brakes need lot of pressure

[boma23]

hi

I've recently flushed all new fluid through, and stripped all calipers/pins and regreased, put in new pads that aren't sticking in the calipers like the old ones, but still I need a lot of pressure to get these brakes working well. I live a VERY mountainous spot so often am hammering the brakes, even when cadence braking down hills, but still think there must be something else going on here?

I've ordered some Dot4 (only Dot3 on the shelves on this little island), but are there any decent pads which don't cost a fortune people can recommend with a but more bite, and most importantly, less fade? How much benefit with braided lines on these trucks?

ta

Dom

[Koi]

EBC Greenstuff are good, had them fitted to my 4Runner and no more brake fade with them.

[boma23]

EBC Greenstuff are good, had them fitted to my 4Runner and no more brake fade with them.

Thanks Koi, will probably grab some when back in April. I remember the old Greenstuff were crap, but then they suddenly got good a few years back.

Flushed through with the Dot4 last week, and whilst a big improvement, after the 3rd run down a local road called "the elevator", the dreaded fade returned (and whilst trying to go easy with cadence braking too). Can only assume the NAPA pads are not sticky enough, needing too much pressure to generate enough friction and hence lots of heat. Although there's probably some physics in that sentence that will be disproved.

[Gundog]

Have you tried using low ratio when going down hill? This will give you better engine braking and less need to use the brakes. The downside is you descend at a slower roadspeed but you will be off the brake pedal for longer.

[boma23]

Hi Gundog. I'v got PSV and heavy goods, so am used to engine braking
The above happens, using cadence braking with engine braking, AND locking torque converter (ECU mod) to increase the braking effect (which may or may not be bad for it - another conversation entirely). It's not that the hills are exceptionally steep - you are still doing 30 - 45 mph, and don't come down them in 1st or low ratio - it's that they are very fast, steep, and go on for over a mile at a time. There's a lot of heat build up, bit like on track where you can use engine braking but still suffer fade.

There is also the argument that suggests a a lot of continued regular heavy engine braking may be detrimental to engine life (and it's often straight from cold), and I'd rather overhaul my brakes than the cylinder seals.

Also some of the hills are like ice in the wet (polished concrete and shiny tarmac), and it's tropical rain here. Heavy engine breaking can be akin to pulling the handbrake sometimes, and catches many out...