Still Having Poor Braking

[alpaccino]

I am in desperate need for some stopping power, i have Subaru wrx master cylinder (1 inch bore), Steel braided hose all four lines, Mazda Demio Hub, Rotors and Calipers.
With all these mod i still have to gear down hard to stop, i'm tempted to get the Aspire setup but rockauto is saying that the Aspire Rotors are 9.25 which seams the same size as mine,

Is the calipers on the aspire better than the demio?

Im just out of options.

:cry_smile::cry_smile:

[scitzz]

Are you having to press the pedal repeatedly? You know, "pumping" the brakes?

Or are you just trying to bring it down from powered flight?

[econoaddict]

You forgot to mention the type of brake pads/shoes you are running.
Some of the "race" type pads/shoes have to be heated up before the work well.

[Bert]

When I got my second Festy the caliper slides (they're supposed to be sealed) were totally rust-seized and it took the equivalent of 2 men and a boy to press hard enough on the brake pedal to slow down the car. I couldn't believe how much difference new calipers made on ease of stopping after that experience. Maybe you want to take your calipers apart to see how well the two halves move.
As an aside, I am now running entirely Aspire brakes and with the Festy master cylinder. I do like that set up! The ventilated discs are infinitely easier to service (they just pull off!) and by virtue of being somewhat larger result in better braking and important to me; considerably longer pad and shoe life.

[caoverlock]

try bleeding the brakes,putting new fluid worked like majic for me

[alpaccino]

Are you having to press the pedal repeatedly? You know, "pumping" the brakes?

Or are you just trying to bring it down from powered flight?

Yes Sometimes I have to pump the brakes even when i'm not driving fast

You forgot to mention the type of brake pads/shoes you are running.
Some of the "race" type pads/shoes have to be heated up before the work well.

I'm using the regular pads not racing pads

When I got my second Festy the caliper slides (they're supposed to be sealed) were totally rust-seized and it took the equivalent of 2 men and a boy to press hard enough on the brake pedal to slow down the car. I couldn't believe how much difference new calipers made on ease of stopping after that experience. Maybe you want to take your calipers apart to see how well the two halves move.
As an aside, I am now running entirely Aspire brakes and with the Festy master cylinder. I do like that set up! The ventilated discs are infinitely easier to service (they just pull off!) and by virtue of being somewhat larger result in better braking and important to me; considerably longer pad and shoe life.

This is the rotor i'm using now


I measured it and its 9.25in 4x100 lug pattern is this the same size as the Aspire ones?



Showing that its vented as well



With this Caliper it looks like the only thing moves is the piston and pads. It may have been a good thing that i checked, cause now i discovered that the pads are low, lol.

[Safety Guy]

If you have to pump the brakes your problem may be air in your brake lines, or low brake fluid.

Also, on the calipers there are two cylinders which slide the caliper itself on the mount, allowing both brake pads to equally squeeze the rotor. If these are not kept greased and able to slide, they will freeze up and make braking difficult.

Perhaps you have a combination of bad fluid, possible air in your lines, and stuck sliders.

Get yourself the proper car shop manual for you car, and/or a good mechanic's book on brake systems and how to service them.

You could also post more pics as you troubleshoot your system so we can help better.

Karl

[alpaccino]

If you have to pump the brakes your problem may be air in your brake lines, or low brake fluid.

Also, on the calipers there are two cylinders which slide the caliper itself on the mount, allowing both brake pads to equally squeeze the rotor. If these are not kept greased and able to slide, they will freeze up and make braking difficult.

Perhaps you have a combination of bad fluid, possible air in your lines, and stuck sliders.

Get yourself the proper car shop manual for you car, and/or a good mechanic's book on brake systems and how to service them.

You could also post more pics as you troubleshoot your system so we can help better.

Karl

Since i didn't greased the calipers i will be leaning towards that idea, and will be checking that. I did bleed the brakes and the master cylinder is full

[hotfordcat]

Install new pads. Pump up the pedal, and check the brake fluid!!!

[alpaccino]

Any recommended brands to choose from (racing brand preferably). ps How to check if the brake fluid is bad (the master cylinder is full but bad...?)

[Bert]

Yessiree I now see that you already have modern front brakes! Make sure those slides move freely, get any air out of the lines and get some new pads on there.

And then wear a helmet first time you put your foot down on your new brakes

[Advancedynamix]

It looks like you've already got what comes on an aspire. Like people have mentioned, make sure your slides move freely, and be sure the brakes are bled fully. One thing you should also note is that with a 1" M/C you are loosing mechanical leverage and the brake effort will increase. This may also be a factor in your problem. The largest I would go with on those calipers is 7/8" bore, but I would also use it with a larger booster to compensate for the added pedal effort. This can be accomplished with Miata parts.

[Bert]

With this Caliper it looks like the only thing moves is the piston and pads. It may have been a good thing that i checked, cause now i discovered that the pads are low, lol.

Calipers appear to be rigid and fixed but if you look closely at them you'll see the entire caliper is able to move slightly via two solid pins that are tucked under rubber boots. Were this not the case the brake piston would solely exert force on one pad only.

[Advancedynamix]

Also, if those are locked up. I have bought 2 remanned calipers on ebay (centric brand) for 38.00 each shipped (to continental U.S. though) and they are an awesome deal, possibly better than original calipers. You gotta keep an eye out for the deals, but they come up quite often.

[scitzz]

Yes Sometimes I have to pump the brakes even when i'm not driving fast

OK, so, when you try to brake, the pedal goes to the floor, then you have to pump the brakes for the pedal to get tight, and allow you to stop?