97 Lumina Better Front Brake pads

[1979lee]

hey guys'

 

its time for new front brakes.

and i'd like to find something better then the stock pads.

This car has never stopped that good.(everythings in order and working) but it just dosent stop that good. I looked up the MSP Michican state police repot for my 97 and it says 60-0 stop in 165 feet! WOW IS THAT BAD!!, the same year crown vic stopped in like 135 ft...

My car Is a No ABS car, maybe thats the problem??

anyhoo. y'all got a recomendation for better pads? something i can buy at say autozone or orileys, pepboys carquest,napa.???

 

thanks folks.

[Imp558]

I always run a decent semi-metallic pad and my car's braking ability doesn't seem bad. Look at Rockauto first if you can wait a few days.

[RobertISaar]

link for 60-0 distances?

 

also, I picked up some NOS ACDelco severe duty pads a while ago for the 91 GPSE, they're probably going to produce a ton of brake dust, but I would assume they're going to bring improvements in stopping power over what the standard pads would do.

 

being a 97, you already have the largest bolt-on front calipers/rotors for a 1/1.5 car.

[sttubs]

I've had better luck with Hawk brake pads for stopping power and longevity.

[Schurkey]

My most-recent brake jobs have used Performance Friction pads.  I'm not using them in a hard-stopping application, just "daily-driver" use.  I'm buying them because they're the only Made-In-USA pads I know of.  The crap coming out of the mass-market parts stores is Chinese or Indian.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Performance-Friction-0376-20-Carbon-Metallic/dp/B000EJBUV0/ref=au_as_r?_encoding=UTF8

[Imp558]

Those don't list the 97 Lumina as an option

[1979lee]

link for 60-0 distances?

 

 

https://www.justnet.org/pdf/michigan.pdf

[RobertISaar]

weird, those numbers for the lumina should be better in almost every measurement.... I wouldn't think police package equipment would have added that much mass to hurt results that badly.

 

0-60 should have been close the 9.0 and 60-0 should have been a little over 120ft.

[1979lee]

link for 60-0 distances?

 

also, I picked up some NOS ACDelco severe duty pads a while ago for the 91 GPSE, they're probably going to produce a ton of brake dust, but I would assume they're going to bring improvements in stopping power over what the standard pads would do.

 

being a 97, you already have the largest bolt-on front calipers/rotors for a 1/1.5 car.

i was thinking about larger bolt-on's, but if my stockers are the big ones.....

acdelco sever duty sounds good, i dont mind a little dust, i have the stainless full wheel covers,they do pretty good keeping the dust down. now if i had nice ltz wheels......

i changed the pads 2 years ago, but limited budget i got the lifetime autozone pads 19.99..... yeah probably not the best lol

 

thanks all.. ill look around rockauto and see what they have. 

 

 

[1979lee]

weird, those numbers for the lumina should be better in almost every measurement.... I wouldn't think police package equipment would have added that much mass to hurt results that badly.

 

0-60 should have been close the 9.0 and 60-0 should have been a little over 120ft.

Yeah i didnt think the 3100 was that slow.... and the braking? idk 120 seems too good for my 97'  it could be... that list says a 97 crown vic is only 1 sec faster 0-60? 

heres the 1998 test, mind you the luminas a 3800buick in this test

 

https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/171898NCJRS.pdf

[1979lee]

1999 test

 

https://www.justnet.org/pdf/patrolvehicle1999.pdf

 

2000 test

 

https://www.justnet.org/pdf/2000bulletin.pdf

 

2001 test

 

https://www.justnet.org/pdf/msp2001bulletin.pdf

 

they didnt test any luminas past 1999

[Schurkey]

Those don't list the 97 Lumina as an option

Are you talking about this link?

https://www.amazon.com/Performance-Friction-0376-20-Carbon-Metallic/dp/B000EJBUV0/ref=au_as_r?_encoding=UTF8

Amazon shows them fitting 97 Lumina (the OPs car), as well as '98 Monte Carlo (which I have)  However, I didn't buy them for the Monte, I put them on a '92 Lumina Euro 3.4.  Are the pads the same for first-gen as well as '97--98 W-body?

[White93z34]

The same pads that fit a 1990 Lumina will fit a 2001 Lumina

 

As far as first gen brakes go, when they got the "bigger" brakes in 1995/6 all they did was make the rotor bigger, same pads, calipers, and caliper brackets. The knuckle was changed for a bigger rotor, and that was it. 

[l67ss]

What I did to my 97 Monte that really helped braking are-z34 sway bars, 18" wheels, and 4 wheel disc brake swap

[Nas Escobar]

What I did to my 97 Monte that really helped braking are-z34 sway bars, 18" wheels, and 4 wheel disc brake swap

 

The Monte Came with drums?

 

Man I forget how BASE the 2nd Gen Lumina's were.

[l67ss]

Yup rear drum

[White93z34]

Most were rear drum, Higher option ones came with disc.

[1979lee]

The Monte Came with drums?

 

Man I forget how BASE the 2nd Gen Lumina's were.

At least they came with power door locks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!lol

[RobertISaar]

 

i changed the pads 2 years ago, but limited budget i got the lifetime autozone pads 19.99..... yeah probably not the best lol

 

 

here's your biggest problem... those cheap, part-house lifetime pads are super hard, meaning they chew through rotors without providing much actual friction either. I cannot think of a worse brake pad I've ever used than when I had to change pads on a vehicle same-day for someone else. pedal felt terrible and stopping power was weak, but it was better than seeing them grind the backing plate into the rotor surface.