epitek

the other thing i hear a lot is that "the tC looks like a bimmer, why can't it stop like one" and rarely will you hear a response saying "did you pay the price of a bimmer for your tC?"

people, dont have such high expectations for a $16.5k car. does it stop? yes. does it stop on a dime? no, get a nicer car.

slowpoke

I dont have any problems with the stock brakes, but if your wanting an upgrade, before you go out and buy a 4piston brake system.

you should try these simple things first.

Stainless Steel Brake lines, These will improve the way the pedal feels when you hit the brakes, the stock brake lines are rubber and when you hit the brakes the rubber tends to expand from the pressure. Stainless steel lines wont expand and that will help the way the pedal feels.

2nd, Hawk Hps Plus pads, these are pretty much the best pads you can get without damaging the stock rotors. Some of these fancy pads are made of materials that are so harsh they will dig into the rotor, and before you know it you have trashed your rotors. Rotors are not cheap.

engifineer

I have no issues at all with the brakes. As a matter of fact, they have saved my a$$ a couple of times now when I absolutely thought I was in for a crash. They not mushy in the least (at least mine arent). The tires are not the best which is why the anti-lock seems to trigger more often (the tires are starting to break loose).
***EDIT***
I will say the the one complaint about the brakes is that they ARE ABS, I grew up driving non-ABS cars, and I can stop faster and more accurately without ABS... but, for many people that have grown up with it, it is a good thing I guess.

2AZ-FEtC

LOL........ That's correct, good way to put it. The tC brakes just like my Celica GT-S.

The OEM pads are ok, but you can always use better quality performance pads.

epitek

where do you go to get stainless steal lines installed? do you think dealer will void that if something goes wrong with the braking system?

slowpoke

I installed mine myself on my last 2 cars, (2000 civic si) (91 crx si)

Im not sure why they would void your warrranty, as these parts are far superior to the stock rubber lines. Im not sure that they are available for the tc yet, its not hard to do you, just unhook the stock lines, replace them with stainless lines and then you will have to flush the brake fluid system and refill/re bleed the brakes.

GT4Dreams

If the dealer can trace it to the aftermarket accessory, they can void that part of the warranty.

slowpoke

They will have to prove how that part caused another part to void a warranty, there are laws in place that protect you as a consumer, and there are organazations as well, such as SEMA. I would like to see how they would prove that a stainless steel line caused a failure, when in reality, the inside of the line is rubber just like that factory, has a steel brading to prevent flexing, and cracking, and leaking.

GT4Dreams

^Yea I just did not want to get into detail (lazy)

Basically if your engine blows up and they see an aftermarket turbo, that blatant to void your warranty. But if you buy aftermarket brakes and then you O2 messes up, they can't really trace it to the brakes.

Stoptech

If you feel that your brakes are spongy you may want to consider stainless steel lines. Stock lines come in rubber and often flex and expand under pressure. They expand even more when they are warmed up. A spongy pedal has nothing to do with ABS. If you'd like to learn more about stainless steel lines and what they do, you would probably want to check out this link
http://www.stoptech.com/whitepapers/..._lines_q&a.htm

Axxis Ultimate pads are NOT race pads. In fact we tell our customers to not take those pads out to the race track or use them in track type conditions. Axxis Ultimates are a street performance pad and they may make some noise but that is solved by doing the bed in process. http://www.stoptech.com/whitepapers/bedincontents.htm Pads have a tendancy to unbed themselves and that will make pads noisy. I myself have used Axxis Ultimates for 7 months straight and they have never made a noise. These pads are more aggressive than the Hawk HPS pads which I have in my car now. Those pads make more noise but it is solved by doing the bed in process.

If you are able to activate ABS, then there isn't much more braking the brakes can do. You are limited by the traction of your tires. Those should be the first upgrade. We stress this as the basics in braking.

Braking is a very subjective topic. What works for one person may not work for another. So what is good for one person may not be good for another. There isn't a one size fits all for cars. Why should it be that way for any aspect of the car. If you want to learn about brakes and what they do and how they do it, please see our techincal and FAQ section. Unless you are an automotive engineer already, I guarantee that you will learn something. http://www.stoptech.com/technical/

Mors_Ab_Alto

Team

Thanks for the inputs on lines, pads, etc. I appreciate your insights.

Rhino Sends

Scott17

Very impressive post! Truly refreshing to see a guy selling something who actually has some sense! Not as common as you would think! I appreciate your input and wish others had such a command of understanding of the things they are selling. Good products don't really need all the hype and junk science some toss around. Good to have you here!

mfbenson

The only complaint I have with the brakes is that you get maximum braking effect right before the ABS kicks in, and once you cross that threshold the braking from the ABS isn't quite as good. The temptation is to get off the brakes and try to find that sweet spot again, the problem is that doing that in a panic stop will cost you time and distance.

If you can get in the habit of using that sweet spot without engaging the ABS you'll be fine, but as a backup plan you have to train yourself to keep your foot fully on the brake once the ABS does kick in. For me, this is my first ABS car, so there was a little learning curve...

And I agree there is a bit of a spongy/soft feel to the brakes, although I think it is by no means intolerable. In addition to the steel brake lines upgrade, another option may be to have the fluid flushed and replaced with a higher grade of fluid. I may be talking out my butt on this last point, because for all I know it already has the best fluid available, but on an old mustang I had I know that upgrading the fluid made a significant improvement.

Stoptech

Thanks for the compliments.

ABS is an interesting thing. The pulsating feeling is un-nerving to drivers, but what it really does is hold the tires to their limit of traction. The intention of ABS is to give steerability, and stability to a panic situation. ABS does not release all brake pressure. It's first cycle is the largest cycle and releases the most pressure. Subsequent cycles don't release so much pressure. At no point does ABS completely release brake fluid pressure. Because ABS cycles around the absolute peak of traction, it actually shortens stopping distances since most people aren't capable of holding the the tires at the abolute limit. Its actually hard than you might think since the pressure to lock up the wheels changes as different speeds. Anyway, for all of ABS knowledge, here is the link for it. http://www.stoptech.com/whitepapers/...ake_122701.htm

stl_tc_king

the braking capabilities of this car is one of the things that impressed me when test driving. Now that I own one, my opinion hasn't changed at all. I think the brakes are wonderful. (Better than my Prelude 4-wheel ABS)

Rivulent

I agree, but I am not going to say you're all crazy for wanting to upgrade. There's always going to be someone who wants better, so what the hell, you guys can spend your money any way you want - But I can't stress this enough = if you cars can lock up / initiate ABS, they are working as good as any brakes could, unless you are planning on running at super high speeds and honestly need a BBB.

surfcity40

it's all about intention. sry but these brakes are not fine. i love my tC but coming from an old (1994) audi 90 with antilocks, it is clear to me that in the price range of this car, brakes were not a priority. but heck, the new base 350z doesn't come with brembos any longer.

clearly, a brembo upgrade is paramount if you plan to race around in this car. no disrespect intended but what do you folk want for $20,000.00?

before the supercharger, before the turbo; heck before the new wheels and tires, get the brakes.