Alright...I didn't want to spend a fortune on new rotors so I replaced the fronts with stock rotors this morning. I also went ahead and had the shop that did all the work turn the rear rotors. Here's the story...I put on new Hawk HPS pads a couple of weeks ago and they started squeaking horribly. I think the original front rotors were glazed and way too thin to turn. Anyway, now with the new rotors on the front and old rotors in the back turned, I have to apply significantly more pressure to achieve the same braking performance as before I took it in. Is this normal for a while or might some fluid have leaked and I need to check my reservoir??? I had to stomp on my brakes to make stop from 60 on my way back from work. Any ideas what could be wrong?
Replaced stock rotors....feels different?
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should you have done some sort of bedding process after the new rotors? maybe they are just still new and glossy..
I wondered the same thing b/c I was told no such process was necessary by some and told it was necessary by others. When I pulled out of the shop, they felt mushy and I followed the bedding/burnishing instructions from Hawk that I had followed a few weeks prior when I put the new pads on. It didn't really seem to help, but I'm going to give it a couple of days and see if it improves. I was told the old rotors were really thin and grooved, so it's possible it will just take some getting used to.
sounds like cletus may have jacked something up at the brake shop if the pedal felt mushier...
A couple of things:
1) check your fluid level in your resevoir. Sounds simple, but may be part of the problem.
2) Bleed you brakes yourself. Get a friend to mash the pedal while you bleed. Check the FAQ for the order. If the pedal is really mushy, that is probabaly your culprit. It doesn't take that much time, however remember to do the inside and the outside of each caliper (do the inside first.) Also make sure to do a quick visual inspection to make sure they installed the pads correctly.
3) You definately want to bed the pads. It's easy to do. Go find a deserted area, where you can make some racket, and not attract attention, where no one is around, so you can be safe, and prefereably where the road is long and straight, to you can do it quickly. What I do is a bunch of hard stops in a row, not so hard to have ABS kick in though. It is important not to completely stop, as you don't want the pad to stick to the hot rotor. First do about 5, 30 to 5 hard stops, then repeat with 5, 50-5 stops, followed up with about 5, 70 - 5 stops. Do them as quickly in succession as you can (this is why a long straight abandoned road is prefered). At the end your rotors and pads will be very hot, and you smell that asbestos smell. VOILA....bedded brakes. Go park the car for a bout 15-20 minutes allowing the rotors to cool down on their own. It's OK to use our emergency brake because it doesn't use the normal pads. DON'T TOUCH THE PADS OR ROTORS AFTER THIS (it's amazing how many people will go touch them to see if they feel different and burn the crap outta their hand).
3) Hawk HPS do not have the stopping power that the OEM brakes pads have. If you do 1-3 above, then that may be your issue. HPS's are great for keeping the dust down, but that's about it. While they don't have horrible performance, they are not as good as OEM, and nowhere as good as HP+ or better.
Good luck, and let us know what you find.
-Chris
1) check your fluid level in your resevoir. Sounds simple, but may be part of the problem.
2) Bleed you brakes yourself. Get a friend to mash the pedal while you bleed. Check the FAQ for the order. If the pedal is really mushy, that is probabaly your culprit. It doesn't take that much time, however remember to do the inside and the outside of each caliper (do the inside first.) Also make sure to do a quick visual inspection to make sure they installed the pads correctly.
3) You definately want to bed the pads. It's easy to do. Go find a deserted area, where you can make some racket, and not attract attention, where no one is around, so you can be safe, and prefereably where the road is long and straight, to you can do it quickly. What I do is a bunch of hard stops in a row, not so hard to have ABS kick in though. It is important not to completely stop, as you don't want the pad to stick to the hot rotor. First do about 5, 30 to 5 hard stops, then repeat with 5, 50-5 stops, followed up with about 5, 70 - 5 stops. Do them as quickly in succession as you can (this is why a long straight abandoned road is prefered). At the end your rotors and pads will be very hot, and you smell that asbestos smell. VOILA....bedded brakes. Go park the car for a bout 15-20 minutes allowing the rotors to cool down on their own. It's OK to use our emergency brake because it doesn't use the normal pads. DON'T TOUCH THE PADS OR ROTORS AFTER THIS (it's amazing how many people will go touch them to see if they feel different and burn the crap outta their hand).
3) Hawk HPS do not have the stopping power that the OEM brakes pads have. If you do 1-3 above, then that may be your issue. HPS's are great for keeping the dust down, but that's about it. While they don't have horrible performance, they are not as good as OEM, and nowhere as good as HP+ or better.
Good luck, and let us know what you find.
-Chris
IDK, I always thought the HPS pads were on par with the OEMs...
I'm too busy going back and forth to Hawk Blues...
Not to mention your R&D work on QA1s.
:nono:
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