Does anyone else have problems braking?

I don't know if it's just my car but my braking sucks.. i just got new power slot rotors and power stop pads all the way around, the fronts were installed and the rears will be later but right now, the brakes blow. Any ideas ?? When i slame the brakes on the pedal just goes straight to the bottom and then it stops however fast it can i guess? i don't even think the abs kicks in?

Have you tried bleeding the system? You may also check the rubber hoses that connect the calipers to the steel lines, as they get old and spongy it will affect performance.

Your not alone, my brakes suck as well. When I first got my car, the brakes worked awesome. I could get the ABS to kick in any time I wanted with not too much pedal pressure. Then one day they just changed. I had not done any type of work on them, they just felt different. There seemed to be a "hard" spot about half way down on my pedal travel. If I really "man up" I can get the ABS to kick in, but I pratically have to stand on the pedal. Since then I have put C4 front (2-piston PBR calipers and 13" rotors) brakes on. My brakes still don't work properly, and I have bleed probably a half gallon of brake fluid through the system with no improvement. It almost feels like I am not getting and brake "boost" from my booster after a few inches of pedal travel. Not sure if a booster can fail that way, but I think that is the next thing I am going to try. Also, my buddy had a 97 Trans Am and his car had the same "hard spot" in the pedal travel. I just wonder if that type of failure is common with our boosters, but since the brakes still work, most people don't seems to notice.

my brakes also sucked, so i installed powerslot rotors and KVR pads........brakes got better, but still dont feel like they did when i first got the car.

i havent bled the system yet, but it sounds like you already tried that.

has anyone fixed this?
let us know if the brake booster takes care of it.

try stainless flex hoses
rubber ones might be swelling causing a soft pedal

How old are your calipers?

who the hell wants to stop anyways???????
mine suck too, I guess I just got used to it. The only thing I didn't do was the booster

I thought i was alone on this, sounds like a lot of you guys have the same problem, we should figure this out. It's not a big deal for normal driving but it freaks you out when you go to slam the brakes on and there just not there. I am going to try earls Stainless steel brake lines and see if those work any better, but as of right now, if anyone else on here has sloved the problem besides switching to differen't brakes post it here.

My brakes are terrible too. I got new pads. I plan to flush it in the next week. I can lock my wheels up and abs doesnt work.

My brakes are terrible too. I got new pads. I plan to flush it in the next week. I can lock my wheels up and abs doesnt work.

i dion't even think i can get mine to lock up :confused:

i dion't even think i can get mine to lock up :confused:
Thats good that you can't lock your up. It means abs is working. If you lock your brakes up, you keep moving and your brakes become ineffective especially in slippery roads.

If your brake pedal gets a "hard spot" (I think it is more chunky ;) ) then it most likely your brake booster. The beater i have had two boosters go, each time they had a "hard spot." It varied with engine speed because of vacuum. Make sure you get a GM replacement if that is your cause.

If your brake pedal gets a "hard spot" (I think it is more chunky ;) ) then it most likely your brake booster. The beater i have had two boosters go, each time they had a "hard spot." It varied with engine speed because of vacuum. Make sure you get a GM replacement if that is your cause.

ya it has a super hard spot? how much is a new booster? and why does it just "go"

Mine's always had bad brakes, even after I put on new pads all around. Then I had my car dyno'ed and found out the rear brakes didn't work. :eek: Who know's how long I drove w/o rear brakes? And as of two days ago my ABS INOP light is always on. Hopefully flushing the system next week will fix this.

for all of yall ive had brake problems several times and the abs/inop light came on a few times and found it out to be a battery related problem??? i know all yall are like wtf but it was the alternator causing a bad connection to charge the battery from the wire on the back of the alternator...the check gauges light came on when i puncked the gas ffor about 1/2 second also(hard to see)anyways fixed this i fixed the mis fire the bad gas mileage the "bogging" out and the abs/inop and brake problems...ive ahd differant incodences that were just brakes but when car started runnin crappy looked into this
mayb this could be some of you guys problems or burnt wires or bad connections to a brake light or brake booster or soemthin idk...jus an idea to check out
Daniel

What do you guys mean when you say a hard spot?
I'm wondering if my brakes are not up to par now.

my brakes suck, moving to stainless steel brake lines, slotted and cross-drilled rotors, and ceramic brake pads helped but non the less the braking is still pretty pitiful, but i guess its also a heavy car to stop...

By "hard spot" I mean it feels like you are bottoming out the master cylinder. But actually the pedal is still a few inches from the floor. When I bleed the brakes, the pedal goes smoothly all the way to the floor, but when using the brakes, about half way down the pedal gets "hard."

Hey 96WS Im in the same boat... But my rear brakes work hmmm sometimes, and sometimes they dont, but Ive had that hard spot about 1/2 -1/4 down.. No clue why. I replaced all the pads all new rotors... Im clueless... Im going to try upgrading to the ls1 style brakes in the front and rear... maybe ill be able to stop normally than...

96SLPSS, my brake booster went out because i accidently added powersteering fluid to the brake fluid reservior. A week later my brakes were seized in the "braking" positon. THe replacement booster wasn't GM, and I have no idea why it didn't work right. A GM booster worked right.

Yup, Mine Suck Too! They Just Kind Of Glide To A Stop At High Speeds. Even When Your At Idle Just Pulling Into The Garage The Pedal Is Kind Of Hard And It Might Creep If You Dont Press Down Hard! I Tried Cross Drilled Rotors W/ Various Types Of Pads And No Change. I Ordered A Baer Upgrade Kit For The Front W/ Stainless Lines But Have Not Put On Yet. Ive Heard That Bleeding The System Along With All Stainless Lines Makes It Much Better, But I Dont Know If It Will Ever Stop Like The Newer Ones! Heck, My 87 Grand National Stops Beter With Stock Brakes And Rear Drums!!!!!!ill Let U Guys Know The Outcome Once Ive Done It, But For Now, If Anyone Has Cured This Problem, Let Us All Know!!

Actually I had this problem too. Before, I would slam on the brakes and even from a slow speed, it wouldn't even attempt to screech the tires, and it wasn't just the abs kicking in. But while I installed the headers I also redid the brakes. New Poweslot rotors all around, ceramic pads up front and back, all Earls (I think?) stainless brake hoses, and new rear calipers in the back. Plus a complete fluid flush and dot 5 replacement. The braided hoses and the flush probably made the biggest difference but the car is great now. Stops almost or about as good as a LS1, and I had one so I remember how great those brakes were. Best thing is to just get rid of all the old brake fluid. I put the braided hoses on my lifted truck too last year and it made a world of difference, and that was only on the front.