My 4th gen picks up speed fast... but when I try to shave that speed, the brakes get all mucked up, hot, and warpy in the rotor section. Is there an OE size rotor/pad upgrade I could do to reduce fade? My Accord w/Powerslots/Hawks in front and DRUMS in the back stopped better than this.

 

stock brakes are known to be $hitty. resurface your rotors and try better pads. brake in your pads properly too.

 

Brake fade can also be blamed on the fluid you're using.

 

Get some ATE superblue fluid

Brembo blanks with Hawk HPS

Pretty much all you can do with stock brakes without sacrificing noise and rotor life. If you really want to stop, go for a BBK, but I'd try the above first.

 

This car won't see track duty... I just like having brakes after about an hour of hard driving

 

Well, how hot your brakes are after an hour of hard driving is mainly dependent on how heavily you use your brakes. If I'm in the mountains driving seriously hard I'll USE my brakes, and they'll start to fade within 5-10 minutes. If you want to have an hour of serious brake usage without fade, you should look into either a Z32/cobra/2k4 BBK or a serious BBK (Wilwood, AP racing, Brembo).

Some of these will shift your bias a bit and you won't get quite the same absolute stopping power, but it'll substantially increase fade resistance and give you some actual pedal feel/feedback/ease of modulation. When I stomp on the brakes (all OEM ) the car will stop fairly quickly, but all I'll feel is mush.

 

Whoa... BBKs... let's not get ahead of ourselves here. I'm just pissed that my '92 Accord, with Powerslot rotors/Hawk HPs in front and DRUMS in the back, as well as much smaller rotors in front, had significantly better fade resistance after 100-110MPH runs. I don't ever remember those brakes fading.

I think the Brembo blanks + Hawk HPSs + SS brake lines should do the trick. I don't wanna spend more than $500 on the upgrade

 

Dooo it.

(you could probably do Z32 BBK for ~$500 though)

 

Just kind of thinking out loud here........I've been doing a ton a reading lately about brake fluid and have read mixed opinions/reviews about mixing DOT 4 fluid with DOT3 fluid (especially when ABS is involved), or even putting fresh DOT 4 fluid in a system that was completely bled, but designed for DOT 3 fluid. It seems the consensus on the org is that mixing/using 4 with 3 is perfectly acceptable (even with ABS).

To the OP, what do you consider hard driving? How are you driving to cause your brakes to fade? Just curious as to exactly what you mean since you say the car never sees the track.

As of now, I'd have to agree with the others and recommend you go with the Brembo blanks, Hawk HPS, SS lines, and new brake fluid with superior dry and wet boiling points assuming your spirited driving doesn't occur too often. For the front only, this setup will cost you roughly $200.

 

You do have to take into account that your accord is a good 200lbs. lighter than your Maxima.

In any case, that set-up you have there, along with new fluid, should help fix the issue.

 

get better pads. you can do 300zx bbk for cheap.

calipers-200 (rebuilt & powdercoated)
pads, brackets, rotors and lines ~200
~400 total

 

Yay, a whole 7%...

 

Best performing brake pad out there for stock brakes: Porterfield R4S (prepare for the dust though)

 

for Porterfield R4S. I've gotten my hubs up over 350 deg and still no fade in short spurts. I can't believe we're talking fluid boiling - probably just a bad bedding job on the pads.

 

I'm currently on Porterfield R4S, and they have not faded on me, but mine are mushy. I just gotta remind myself to really jam the brake pedal when I wanna stop.

I've had Hawk HP Plus, and they never faded after track use. Just watch out cuz they need warmup.

What the OT is asking for is a tough one: streetable (no warmup needed) yet fade resistance (must work at high repeated temp). Good luck finding this combo strictly based on pads. I think my closest I've used were Axxis/PDR Ultimates, but I went through those pads super fast.

I have SS brake lines, Valvoline DOT4 synthetic, and slotted Brembos, and human ABS.

Jae

 

discussion of stock brakes and pad/rotor choices = not here.


Moving to 4th gen forum where you'll get more action.

 

just when we were giving him BBK ideas

 

What's the main source of fade? A drop in the friction coefficient due to heat, or the brake fluid losing it's ability to transmit pressure? I will probably do the fronts and get SS brake lines.

 

both, but primarily the pad material heatsoak level.

Get some performance pads like Hawk HPS and you should be good to go.

 

I think that there is one point that is being Blatantly looked over here. If your warping and such that quickly your wheels are probably not evenly torqued.

If you take it to a shop to get this done (big names like sears/jiffy lube/midas) they torque them down too hard and uneven. One hard brake on the highway and your toast. pick up a torque wrench, and put your wheels on properly and within spec. this will save your brakes!!!

 

first make sure ur OEM brake system works, take off the rear calipers and inspect the two pins on the back of the rotor assembly if they move freely with ur hand, if not, take them out and re-grease them under the rubber boots, take the pads off and see how easy your piston turns back in, if its hard to turn in the caliper is either frozen or getting frozen.

check the front brakes as well.

ALSO: if u reach 110 mph on city streets ure a looser, if u wanna go fast go to the track, otherwise good luck picking up the groceries off the asphalt mixed with someones brains splatters that u just hit going this fast on city streets ESPECIALLY if u know ur brakes a crap!!!

 

+1 to andrei3333 keep it on the track

Plus pads have a break-in time, just like the clutch. If you take it out and immediately go to town on them, they are going to suck.

 

Pads are the biggest contributor to the problem you're having. Everything else is secondary. If your rotors are bad then get them turned or replaced (it's cheap and easy), get some decent pads on the front, and it can never hurt to bleed your fluid (also cheap and easy). These three things will transform your car's braking ability.