Front brakes locking, normal?

[KNanthrup]

Ok so I have an '00 GT I use for my daily driver. I love the car, great fun to drive, gas milage, etc. but my one big complaint is about the brakes. Light/Medium braking in any weather seems perfectly fine, but hard braking always locks up the front brakes, whether it's dry or wet. Now, I'm not a newb to the mechanical world, I know these are non-ABS brakes. My complaint comes from what seems like pre-mature locking. Either that or the rear brakes are not doing their job. Is this normal for everyone for the fronts to lock up way early? I have not locked the rears yet.

In dry weather I could live with it although it's scary knowing what it could do. Wet weather sucks because once those fronts lock up it just slides and I can't steer out of it. I may have to play with pads or something because I don't want to dump big bucks into a big brake kit for my GT.

Any input? Anyone else have this complaint? It almost feels like the pressure is not being properly proportioned from front to rear. Also it could be my imagination but even right/left proportion seems a little sloppy when braking hard on non-perfect surfaces.

[SickCelica696]

On the dry pavement the celica brakes stop you fast. However in the rain, that same stopping power = lock and slide. I've got the same problem on my gt-s, if its slick and you brake even at like 50% pressue, your ass is sliding.

[GTS 6speed]

yeah I tend to get some sliding in rain, sometimes I slide when braking hard on dry pavement.
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[kimGT]

umm, best thing i can tell you is your tires can play a major role in that. sticker tires are harder to lock up. maybe learn to pump the brake.

Sounds stupid, but to learn how to brake properly, i locked up the brakes purposely while driving to learn the threshold and learn how to brake better.

try changing the pads, turn the rotors, bleed the system to get the brakes to even out. then play with them abit to learn the best way to brake, if i have to stop fast i usually pump the **** out of em. oh and get better tires. I noticed that its easier to lock up with yokos than my azenis.

[KNanthrup]

Oh I have experience on and off track with braking, it's just that my celica is the first car that ive had this much lack of confidence in the braking ability. I suppose its normal then judging from the reponses, I will just have to try to play with pads and get better tires when these run out. It's my only real complaint about the car. It really could have used front/rear discs with ABS and it would have been a great handling/braking package. It's not that it feels like such a defective safety issue because the car stops fine in most situations, but I really would not be confident doing a panic stop in wet weather from speed. It definitely feels like it could use more pressure bias to the rear.

Oh well, so be it.

Thanks

[SickCelica696]

Well I've got a gt-s with abs so pumping it hasn't ever been a need. The bias is definitly in the front though. In the rain even on my sticky icky track tires I slide

[kimGT]

well thats normal, I'm not sure about your track tires but i'm sure they're not the greatest for rain, generally they're not.

[kimGT]

i make a conscious effort to keep it slow in rain because of the locking.

[silv3r0ne]

I personally feel the braking systems on both the gt and gts are pretty good. But with any car, stopping distance/slide depends a lot on the type of tires you use.

[liquidg]

I like the celica's brakes

[TRDAzNSpEeDeR]

I like the celica's brakes

yea they are sensitive and i tap them light and its very responsive. unlike honda cars. the gas too

[vegeta4ss]

my celly has just started this problem recently.

when i first put on my centrex rotors and my axxis ultimates, i couldn't get them to lock most of the time.

now that I have switched to the trd pads....well they can def lock easier! I think it might be the fact taht my rotors are very worn and in need of turning (but you cant turn drilled/slotted)

I glazed out my axxis pads so i took some 180 grit and scuffed the rotors up to get off all that old bedded in brake dust. It seemed to help...so if you have aftermarket rotors you might wanna try it.

[silv3r0ne]

my celly has just started this problem recently.

when i first put on my centrex rotors and my axxis ultimates, i couldn't get them to lock most of the time.

now that I have switched to the trd pads....well they can def lock easier! I think it might be the fact taht my rotors are very worn and in need of turning (but you cant turn drilled/slotted)

I glazed out my axxis pads so i took some 180 grit and scuffed the rotors up to get off all that old bedded in brake dust. It seemed to help...so if you have aftermarket rotors you might wanna try it.


You can get drilled/slotted rotors turned. I just had my trd slotted rotors resurfaced.

[vegeta4ss]

You can get drilled/slotted rotors turned. I just had my trd slotted rotors resurfaced.

YOU CAN??? ...hellz yeah

you talkin bout the trd big brake kit? or did they make another i dont know about (cause my rotors are a lil thinner than i remembered them being..so i may be shopping for new 1's)

[silv3r0ne]

Yea I have the trd bbk. But if your rotors are pretty thin then you're better off buying new ones, the thinner they get the more easily they'll warp.