I'm a newbie.. so go easy on me..
I was a little concerned with the way my car stopped a couple of days ago when speeding down the road and came across a stop sign out of now where. I was doing 80mph to see how the car picks up on an empty road when im noticed i needed to stop. I pushed the brakes quickly (not slammmed)and noticed that even though the brakes where floored as far as it can go the car still moved a little. I was kind of shook up becasue i didnt stop instantly. Is this normal. Anyones 2 cents greatly appreciated.

95 Maxima Se

 

yes. this is normal. if your wheels stopped that quick, your wheels would lock up and slide instead of stop.

 

well do you have ABS? And was the tire still rotating or where you skidding.. i'm assuming w/ the brake pedal floored you would have skidded... unless you have ABS. OR, your pretty low on your pads and the friction caused it to heat up and it doesn't catch so much in that scenario... i remember the first time i went up mountain driving and i had an auto... wasn't smart enough to use 2nd gear but rather rode my brakes downhill then by the time i came down, my brake pads were hot as hell and didn't catch as well.

 

My tires did not skid nor lock, they continued to rotate. Do 95 Maxima SE comw with ABS?? Secondly when i hit a puddle after turning from the stop sign smoke came from my near tires.. Shot brake pads???

 

Pushing the brakes to the floor SHOULD do one of two things. Either lock up the tires (no ABS) or the ABS should activate and you would feel a pulsing in the pedal. If neither of these happened then you weren't pushing all the way or your brakes are shot. The smoke you saw was most likely steam from where the water splashed on your hot brakes. That is normal.

 

Don't worry, your brakes are fine. Just try to avoid slamming your brakes. good luck

 

From your description your brakes faild a bit because of fade. 80 MPH or so you say, down to zero really quick, which out a lock up is going to cook a cheap set of pads. Right to the point they fade out. Do you know what brand of pads are in your car?

Like some have said, there's nothing really wrong with your brakes. A better set of pads will help stop that from happening again. Porterfields, Metal Masters to name a few of the well likes pads. I'm sure others can suggest a few too.

Tom

 

Everyones 2 cents appreciated. What u think of raybestos

 

Are stock Nissan brake pads any good.

 

Yes they are. Just make sure they are NOT the "Key Value" cheaper kind, but the genuine OEM pads that were installed on Maximas from the factory. People say these pads don't squeak very much.

Raybestos Quiet Stops are also supposed to be good pads. Quiet, and not too much brake dust either.