Brakes feel weak

[bal]

Hey guys,

I have a 2001 Vert and been putting money into it to get it in shape.

I have had the wheel alignement and wheels balanced when i got the car back in summer 139km, currently at 140km.

Front tires are new, rears should be replaced end of this coming summer, they aren't good but not terrible either.

Problem im having is the brakes feel really weak and unsure. In rare occasion i do need to stop in a hurry they dont feel like they are going to get the job done and i would hit what im avoiding.

Brakes still have plenty of pad life all around, rotors are nice and smooth.
Wondering if there could be another issue.

I had to get the steering rack replaced back in Nov2010 because of a nasty pothole and wondering since i flushed that fluid would i need to do the brake bleeding as well seeing they are connected "hyrdoboost" or whatever?

im starting to think one caliper might be sticking because gas milege was bad 19L/100km and everything else is done for maintenance. Plugs,air and fuel filter, throttle body cleaned, maf cleaned.

Any ideas?

 

[joshjwc9]

The brakes very may well be sticking. Our cars have a design that causes many caliper sticking issues. Do your rear wheels tend to be covered in brake dust or extremely hot after turning your car off about 15 minutes later? Are the rotors thickness within spec? Is your brake fluid level within spec?

If your rear wheels are covered in brake dust it is time to buy a new caliper bracket and slide pins. Regardless, your brakes sound like they need to be bled completely starting with the wheel in the PR to DR to PF to DF to the master cylinder.

 

[SteedaGT9150]

everything josh said is on point. next time you have your car in the air check and see if all of the wheels move free without any snags. also make sure you get those brakes bled all the way!

 

[bal]

i was planning on getting around to bleeeding them before but temps dropped so much, too cold in the garage.

Ill give it a try this weekend. The car came with the aftermarket 20's bullit chrome wheels which im sure hinder brake performance totally on thier own.

But i haven't noticed the brake dust being excessive, but same time i wash the car every second week or so and probebly only drive 100km on average in that period.

next time im out for a drive ill check to see if the rotors get excessive hot. because its definately a new problem, when i first got the car i was getting 350km to tank driving hard, now like a grandpa im getting 200km at most.

what kind of brake fluid is recommended. dot3?

 

[Dark04GT]

Any dot 3 fluid will work. This is the kind I used last time:

Advance Auto Parts: DOT 3 and 4 Synthetic Brake Fluid (12 oz.) by Valvoline - Part 601457

 

[GDawg]

Sounds like your rotors are "glazed" to me. Take them down to an auto parts store that will turn them for you. Rough them back up.

Btw, if one caliper is suspected of sticking then look at the pads and see if they are more worn then the rest. If they are sticking, see if you can't grease up the slider pins.

 

[evolucion311]

Have you tried bleeding your master cylinder and lines?

My 02 GT vert has 141k miles on it and I just replaced the front brakes to Bullitt units from buyfordracing dot com. My passenger side pads were done and grinding into the caliper edge. My brakes wobbled from the rotors being warped. It sucked, basically.

My brakes are now (as of yesterday) rock hard and stop the car very quickly. It is a big confidence instiller, for sure.

The rotors were $50/ea from the local parts house and the calipers, brackets, pads, and lines were $278 w/ free shipping.

I'd totally recommend upgrading your calipers and rotors, especially if you're up for a brake job anyway.