brake fade?
 

ok.... so, before i tell you what i was doing i will say that i know the GC is not a race car or hot rod... and that driving fast is unsafe!

I was traveling on the highway and decided to speed up and see what this baby could do (without realizing where i was in relation to where i needed to go) so i got to about 150km/hr and found my turn off coming ahead!!! applied the brakes - HARD and did NOT slow down like it should have!!! I practically stood on the brake and nothing!! it was like the brakes were barely there. Had to swerve back onto highway and take another turnoff up ahead (brakes worked after i got to about 130km/hr).
What would have caused this to happen? the pads are relatively new - or look new, have lots of wear left on them. I have had many different vehicles from old/new trucks to little trucks to cars and minivans,betweendomestic and import. NONE of them have EVER let me down on the brakes end of things... The brakes squeal when first applied and when on semi hard - to stop. It has anti lock brakes too.
Of course, after this incedent, the brakes pulsate a little bit - and from another post it looks like i should just replace them and not turn them (something about them being too thin right from factory)

Anyway.... curiousity here and kinda for safety - ohh, the brakes have not had any problems at in town speed or normal highway speed before/since

Aussie

RE: brake fade?
 

nobody knows? should i just replace the pads and the rotors?

aussie

RE: brake fade?
 

This sounds like the new pads were never seated or broken in. Usually, depending on the make up of the pads, they need to be broken in before they become effective. If this isn't done, a glaze builds up and they are innefective. You can help this by occasionally getting on the brakes relatively hard, but not at as high a speed as you did. Drive it for a while and once in a while when no one is behind you, get on them sort of hard, but not hard enough to lock them. This can take as long as a month. Then I would do several hard stops from 60 to 70 mph and get them good and hot. The pulsation you feel could be from warped rotors, but many times this is also due to glaze build up on the rotors. The procedure I described can reduce the glaze or you can pull the wheel and with sandpaper or a wire brush on a drill, sand both sides of the rotor. I think you'll be surprised at the difference.

RE: brake fade?
 

thanx for the reply.... i think ill try the hard stops for now..... taking the wheels offis a pain in the ass when theres no place with a flat surface.

Aussie