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best performing brakes


2001goldGTP

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So my 90 international, I forgot just how terrifying and garbage the stock brakes are.

 

What are the best possible brakes that bolt up to these cars?

 

I have front calipers, rotors and pads from my 01 GTP, will they bolt on and work better?

 

Thank you

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The stuff from your GP won't bolt on your CS. Best bet would be to 94+ Rotors and Calipers on the rear of your CS. That will help a lot. Then there is also the 96 front brake upgrade.

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Not only that, but upgrade the rotors as well. And get some SS braided line to replace the rubber lines.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone in some random spot of Texas.

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speaking from my experience with the 94+ rear upgrade...

 

perhaps i just buy too cheap of rubber, but even with the early rear brakes, i could lock the rear tires at high enough speed, the 94 upgrade just made it easier. in any case, they don't have nearly as many issues with sticking/maintenance.

 

never driven a 1/1.5G with the larger fronts though.

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So my 90 international, I forgot just how terrifying and garbage the stock brakes are.

 

There is nothing terrifying about stock brakes IF THEY"RE WORKING PROPERLY. They are, in fact, entirely reasonable.

 

Has been my experience that when the complaint is poor braking power/lots of pedal effort needed, the problem is DEFECTIVE POWER BOOSTER.

 

The calipers and rotors get blamed for problems within the booster.

 

http://www.w-body.com/showthread.php/32510-Hard-brake-pedal-no-stopping-power

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I have been trying this car since 2002 and never once had i even said the words "these brakes are acceptable" lol

 

Does anyone make the SS lines like WBS does for the GTP, that have a plastic tubing over them so the ss line doesnt fray and cut up everything

 

also the pedal is not hard it does have plenty of travel, it just doesnt do too much

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So I don't want to hijak...but I'm gonna - brakes on my GP are shit. Driving the Camaro or any other modern car definitely reminds me of this. They're smooth, but sometimes I get the feeling of pushing the pedal to the floor and it not doing shit close to what I expect of it. Being that I have 95 brakes(and I know pads calipers and rotors to be good), is there much I can do beyond SS brake lines? I'm even debating disabling ABS - I WANT to be able to lock my brakes up(even if just a smidge) if I push hard enough, because right now they just don't want to grab.

 

My brakes feel particularly weak lately, so I may well have worn pads, bad lines, or even a bad brake booster - no idea.

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late 95s got the 96-later 1/1.5G brake setup, so you may already have the best "bolt-in" stuff, but you would have to measure the rotor to be certain. i think it's 10.5 vs 11.25?

 

i've disabled ABS on the MC(removed the entire EBCM), didn't effect brake feel(nor did i expect it to), but the brakes have never really been right with this car for more than ~500 miles after a shoe adjustment / pad replacement.

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I have the 96 front brakes and 94 rears on my 89, and its braking power and feel are about the same as my 99 Silverado. Not great, but adequate.

O'Reillys used to have pads called copper metallics which did make a night and day difference over semi-metallics, but they also didn't last long and kicked out a buttload of dust. I don't even think they have them any more. The box said they were carbon metallic pads with impregnated copper. They were a very dark, almost black color with copper flecks in them. Not the gray silvery metal color of regular semi-metallics. Maybe carbon metallic was key. I bet you can probably still find carbon metallic pads.

 

At some point, they also upsized the vacuum booster. The newer booster is considerably bigger than the old. I forget the exact cutoff, but I'm thinking it was 94+ got the bigger booster. That should probably greatly increase the power assist considering the much larger size. My 94 convertible has adequate brakes with no upgrades whatsoever.

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Probably worn components in my GP - brakes above all else feel inconsistent. Some days it seems like I just can't get the brakes to grab - I know my GP's brakes will never be as good as my Camaro's(brembo), but they're downright scary some days. Gonna bring it up to the shop soon and I guess I'll go from there.

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At some point, they also upsized the vacuum booster. The newer booster is considerably bigger than the old. I forget the exact cutoff, but I'm thinking it was 94+ got the bigger booster. That should probably greatly increase the power assist considering the much larger size. My 94 convertible has adequate brakes with no upgrades whatsoever.

I think you are correct about the larger-size booster. Either '94, or with the updated body in '95. Not sure which.

 

Here's the thing: When I replaced the defective boosters with STOCK REPLACEMENT original-size boosters, I got so much more braking power that I don't know what I'd do with MORE power from a bigger booster.

