How easy should it be for me to lock the tires stomping on the pedal? I think I still need to bleed the brakes a bit more, but after replacing the rubber brake hoses I went out to torture test the brakes.

Pedal is still not all that hard, but much better than it was. I suspect it will improve after running it around and re-bleeding the lines. With relatively wide, relatively sticky tires on it, I can see how it might be tough to lock 'em up. It stops plenty fast now, but I am wondering about the experiences of others with stock brakes.

What does relatively mean?

Like Hoosier wide sticky? or 200 tread wear 205/50
or 195/60-15 400 tread wear?


Did you just replace pads too? with what brand?
Have you set the rear air gap?

Bottom line is you should not be able to lock up tires unless you step over the threshold of your tires grip or the ablity of your shocks to keep the tire on the ground.

17 or 19 mm Master cylinder?

Benefits of bleeding brakes can not be over emphasized.

I bleed mine about once a month or before each Autocross so sometimes more often.

everyone who has driven my car is pretty impressed with the brakes.
19mm M/C stock early fronts with porterfield pads late front calipers on the rear with a pagid black pad with proprtioning valve.

225/50-15 Hankook RS2 street tires 19lb rims and Hoosier R25 slicks 15 lb rims Autocross tires. Yes if too agressive of brakes it will slide all four wheels.

I have submarined the passenger and still the brakes did not lock up (19mm MC)

I had stock brakes on mine and hard as all getup so when ya hitem, they grabed pretty good. Went a ways, stopped and came back at about 90 and they didn't seem to stop all that fast then, as I slid on the pads past the house and finaly stopped. Upgraded to 19mm master and BMW front calippers. They grab well but at high speeds, I think them bumpers will come on me kinda fast still.


:beer1:Damn fast driving cars, their just crazy!!!

I've been able to lock up my brakes twice. Once with crap 165R15 tires and once with Yoko's ES100.

Don't know if all 4 were locked up with the crap tires but from 70 to 0 it made one hell of a screech with a bit of tire smoke while the back of the stopped-in-traffic Pontiac in front kept getting bigger and bigger.

I stopped about 2 feet short of the Pontiac but the "P" and "o" are permanently etched in my head as I stared at the back of the car getting closer thinking "Dumb Ass, you just fuched your 914".

Spoke

BTDT, same situation only with a Delivery Van.

I avoid using my brakes whenever possible

because

it takes so much effort for the car to get up to speed!

The stock brakes should be good enough to lock 'em up at relatively low speeds (<70 mph). Unless you're on really, really wide and stick tires (by wide, I mean 245+).

Of course, locking 'em up is not the most desireable result.

Nonetheless, if you can't lock 'em up by jumping on the brakes, then you need to look for more problems in the brake systems.

Getting the tires to the grip threshold, and holding them there, is the trick.

-Josh2