Brake upgrade for street driving

[redsvx94]

Hi all,

I would like to do some upgrades from stock brakes to improve the performance and feel. They have been VERY mush and don’t stop as well as they used to. My wife and I would never race or do things like auto X, but I sometimes do spirited driving on back roads. My 94 SVX is pretty much bone stock.

I did some search on the net and haven’t got clear answers to the following questions and would appreciate some help!

1. I'd like to replace rotors with plain ones, not slotted or drilled. Rockauto.com has Brembo (Part # 26310AA051) at $36 each for rear brakes. Would this be a quality part? Or could any one suggest a better source with a reasonable price? 2 peice design for a better cooling would be a good thing.
2. I’ve read that the new rotors need to be turned. Is this necessary? What type of shops would do this, if necessary? I called some retail brake shops around and they won’t do it.
2. For strictly street driving, which one would be a better choice, Axxiis metal master or Achebono proACT? Ceramic pads seem to be a good in many ways, but I’ve read they don’t work well in cold condition and some people built habits of dragging their brakes early in the morning. I’m slightly concerned whether my wife would forget to do this and run into a dangerous situation in a cold winter morning in Chicago… The price I found seem to be similar for both, about 50-60$ per pair.
3. How easy it is to change the rear brake lines ? Are they just replaceable with wheel off, or should I get under the back seat to change the rear ones? Is there any source of reliable stainless steel brake line (without fitting or harness breakage problem) other than Motorsports?
4. For just better brake feel on street driving, what brake fluid would you recommend?

Thanks!

-John

[SVXRide]

New rotors should not need to be turned. The key is "bedding in" your new pads correctly. While the ceramic pads have virtually no brake dust, they are much harder on your rotors. I've been very happy with the AXIS semi-metallic pads that came with my RaceConcepts slotted rotors.
Dayle's SS brakelines are a good upgrade. Replacing the front and rear lines are about the same level of difficulty. My only suggestion is to go with the external snap rings that SVXFiles recommend.
As far as fluid goes, the Synth line is good.
Finally, make sure to flush out your old brake fluid and don't let a single bit of air remain:cool:
-Bill

[sicksubie]

If you are not heading to the track ever then OEM rotors are fine, but you could go and get slotted. That is up to you. Once you have decided on your rotor selection I would definitely get the akebono pads. They are awesome and almost zero dust (which is a huge plus). Fluid is up for debate. Some people swear by certain brands I have never experienced any "bad" brake fluid. I think that I should mention though that the best thing to do (besides good pads) would be to install stainless steel brake lines. They are a very good upgrade and will only run you about $100.

just my .02

[sicksubie]

Bill beat me to it I guess.....

[Trevor]

It is my opinion that the OEM brakes are entirely adequate for all normal purposes. Mine feel and perform very well indeed and I have the necessary experience on which to pass judgement.

It would appear that your main complaint centers on feel i.e. mushy. This would mean that the hydraulic circuit should be first up to be checked. A fluid flush and renewal, with a proper bleed could do wonders. This would be an inexpensive first option which will be needed in any event.

You should find out exactly what is faulty and out of specification, rather than simply throw money hither a thither. You could well replace several components at considerable expense, without touching that which is the real issue. Mods are not a fix.:confused: :)

Do not become confused that rotors/discs showing mild scoring on a circumference are defective. Provided there is nothing out of true on a radial basis, or in thickness, this is normal and causes no problems. However presenting such evidence does earn money for brake shops. :rolleyes:

Mushy brakes can also result from wheel bearings with excessive side play. In this event the pads become pushed out to a point where excessive fluid has to be displaced before contact occurs. In all you should investigate everything involved before spending money. ;)

[rallyingrob]

another possibilty is a worn master cylinder bore......they are alloy and can get scored/worn due to age(mileage)
a friend had his brakes COMPLETELY fail with no warning on a 4 yr old acura i was with him and can vouch for the ZERO braking ability
thankfully we were going slow (30 mp/h approx) and the e-brake worked well :D

but yes........it was the master cylinder worn out........

i have had civics do the same thing but with warning IE: mushy pedal.....


just a thought.........

[redsvx94]

Thanks for the replies.

Actually the rear pads have been worn down to the point that the backing of the pad is starting to scratch the rotor... Wife apparently didn’t notice the squeaking from rear during the winter due to superb sound insulation of SVX and radio! I should have checked them earlier....

So rear rotors and all pads will be replaced any way and I wanted to put in good parts this time. Of course I will do fluid flush and bleed.

But the brakes have been mushy long before this happened.

Could any one let me know how I would go about inspecting the master cylinder and wheel bearing as Trevor and rallyingrob suggested?

Visually the master cylinder has no sign of leak, but the fluid looks fairly dark brown. If the fluid is bad, I guess that could be one reason for mushiness?

Also scratch on the rear rotor is happening only 20% toward the outer circumference of rotor. Does this mean the pads were not properly bedded and would that be one reason for ill performing brakes?

Thanks again for the helps, guys!

[Trevor]

All the faults you report are likely causes of your problem. A straight out overhaul may surprise you.

A hand/visual check by twisting/wobbling the wheels with the wheel clear of the ground, should show up any end play which could be causing a problem. The fault I described usually manifests in a longer than normal peddle travel, as is required to take up excessive clearance existing between the pad/rotor.

[rallyingrob]

sorry i neglected to mention...
the master cylinder wont leak externally.what happens is the fluid escapes past the piston from one chamber to the other and simply doesnt build sufficient pressure to go to the wheels....

[AFBeefcake]

Switching the master cylinder and brake booster when I did my 5 speed swap fixed my soft brakes, I just need to stop the brakes from dragging now.

[Earthworm]

Switching the master cylinder and brake booster when I did my 5 speed swap fixed my soft brakes, I just need to stop the brakes from dragging now.Interesting. I've rebuilt the master cylinder on mine but that didn't help. I may try replacing the brake booster to see if that helps.