I was on the highway today when a jerk pulled out in front of me right as I was about to go by and I had to hit the brakes pretty hard. (I was going around 90 at the time) When I did they started stopping the car pretty good at first but then it seemed like they quit all of a sudden and I had the pedal to the floor and it wasn't doing jack crap
I am kinda concerned with this new development and wonder if there is anything I should or can do about it. FYI, I have front disc, rear drum, the drums are aluminum and I just had the full system serviced back in December, one brake cylinder was replaced and the pads were all replaced. Thanks for any helpful info guys. :hail:

 

what kind of pads are you running up front? cheapo pads?

 

When the pads were replaced I didn't get anything special so to answer your question, yes, most likely the cheapo pads.

 

the fronts do most of the work to begin with. having cheapo pads, as my brother demostrated in the 94' formy, will have that very effect on braking. he had bought cheap pads from oreiley's and he said they sucked. it had alot of brake pedal fade and the pedal would go down almost half-way to the floor. he said f*ck that and went out and bought some good wagner pads. the difference is night and day. it stops on a dime and the brake pedal fade is almost non-existent. they are a hell of alot better. that maybe your problem. did this problem just develop or has it always been there?

 

To answer your question, I have always noticed some fade, It was just made obvious that time.
My question back to you is If I go put some good quality pads on the front should I change the setup on the back too, or would doing the front discs be good enough? I hate to fool around with drums so I am hoping that the fronts will be able to do the job. Thanks for the replys

 

since you metioned that you have drums in the rear, i know of no performance shoe for drums. just make sure that the shoes are properly adjusted. when you replace the front pads make sure to cut/replace the rotor(check min thk) we installed new rotors in our case. so yes install new pads, check the adjustment on the rear shoes and take her for a spirited drive.

how does the pedal feel during normal driving. firm? spongy?



good luck!!!

 

during normal driving the pedal feels pretty firm but not too much so. I'll have to go pick up some new *good* pads and see if that helps. Thanks again

 

Let me see if I have this right... You were doing 90mph, but he's the jerk?

 

When I knew nothing of pads, I went with the "standard whatever is cheap pad" I was so mistaken to do so. I never really thought of my brakes as reliable than ABS systems. When I put on some vented pads, the difference is night and day. I have no brake fade (can lock tires below 60 easily and past that will stop consitently and over and over with no fade) I can now stop a whole lot better. As far as drums are concerned, having them setup correctly will keep you straight. If it were rear discs, it'd be less to worry about, but with drums a little off on 1 side = hard brake pull which you can fight with some good steering (always steer in the direction you should be going) I rather work with the good calibration of the drums and I stop pretty straight and on 1 occasion pulled left but that was an alignment issue. I've tried vented rotors, but that ate up pads quick (stop and go traffic) and actually has a harder time stopping (vented everything and you have less area for friction with which to stop). The only real good application of vented rotors is race tracks where brake temps go extreme, for a daily driver a good rotor + vented pads will make a significant difference.

 

Haha lol.... My thoughts exactly!

 

The speed limit was 75, so I was only going 15 over.