michaelnyden

iTrader: (15)

I recently replaced all my rotors with brembo, zinz plated, and slotted rotors all the way around with axxis ultimate pads.....and the brakes still lock up just as fast and easily as with the stock pads and rotors used to???!?!!!!! Is the only way to get better braking and no locking up to get a BBK? if so, anyone with the wilwood BBK front kit, does your car lock up the wheels easily if you brake really hard? was it a noticeable improvement over stock as far as braking distances go? My buddy's 300ZX twin turbo with stock brakes can't be locked up at all! I drive it, and slam on the brakes, and the car has no abs,,,, it just stops like crazy? is this simply the rotor size is lareger than our stock rotors? or the actual brake actuating system on their car is better? or is it that their front calipers are 4 piston?

maxfanfromohio

iTrader: (7)

I think the problem lies not with our brakes, but with our calipers. I was talking to a Nissan tech Sunday and he said they are now stocking a different brand of caliper rather than Nissan to replace the ones that are freezing up on people. I know my calipers do that every once in a while.

ardika

iTrader: (3)

I would be interested in getting the answer to this as well. The only time I know my brakes won't lock up as bad was when the weather was like 100 degrees or very close to it. At that time my brakes (slotted/zinc powerslot with metal master front and stock pads rear) work very nice.

Ant96GLE

iTrader: (4)

You dont have ABS...


Now you put on great rotors, with great pads... guess what? They're going to bite harder and of course its going to lock up even more. It'll lock up even more than it is now with a BBK. What kind of tires does the Z have? The wider the tires the harder it is to lock them up.

MrEous

iTrader: (11)

The locking up has nothing to do with the fact that the power distribution for braking has more power to the 2 front wheels than the back?

I'm not sure on the #s exactly but had heard the difference is 70/30 or something like that.
70=front
30=back

In either case...I have learned to modulate with the stock calipers. It isn't that hard.

NmexMAX

iTrader: (22)

It's in the tires/wheel size.

SkinnyMax

iTrader: (1)

your brakes should be able to lock up, the way to get them to not lock up.....don't press on the pedal so damn hard. or pump the brakes to get an abs effect

-=PK=-Maxima

i thought all maximas come stock ABS

Maxima99SE

iTrader: (2)

nope they didnt come stock with ABS... not many people I know have it on their 4th gens

Ant96GLE

iTrader: (4)

Nope.... only some came with them.

Thats why I find it funny that he has no ABS and then gets a really good brake set up and it locks up even more... thats what it should do!

Bmr4life

definately not.

007max

iTrader: (3)

because they're doing their job but your tires arent...

BBK = more break force = easier to lock up. if you wanted them to stop locking up you should have swepped in brakes from a hundai or something

happyricefob

iTrader: (7)

daymn i want ABS...

Bmr4life

good point, but I think the problem aside from tires is that the calipers aren't very smooth or linear. the go from braking hard to locking up. they kind of skip the braking really hard stage.

007max

iTrader: (3)

yea... thats probably your tires fault too...
with the wheels i have now (6 spoke 5th gen 17's) i rarely end up locking them up unless i slam on the breaks as hard as i can... and even then it doesnt always happen
thank god i live in AZ and never have to deal with wet roads

G20Flyer

Its not really brake lockup...what happens is that your tires are losing friction with the road and when that happens, the brake friction causes the wheels to keep from spinning. If you can stop the wheels from spinning, you have enough brake power...your rubber is the weak point.

Which is why i always tell anyone...your first performance upgrade to the car should be rubber and possibly wheels.

ardika

iTrader: (3)

Yeah...I learned how to brake more carefully.....the absent of body dive (thanks to Maxspeed) is also a factor (for feelin' the brakes), but it was very nice when it was 100F outside...the brakes are just awesome. My tires are 235/45/17 Dunlop SP 9090.

PLUMMAXSE

iTrader: (2)

I got ABS!! One of the advantages of a SE-L

Maxima NutBag

Just be happy you guys don't have rear drums like me =b Rear drums+rain=t3h suck

MrEous

iTrader: (11)

Not all SE-Ls have ABS either...geez...it was an option. In fact, while I am on the subject...just about EVERYTHING on an SE-L is an option.

I have a noLeather/noABS/noSunroof/noPowerSeats/noS&cPackage with titanium package. My car weighs 3250 with me in it.

Dave B

This is the legitment and correct answer. It's the tires. Braking power is nothing without the correct tires. With my stock 15" RSAs, Brembos, and Bendix pads I could lock my brakes up quite easily. With my lighter 17s and W-rated tires, I can slam my brakes as hard as I want without and lock up.

Traction is the key fellas.

