sailaholic wrote: i also don't think this is the problem as i'm sure steampunk would have done fluid when he did the rest of the system.
I wasn't going to comment until you did, so now that you have;
I've stated my "disappointment" in braking to several people, including Sailaholic when he was interested in buying the car so as to avoid his disappointment.
Ever since I bought what-is-now-Sailaholics' car in 2000 with around 86,000km [FYI it's a late 1993 build NA8], I have never felt comfortable with the brakes. About a year after purchase, we bled the system completely, and ran through two bottles of Nulon brake fluid to get all the old stuff out.
Negligible improvement because the previous owner bled it and also used quality stuff not long before selling.
Long story short, lived with it/adapted to it for several years, then joined this forum and drove other people's cars.
I have changed:
- brake lines (braided Goodridge),
- installed BMC brace,
- Hawk HPS,
- slotted & drilled rotors.
All to pursue better braking.
I realise the rotors might be more form over function as some people will say it provides less surface area therefore less bite, but I think it's the opposite, the less the surface area, the more force the pad can impart when it contacts.
Think of 5-puck, 3-puck clutches.
The most tangible difference/improvement was the BMC brace, and although braking was improved somewhat, it only brought it to the same level of all other cars I've dríven, and what I think should be like..... but it was still lacking.
I've bled/changed brake fluid around 4, maybe 5, times in my 11 years of ownership (after every 2nd track event), the last couple of times I've used Castrol Super DOT4.
I followed the Hawk bedding in procedure to the letter, and installed the rotors at the same time (well actually tbro installed them thank you tbro) so I had the best chance of improvement due to having two complimentary virgin surfaces.