Repair-It

Without inspection I decided it was time for brakes on the Caprice. I looked up my last order and apparently I got a set of Hawk HPS pads for the front back in 2010! I remember I also did a set of rotors sometime later (I think they got screwed from sitting - that was the Maxima era) and the pads were fine so I put them on the new rotors. Well I had been hearing some squealing so I just ordered another set of Hawk HPS and some kind of EBC pad for the back (Hawk doesn't seem to make HPS for the 94-96 rear discs). I had also been noticing some brake shudder and while rotors and pads is always recommended I just didn't feel like it. Plus I figured these rotors aren't that old so....whatever?

So I pulled the wheels and it turns out that the pads actually had some life left. At least 30%. The rotors however had a very noticeable ridge. Not a rust ridge, a wear ridge. Apparently Hawk HPS pads are pretty hard on rotors. I actually think they are great pads (have them on the CTS-V also) but apparently the rotors wear with the pads. I have been pretty hard on the brakes on my new commute. Worth mentioning.

I replaced the pads and left the rotors. When the rotors become intolerable I will just replace them. Since the car has old school front spindles the rotor replacement involves repacking wheel bearings so it's not a 2 second thing like modern cars (or the rear brakes). I've done more than my share of rotors on this car so I think I've earned skipping it this time around.

The good news is, with the new pads and old rotors, the brake feel is very good. Stops great though I am sure the judder is there when I get them hot (haven't bedded them in and may just not bother this time).

I am curious if the brake squeal was the front or the rear. We will see. The rear rotors don't look that great so when those are due I will get new rotors to go with the EBC pads I bought. Then I'll have some kind of fancy performance car. I will say the brake performance of the B-body was always regarded as decent and I think the car stops well for the 90s (70s front brakes and 90s rear discs in my case).

Also did an oil change and greased the front end. The threaded fitting that the oil filter screws onto that is itself screwed into the oil filter adapter was loose when I wiped the filter adapter O-ring surface. Never noticed that before. So I tightened it. 22mm. I may want to think about doing a filter adapter maintenance service in the future (gasket and O-ring). May or may not (also) be leaking from there. I really cannot tell on this car. If it was only like 5% of my oil leaks I probably wouldn't bother because I'm not fixing any of the other leaks unless they get substantially worse.

Man these brakes feel awesome. I had Hawk HPS before and all I did was switch to new ones. Old rotors, didn't even bleed/flush brake fluid as I usually do. Nor did I bed the pads in. You know when you pump the brakes on some cars the pedal comes up and feels really good? That is how every press of the brake pedal feels now, without pumping. It just feels so effortless. The initial bite is decent (I don't like an overly aggressive bite - it reminds me of fake throttle tip in response) but after a second or two, the heat builds and they really start working. It gives you confidence that the pedal will be there in a hard stop. And unlike many modern cars, the brakes work more on pedal pressure (correct) rather than pedal travel (incorrect). One of my biggest pet peeves is a brake pedal that moves a lot when you want to change your deceleration rate. It just feels awful to me.

There is some judder, although some may actually be from the rear...

kevm14 wrote:And unlike many modern cars, the brakes work more on pedal pressure (correct) rather than pedal travel (incorrect).

http://blog.caranddriver.com/braking-ra ... acular-4c/

We all like firm, solid-feeling brake pedals. But even on good per­formance cars, modern brakes often feel vaguely synthetic, with more pedal travel than seems strictly necessary. Then there’s the Alfa Romeo 4C. Its creators wanted the 4C to have a hard edge. “Our goal in development was to deliver the racing feeling and sensation,” says Alberto Cavaggioni, head of Alfa’s marketing, planning, and brand development. “We wanted the brakes to work more on brake pressure than travel.”

First link I found on this. It is a thing.