Dave

Zack342

iTrader: (89)

My SE-L has ABS and i hate it its so annoying in the snow and the rain. Just be happy you don't have ABS my 240SX with 300ZX brakes used to lock up any speed any time i loved it. Also the 300ZX twin turbo and non Turbo have 11inch rotors just like the maxima so they aren't bigger like was stated eariler in this post. 300ZX brakes suck on the Z ask any Z owner. ABS is annoying

michaelnyden

iTrader: (15)

I have 17" very light weight 5zigen rims wrapped with kumho ecsta mx 235/45/ZR17's all the way around on eibach pro kit and kyb gr2's....so I would think my rubber would be sufficient, but i guess not....what kind of tire do the guys who have the same brake setup as me are not locking up with? so i can go out and buy 'em????

michaelnyden

iTrader: (15)

the twin turbo 300zx has completely different front brakes than our maximas.....11 inch but much much thicker and 4 piston caliper....plus they have brake air cooling ducts from the front end to the front brakes...which is kinda cool....but that doesn't matter to me, my 17" 5zigen's allow plenty of air in that's not the problem...i think our calipers flex too much and "bow" our pads possibly...so a BBK may fix a lot of the issues but definitely not all....it may lie in the actual brake proportionment and the brake system itself....weight distribution of our cars as opposed to the 300zx's almost perfect can also be a big factor....however suspension does greatly help in not getting as much dive under heavy braking....however, I still have a lot of locking up issues....does anyone else experience this even with the stuff I listed above?

lilgrebbie

I got a 96 se W/abs
Not to mention every other option avail in 96... don't mean to brag

But who said that ABS sucks in the snow?
Wow. Pumping your brakes sucks. Plus its not as efficient as abs, and not as safe. If you really want to lock em up on the snow/Ice Just hit the E-Brake. Thats always fun out on the lake if there isn't any snow

Broaner

iTrader: (10)

I find this funny also. Improving brakes doesn't do **** for reducing lockup. The only reason I'm gonna do brakes is to reduce fade. I agree with all that say your tires are the weekpoint. I disagree with people that like ABS. ABS is another feature that has become overplayed in the automotive industry. All these saftey systems take all the fun out of driving and make the average person a worse driver. The average driver that owns a car that has ABS, TCS, Etc... and gets used to the systems and relies on them too much. So when the system fails the driver has become used to all these systems to save their @ss and therefore have no idea what to do in an emergency situation. A perfect example is my GF. Her Sunfire has ABS and it saves her life daily during the winter. Then, on the few occasions that she drives my car, even fewer during the winter, she employs her usual stopping techniques and the result is me sh!tting my pants and the car sideways in the middle of the intersection. Bottom line, ABS, TCS, "Winter mode" all suck and make the roads much more dangerous for us skilled drivers. Another example is the Saab my mom just got. For the first two months I thought it was a pretty average to slow car. That was until I figured out how to turn the TCS off. Now, everytime I drive it I reduce the treadlife a couple thousand miles.

BEJAY1

iTrader: (19)

Can you ask who the new OEM is for the new calipers or get any more info. I'd be willing to swap em in and give em a workout Gotta run now and paint on another layer of tire softener on the S02's. Remember press/squeez brakes, don't jam your foot through the pedal.

ardika

iTrader: (3)

You know, I remember one time before I did my brakes (slot rotors all 4) my setup was stock pads up front...and semi-metalic/harder pads back. I remember at that time the brakes is easier to modulate compared to what I have now (metal masters front and stock pads rear).

Perhaps the key of reducing this lock up problem is to increase line pressure to the rear (but not so much so that it would lock up the rear easily, which is very dangerous).

I read it somewhere that our braking is close to 70:30 ratio.... it would be nice if I could change it the ratio to something like 65:35 or 60:40.

Anybody knows such part for Maxima?

wiseking

Umm, I'm looking to replace the brake pads I have on now. Any recommendations for something affordable yet proven in all different conditions?? Thanks guys.

Ant96GLE

iTrader: (4)

I'll have to disagree on you with that. I believe in ABS... and you proved it right with what you said. It is almost like idiot proofing the braking system for inexperienced drivers. I sure as hell wouldnt want any more of your g/f's driving around hitting me while I"m waiting at a light. It DOES really work for those that know how to use it. I am not disagreeing with you completely though, not having ABS does have its advantages. In the snow, your better off not having ABS. When you lock the brakes it makes a wedge of snow that stops you. Look at off roading trucks, they never have ABS for that reason. But in any other weather, I prefer ABS, especially in the rain. There is no way you will be able to pump the pedal enough times as the computer does.

