Brake is locking up tire - ABS + TC

[Willy_G]

I am with theguru. New pads on grooved rotors will decrease the swept area, overheat the pads & rotors, which may lead to this loss of modulation.

But still, if a wheel is locked, the ABS shoud be doing something.

 

[metroplex]

The grooves were caused by the OEM pads at around the first few thousand miles. I switched to new pads and 20k+ miles later, the grooves are still there but the pads started to groove with the rotors.

It doesn't make sense for the condition to worsen in the rain or in the wet conditions.

 

[ChrisW]

New rotors front and rear would be about $30 ea for the front rotors, and about $28 ea for the rear rotors. These are aftermarket wholesale prices, so you are not getting original 'motorcraft' parts.

I've had excellent luck with China/Taiwan casted rotors, and they've performed just as good if not better than brembo blanks that I've used on my 94 civic. The autozone Duralast are good too, as well as the valucraft. My favorite is from Aimco which kragen sells.

 

[metroplex]

DuraLast brake parts have been known to not fit properly or be undersized compared to OEM.

Crown Vic front rotors are about $90 ea. Rear rotors are $50 ea.

These are namebrand rotors from Motorcraft, Raybestos, AC Delco, Bendix, etc...

Pads are typically $100 per vehicle.

 

[Willy_G]

metro,

If the caliper slides are free, the piston is not binding, and the pads & rotors are grooved & bedded-in, but not glazed or blued and you have one wheel locking, you have a problem with something else other than pads & rotors.

Does the situation get worse in rain because of the lower tire:road friction? Or does it get worse for some other reason?

I am betting on a clogged hyd. line, problem with the proportioning valve and/or an ABS fault.

 

[ChrisW]

Getting the wrong sized rotors in a duralast box in a known problem, thats why i always check/measure the rotors before buying them for my civic. There are two sizes abs 10.4" and non-abs 9.5" for my civic, mine takes the 10.4" brakes and i've heard of others getting the smaller rotors in a bigger box. After all, duralast third-parties their rotors, so i wouldn't exactly blame them, just whoever packed the box.

Autozone used to sell and i think they still do sell aimco-gs rotors, very good rotors, with many SCCA/NASA honda racers running these with good results; they're inexpensive too. Kragen still sells aimco. But for $13-$21 a rotor for autozone dura or valu, and they are doing my civic as well as other people's SCCA/NASA racers well, then they are a good buy in my book. I'm running duralast rotors with Hawk HPS pads on my 94 civic ex abs coupe, and i have plenty of stopping power; my tires are my weakest link right now.

 

[metroplex]

Actually the Duralast pads a co-worker got for his Subaru were the same size backing plate but the friction material was smaller.