 

Guys, really--start looking at the booster for poor braking power complaints. It's not the calipers, it's not the size of the rotors. It's not the pads you install. It's the booster. And BOTH of mine had absolutely no symptoms of a failed booster--no hissing, no vacuum problems, no funny noises, no squeaks...no nothing except for sh!tty braking power where you stand on the pedal, and the car barely stops.

 

BEFORE, TWO FEET and all my strength on the brake pedal, and the anti-lock wouldn't rattle on dry pavement--the car would glide to a stop.

AFTER, TWO TOES on the brake pedal, car stops QUICKLY and EASILY.

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If anyone wants a 1994+ brake booster, I have one that I'd be willing to sell.

 

I have the smaller 5spd booster, SS goodridge lines and my brake pedal is like a rock ( in a good way ) just rest my foot on the pedal and it stops quickly.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone in some random spot of Texas.

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So my car doesnt have abs. Never came with it. Another huge issues is pedal fade. A short romp, less than two miles on a sort of twisty road and the brake could not stop the car. I mean I went three car lengths past the stop sign, good thing no one was there. I had the brakes die on me back in late 04 getting off the freeway, rear ended a suburban. It sucked i dont want to go through it again.

 

i must stress i dont have to use two feet to get the pedal to the floor. Are the newer front brakes a bolt on system, or is there cutting of hard lines?

 

does anyone have a link to the ss lines?

 

Thanks

Edited by 2001goldGTP
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Front brakes are bolt on, but you'd need to replace the entire strut assembly which means swapping springs if you want to keep the old ones. It's mainly just strut assembly and new rotors that increase diameter by 0.75".

I would try carbon metallic pads first if you aren't already using those kind. That was what gave me the biggest night and day difference, though I didn't try a bigger booster.

Also make sure your rear brakes are working. The sliders can seize and you'll lose about 30% of the car's braking ability. If the park brake doesn't firmly hold the car while on a hill with the engine in gear, then sliders are probably seized.

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Brake FADE? As in the car stops reasonably well when cold, but the pedal goes farther towards the floor as the brakes warm up?

 

FIRST, flush the brake fluid. Any water in the fluid will boil when the brakes get hot, the boiled water pushes fluid back into the reservoir, and the pedal sinks accordingly.

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I am using ceramic pads, by pedal fade i mean i went down a twisty road in a spirited manor, then the pedal went down and didnt stop, pumping did not help.

 

rear brakes and parking brake are working. Nothing funner than when they fail, except when they catch on fire....

 

link for those ss lines thanks again

Edited by 2001goldGTP
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The only ceramic pads I ever had were on my half-ton pickup. They wore like iron, and didn't stop for shit. Took forever to wear 'em out. When they--FINALLY--got thin, I went back to ordinary semi-metallic and better stopping power.

 

At the time I installed my steel braid/Teflon liner brake hoses, there were no "kits"; so I had to measure for hose length, and buy an adapter for each caliper. Should be easier now.

 

LuminaBrakeHosesmall.JPG

 

LuminaBrakeHose2.JPG

Edited by Schurkey
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semi-metallic pads are a must. ceramic pads are shit. You dont need a big booster to have stopping power, however you must have a working booster. Also, it is very important to check the brakes, and lube the slides every 3-5000miles. Especially important on our rear brakes ( no matter what gen you have ) and you also need to use the correct type of lube.

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short story time:

 

silver and/or copper based antisieze works as a slide pin lubricant.... for about 2-3 good stops, after that, the caliper still moves, but it's sluggish to do so. from what i can tell, there are some good silicone and i think ceramic based lubricants around.

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You should use something that when you rub it between your fingers, you dont feel any particles. For example anti-seize. Bad stuff. Why? because it consists to metal, copper, and grease. Metal on metal, with moving metal parts and heat = not a good outcome. Ive always used dielectric grease. Why? because there is no particles in it, and it sticks very well to the slides. Not saying you need to use that, but something that will stick onto the slides/pins, so it stays there over the course of 5,000 miles and something smooth so it wont wear anything out and lock it up. Also something that doesnt break down with heat.

 

Like this

http://www.righttoolusa.com/p/Versachem-26080-Verachem-Synthetic-Caliper-Grease-8oz-Bottle-W-Brush-5695592.html?gclid=CPijxfbf3rMCFYl7Qgod7ycAmw

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