007max

iTrader: (3)

i totally agree with you. my mom's jeep has ABS and every time i drive it it ****es the hell out of me. it takes all of the fun out of driving for me, especially offroad, which is basically the only time i drive the jeep. not letting it skid on gravel probably triples the stopping distance for it. i cant even imagine how ****ty ABS must be on snow and how much it will screw with our stopping distance. thank god my max doesn't have that feature. if it did i'd probably cut the wire for it

michaelnyden

iTrader: (15)

not to mention abs adds a ton of weight on cars....but in either case, tire choice would be the only fix for getting rid of lock up? my buddy 300zx tt with 225/45/16's up front and 245/40/16 out the rear cannot be locked up at all...and those are almost bald dunlop's!! I have kumho ecsta 235/45/17 all the way around, on really light 5zigen's and mine lock up very easily....in comparison, his brakes a lot harder than mine as well as not being able to lock up? is it my tires or the actual brake system/proportionment?

G20Flyer

ABS actually results in longer stopping distances compared to threshold braking. ABS is only there to try to provide CONTROL of the vehicle during a panic stop.

The best system would be anti-skid which when you slam down the pedal modulates wheel spin on all wheels to keep it right at threshold as opposed to ABS which is just on/off. Aircraft have been using anti-skid brakes for decades and i wont be surprised if it is on some cars now and will be in the future.

Stephen Max

iTrader: (59)

For what it's worth:

A study done in Canada a few years back showed that ABS was not having a significant effect on accident rate. The researchers concluded that the increased safety of ABS is being offset by people driving faster (because they have ABS!). Apparently people have a certain danger level they are comfortable with, so they compensate for added safety by driving faster.

I think I heard this on NPR, but I can't remember. Could be pure urban legend.

BEJAY1

iTrader: (19)

Isn't that exactly what proportioning valves do?
http://www.wilwood.com/products/valves/valves.asp

Broaner

iTrader: (10)

Ant96GLE, I respect your opinion but Stephen reiterates my point.

Its just like people with 4x4's thinking they are safer in the snow. All this false security leads to people taking more risks because they don't realize that the vehicle is already at its handling limit. Yes, they probably won't get stuck but a 4x4 stops in the same distance in the snow as any other car. I'm not saying that I don't think ABS is a good invention. I'm saying that its a crutch for the 16 year old girl that forgets to accelerate after she turns and barely knows how to open the gas cap. A great example is the GT-3. Its a very simple and powerful machine without any of the BS to save the drivers @ss when HE/SHE fxcks up. Porshe realized that the market for that car are very performance oriented people that know how to drive and also know that these systems stop the magic from happening. Ant96GLE, are you suggesting that ABS helps on the track. I rarely drive in the rain and almost never in the snow so on the occasion that I lock 'em up it is usually on purpose. It really p!sses me off when I try sliding in the Saab and all that happens is a bunch of jittering. Very annoying.

michaelnyden

iTrader: (15)

anyway, can anyone answer my question..?

Ant96GLE

iTrader: (4)

Saying that having ABS is a false sense of security is true, but only up to a point. Its like saying that a well lit highway is going to have less accidents than a poorly lit one. People are going to speed more than on a poorly lit highway but the benefits of being able to see the road ahead of you outweigh the downside. I would much rather that 16 year old driving in rain have ABS than not. Without ABS shes going to lock up the brakes and spin out, with ABS it'll be alot harder for that to happen and MUCH easier to keep control. Its been proven that ABS will help you maintain control alot more often in snow, rain etc than regular brakes. The only reason I was using 4x4's as an example is because when your going down a hill while off roading, the ABS will kick in because the roads are basically sediments. Without ABS the wheels will lock and you will create a wedge which will stop you much faster.

I honestly dont know how you guys drive or what experience you have with a cars with/without ABS. I'm sure most of you have never really had a problem because you have a good set of tires and know how to control your car. I dont see how you can say not having ABS is more of an enthusiasts thing. I'm sure you know the physics of what happens when a car locks its brakes and tries to take a corner, it keeps going straight. You have to let off the brake for the wheels to continue moving so you can turn... not the safest way to stop.... or slow down.

And if you want to compare the GT3 not having ABS to other supercars... Look at all the Ferrari's and Lambo's, all have ABS. Look at the old Viper and new one... the original was always critiziced because even though it had HUGE front tires, it had large brakes and would lock them up and had really long stopping distances. The new VIpers have done stopping tests in record time... I'm thinking of MotorTrend magazine.. they had a test where the Viper stopped under 100 feet from 60-0... because of ABS.

Ant96GLE

iTrader: (4)

Your right, it does give people a false sense of security... I guess. But if you havent noticed half of the people on here dont even know they have ABS. Me personally, I do like the idea of the people around me having ABS... that is if they know how to use it. I have taken a pursuit driving course, it was almost like auto crossing, and the differences in driving a non ABS to ABS car was significant, especially if you didnt know how to control the car.