should I upgrade brakes? !

[Robertslowpoke]

good afternoon! thank you ALL for the superb help over the months! tomorrow i am having my brakes BLED and install new fluid, and new power steering fluid.

2008 Cadillac DTS. northstar motor. 29,000 miles.

dumb idea! I got wheels and tires on tire rack for 2002 lexus. i noticed today they sell brakes.

I am a car dummy. i think, to my mind, the brakes are good on my Caddy. would i want to UPGRADE my brakes? that is, buy a super set of brakes and have my mechanic install them?

i welcome ANY and ALL ideas! i have learned a lot over the last 6 months.

have a great day!

Bob

 

[RamFan]

If you use the car simply as a daily driver. No.
If you use the car for some kind of automotive sport/showing. Possibly.

 

[Robertslowpoke]

THANK YOU!!

bob

 

[A_Harman]

The only reasons that you would have for wanting to upgrade the brakes on a 2008 DTS is if you do a lot of heavy towing or run track days on road courses. If you were driving a 1968 Caddy with drum brakes, I would say to upgrade to late-model discs without a second thought.

The popular bolt-on upgrades such as high performance pads and drilled or slotted rotors are easy to do. But, high-performance pads tend to dust up the wheels more, and drilled/slotted rotors make noise and wear pads out more quickly. Both of these would detract from the Cadillac-ness of your DTS. A good upgrade to consider would be to put on premium ceramic pads. They are known for being quiet and not dusting up the wheels.

It is a good thing you're doing to have the brakes bled. Most people neglect this. I think it's a good idea to do it every year in the spring. Your brake system cannot be too clean.

 

[river_rat]

+1. The DTS is not a sports machine, so unless you race or tow, probably the OEM brakes are more than you need already.
Nice car, by the way. I would sure love to have one of those road cruisers myself.

 

[tommygunn]

If the current brakes aren't "working as expected" or degrading....then I'd say go ahead. No harm done in upgrading them I don't think...just check around....some shops will "cut a deal" if you buy the parts through them, others will not, if you "carry in" your own parts, due to the fact that they get some sort of commission thru their parts-guy/gal......

Now's the time to shop around though, with so many different brands and qualities, just shop around and see who has the best price.


And, yea, if you got bigger tires, or even tires that show your brakes/rotors, I'd recommend upgrading the brakes too

Especially if you "up" or "plus" sized in anyway.......you may not like the stopping distance with the "OEM" brakes, and aftermarket wheels.

 

[dparm]

For DD use, you won't notice the difference on most of the brake upgrades. Only thing I could really suggest would be more aggressive pads, though I doubt much is available for that platform.

 

[Steve S]

Upgraded brakes will be the little extra that will turn that car into a chick magnet.

 

[Stu_Rock]

2008 DTSs already have pretty impressive brakes. Don't bother with anything more than premium pads.

 

[PandaBear]

Depends on what you want on your car. Do you want the "bite" that a tap on the brake pedal will slow your car down a lot? Do you want it to go down hill and not overheat / fade if you ride the brake? Do you want it to last longer with less brake dust and less noise? Does your tire skid if you slam on your brake right now?

My dad has a car that almost feel like it has no brake in daily driving, so we decided to upgrade the pads with something that has better friction, works great.

My car has sufficient bite with even the cheapest Monroe pad for $10 after rebate, anything stronger would throw me into the dash and generate lots of brake dust and noise.

None of us go to race track or go downhill for a long period of time (i.e. passing the grapevine on I5) that would fade the brake, so no need for any racing pads.

If you like the way your car brakes and it is not locking up the tires earlier than you want, keep doing what you are doing and buy the same or similar price/grade pads.

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted By: Steve S
Upgraded brakes will be the little extra that will turn that car into a chick magnet.

I didn't know chicks dig brake dust

 

[mechtech2]

Stick with stock.
Special needs may benefit from different pads.