Question about brakes on a 2000 SLE

[Mole]

HAHA...

a few miscommunications.

i assumed you were talking about tire series (30,35,40 etc.) yes, of course wider will grip more.

and as for the TRD brake lines, i do remember that sort of speak. my mistake on my part. but honestly, i do not know one soul out there that has the TRD brake lines. i remember going into a toyota dealership and their going price was $317. haha i still remember that god for saken price to this day! good thing it was discontinued.

come to think of it, about the big brake kits. i remember one, which is done by Wilwood. my mistake again.

but realistically, how many people would you have to go through on big brake kits? how many people actually have them?

[Jon11582]

Ah, your absolutely right. I thought the switchover from drum to disc was just in the 2000 convertible production, but it was the trim as well.

Sorry for the misinfo. I4 coupe's up to 2003 I think have drums in the back, while the V6's and all convertibles have have disc+drums in the back. Hopefully I got it right this time.

Tires were probably about the same size, so that rules out part 1 of bkp_duke's theory.

So with my comment on my solara vs. my moms highlander, a much chunkier car; theres probably more brake fluid going through the lines. Its probably the same thing in your GTI.

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b) increasing the surface area of the rotors in contact with the pads (i.e. bigger discs)

Now I'm just learning about all this brake stuff so bear with me. I'm not sure of the nomenclature, but when you say get bigger discs, you mean get bigger rotors? If so, how does bigger rotors increase the surface area in contact? It seems the entire pad is pushing on the rotor no matter what the size. Unless you mean bigger a caliper/pad assembly when you say bigger discs. Then it makes sense to me.

[Mole]

assuming that the calipers and pads are the same size, increasing the size of the rotor is beneficial. kinda what ericsol had going on for a little bit.



think of a fan. if you try to stop it, by pinching the fan blades toward the center, it is a heck of a lot harder than pinching the fan blades from the outside. in a simpler form, its all leverage.

[impactX]

There's also Porterfield R4S..nice brake pads

Great pads but nasty price

[jdamon]

This is great, thanks everybody! I think I will start with the break pads, the concensous is the Eagle pads or what? The car has been sitting for a couple months too, that should explain some of it.

To add my two cents to the bigger rotor (disk) explanation, the farther you are away from the center of a circle, the more torque you can apply the center (axle/wheel). Its the same principal thats governs torque in engines, if the crankshaft has a bigger radius, its easier to turn it, hence more torque. You would also have more surface area if you increased the pads as well, but that is a separate entity.

[offthahook]

I, too, noticed the squeashy brake pedal/long stopping distance. My Integra stops on a DIME, but the Solara just doesn't grab as well. There was a prob. early on about the brakes on the Solara-- lots of problems with pad wear. Mine were replaced under warranty at 25K (70K now) and I'm getting them all replaced/rotors turned soon. I'm using OEM pads to see if that helps. Just seems the "grab" isn't there when i hit the brakes, even hard. I don't hear any squeeking yet, so my pads aren't totally worn.

[OKANG.]

I, too, noticed the squeashy brake pedal/long stopping distance. My Integra stops on a DIME, but the Solara just doesn't grab as well. There was a prob. early on about the brakes on the Solara-- lots of problems with pad wear. Mine were replaced under warranty at 25K (70K now) and I'm getting them all replaced/rotors turned soon. I'm using OEM pads to see if that helps. Just seems the "grab" isn't there when i hit the brakes, even hard. I don't hear any squeeking yet, so my pads aren't totally worn.

The fact that the Solara weighs in at approximately 3200 lbs. and an Integra is only 2600 lbs. probably has a lot to do with it. You're comparing apples to oranges. The Integra is a sports car and the Solara is a sports coupe.

[geminimouse]

I just put ericsol's brake kit back on my car today...Just gotta say again that it's a big difference than the stock. More responsive

[jdamon]

Is Ericsol a person or a company?

Just to set the record straight, my Golf GTI VR6 weighs 3600 lbs. Thats more than the Solara. And my brakes are fantastic, I have a hard time believing that the stopping distances are the same for the two cars 60-0.

I asked if there was a consensous of which were the best aftermarket pads, is there a best one?

Thanks,

Jeff

[Mole]

Is Ericsol a person or a company?

Just to set the record straight, my Golf GTI VR6 weighs 3600 lbs. Thats more than the Solara. And my brakes are fantastic, I have a hard time believing that the stopping distances are the same for the two cars 60-0.

I asked if there was a consensous of which were the best aftermarket pads, is there a best one?

Thanks,

Jeff

eric sol is a member on this board.

imho, it is EBC green brake pads.

i've tried EBC red, TRD, and running on Porterfield at the moment, but none but the EBC green have lived up to my expectations.

[Grazi07]

I've been pretty happy with my axxis metal masters...

[swimshady906]

I think part of the problem might be air in the lines, switch to braded steel and bleed them ( or have them bled) really well. I recently bled mine and it increased the responsiveness and decreased teh lockups

[HKSV6SLE]

just dont get the trd pads.