gbpxl

Basically my car (2000 TA) has weak brakes with good pads and the rest of my brake system I have no idea how good it is. Under heavy braking from speeds of about 45 and up, after a couple seconds the pedals will occassionally start to vibrate and the car STOPS slowing down.

Has anyone had similar symptoms? I have a lot of trouble driving in the rain when approaching stop lights. Usually I just speed up because I think I'm gonna stop in the middle of the intersection.

Drilled and slotted rotors by the way. I get a little bit of "squealing" when braking, but my pads are definately fine.

u118224

iTrader: (3)

If your pedal vibrates and you lose stopping power, it sounds like your ABS engaging. How many miles on the car?

gbpxl

95,000

u118224

iTrader: (3)

Other than new pads and rotors, has anything else been done to the braking system? If not, start with a thorough flush and bleed. I'm still thinking about the ABS; can you confirm if the ABS is cycling or not when braking? If so, do your front hub bearings make any noise? If one of your front bearings is going bad, it affects the reluctor ring and may be triggering ABS when braking.

Wesmanw02

iTrader: (4)

Sounds like your rotors are out of parallel, causing high spots on the rotor that result in pedal vibration.

This is typically caused by uneven deposits of brake pad material on the surface of the rotor. However, it shouldn't cause the car to "not stop".

Things to check:

Rotors for runout and parallelism. If out of spec, replace.
Pads for glazing or cracks. If either is found, replace.
Brake fluid. If it is dark or dirty, flush and replace.
Hub assemblies. If any play is found in hubs, replace both units.
Calipers. If pistons are corroded or dust boots are torn, replace calipers.
Slide pins. Ensure caliper slide pins move freely. If not, free and lubricate them with high temp brake lubricant, or replace pins and possibly caliper bracket.

If the car still does not want to stop, you have a problem elsewhere in the system.

blade2222

rotors are warped. when you hit the brakes it heats the rotors causing the rotor to warp and have less contact with the pads. I have the same problem. replace the rotors.