires will trips the best results in getting your braking performance back.
New tires are on the to do list after 29K the fronts are pretty much done for although they still have plenty of wear above the "legal limit". Been shopping for those, just have to decide to go stock brand or aftermarket.
The rotors are good, the are stock GM cross drilled ones, cut once and they were never warped and did not re warp as I am not getting any vibration. The machine shop did tell me that they were fairly thin though. He was quite surprised based on my mileage so either they were thin to start, doubtful, or the pads ate them, likely. When the brakes are ready to be changed again, in what I would imagine is another 25K like last time, I will go to aftermarket rotors and back to Hawk pads.
Joel the fluid swap does sound worthwhile because of the reasons you mentioned.
The rotors are good, the are stock GM cross drilled ones, cut once and they were never warped and did not re warp as I am not getting any vibration. The machine shop did tell me that they were fairly thin though. He was quite surprised based on my mileage so either they were thin to start, doubtful, or the pads ate them, likely. When the brakes are ready to be changed again, in what I would imagine is another 25K like last time, I will go to aftermarket rotors and back to Hawk pads.
Joel the fluid swap does sound worthwhile because of the reasons you mentioned.
Took this from another post higher up, but it was burried in with some other stuff too so...
"Feels like the pedal goes to the floor but the car just doesn't stop"
My gut says do a thorough brake bleed and see what happens after that.
But then I re-read it and you said its NOT like the pedal goes to the floor....
OOOPS!
"Feels like the pedal goes to the floor but the car just doesn't stop"
My gut says do a thorough brake bleed and see what happens after that.
But then I re-read it and you said its NOT like the pedal goes to the floor....
OOOPS!
Nothing yet... with regards to the fluid, weighing my options with this post before I go through with it so I do not waste time or fluid. The SS lines seem to be getting a less than popular reception so really there are 2 options left.
Bleed the brakes or...
Replace the fluid completely...
If I am going to do the first I might as well do the latter..?
Bleed the brakes or...
Replace the fluid completely...
If I am going to do the first I might as well do the latter..?
HAHA SERIOUSLY??
Bleed the brakes to get that firmness back and new tires to get that stoppin distance back.
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