better stopping without bigger brakes?

[satur9]

after doing 80mph plus panic stops(not all in the same day) i realize i need better brakes, however i dont want bigger rotors because i still want to clear my 16's. will adding bigger calipers do the trick.(mabey the trd brake kit and not use the rotors)or will a better brand of brake pads suffice? if just pads any recomendations?

[Hawke]

Choosing just the calipers doesn't solve your problem. The calipers actually cause the clearance problem since they stick out further than the rotors do. There are performance brake pads on the market, I've never used them so I can't comment as to how much it'll actually help. One cheap upgrade that will help with brake fade is to upgrade the fluid to DOT 4 or DOT 5 fluid.

[coratz]

http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/ebc/greenpads.jspthese will solve your problem gaurenteed@@!!!!!!amazing brake pads!!!!! the greens are awesome the reds are better.the only last about 20000km, not brake dust whatsoever

[mu_ohio]

Do you own a base or GT? When doing the panic stops, did you brakes lock up? From what I've read, the Vibe in general has great breaks that can compete with any car in the general class/price range. If you did go with better breaks, you may over power your tires and not benefit from the huge increase. From what I've seen, if you breaks lock up then your tires lack enough grip and if that doesn't occur then your brakes aren't stopping hard enough. That's a general saying and should be taken as such.

[mistamatrix]

IMO, the daily driver does not need bigger brakes to get more stopping power. Getting a set of aftermarket brake pads would be just as beneficial and economical.http://www.ebcbrakes.com/http://www.haw ... om/estore/

[mkl116]

Last year Car and Driver did a piece on upgrades and they basically rated/tested kits and then a stock set with new pads. For the money, new upgraded pads are tough to beat for a typical car owner.

[philndz]

i spent some time driving a new volvo wagon and im not sure how the numbers would compare but for a wagon thats much bigger than the vibe it would slam you to an amazingly aggresively fast stop!! it just seemed to defy all laws of traction w/ the tires....i would definately consider a pad upgrade for the vibe...most of my mileage is highway but there have been times when i have driven for hours of quick stop and go city driving and the brakes seem to fade FAST. My first car was an '86 volvo wagon....that thing had full disc brakes!! ......hehe...and heated seats!!!!

[QUIKAG]

My GT with the ABS and 17 inch wheel/tire package with 215 width Dunlop 9000's stops VERY WELL. I know, by comparison, because I have modified the brakes on my C5 Corvette, so I know what good stopping feels like (eyeballs popping out of your head). The Vibe isn't quite that good, but I am very impressed with the stock Vibe GT brakes overall.

[Stang2Vibe]

I agree. The stock brakes on my GT are generally more than adequate for my use. Upgraded pads are probably the only mod I would do to them, myself. Bigger rotors would look better with bigger wheels that showed them off, but I don't see any noticable performance gains based on the tests. Cetainly not anything that would justify the cost of the brake upgrade kit.When I had my Mustang, I wanted to upgrade the rotors and calipers with a kit they had out. After changing my wheels and tires (got Z-rated performance tires), my braking improved a good bit. Enough that I decided not to spend the money on the brakes.

[QUIKAG]

Tires do make a BIG difference in the braking ability of a car. Atleast as much as most any pad or brake upgrade.