are s13 brakes naturally weak?

[danielsan]

are s13 brakes naturally weak? because my brakes feel just like my brothers car. we both have 91 coupes, non abs. i guess you could say they feel a bit spongy. out of the all the cars i have owned this one has kinda of crappy braking. my 90 integra braked great, so did my 89 prelude si, 91 bmw 318is, 89 mustang, 94 probe and yes even the old 94 Taurus wagon. im hoping that just the brake fluid is old because it does look old, its brown and just looks dirty. my brothers car has good fluid but still feels the same. its like im not getting the response i am expecting when i hit the brakes a bit harder to stop quicker.

[Thamm]

Could be air in the line. Bleed it and check.

[danielsan]

Could be air in the line. Bleed it and check.

im just going to get a self bleeder and replace all the brake fluid in the system. i know its not air as the brake pedal does not sink at anytime.

i have dent just like yours, though not as bad.

[Andrew28]

i dont know for sure but im thinking yes. i know mine are definately spongy as some would put it. i dont know your plans for the car but a z32 brake swap i hear can do wonders i dont know from experience yet, i just need the calipers and the brake booster and then im ready to do my swap.

[Crazyirish]

I found the stock brakes in my old 92 to be pretty crappy, especially under hard braking. (In fact they are part of the reason I have no 240 at the moment) Look into a q45 brake swap. Easier than the z32 and supposedly just as effective.

[98s14inaz]

IMHO the s13/s14 oem brakes are crap.

I lost my kouki because they locked immediately...keep in mind that I had good pads, good aftermarket rotors, and azeni's tires.

On my second s14 I put r33 front calipers...absolutely loved them. I had so much control and they never locked or faded. (car was abs but the car stopped when I needed it to stop.

On my current s14 I installed the q45's because I am on a budget. These feel great as well. Not as baller as my r33's but I like them.

What I am trying to say is any upgrade over the oem stuff (ie bigger calipers and rotors) is a good thing. Just make sure you use good pads and tires otherwise you aren't doing yourself any favors.

[BMAR240SX]

Yikes you guys are scaring me, i haven't experinced non of this cause i haven't gone all out on my 240 well i might find out this friday its auto x time

[95lstegman]

caution on the Q45 fronts. yes, much cheaper, and yes, very effective (same rotor size as Z32, 11"), but the pistons have more combined area than stock, so your brake bias will go to heck. i heard someone say it's ~78% front bias, but i didn't see the calc's myself so i'm just offering it up. follow it up with an aftermarket master + proportioning valve or better rear brakes and you'll be golden. FYI, S14 rear calipers add quite a bit of area to the rear pistons, and help a lot in removing front bias. plus, they bolt up, use the same pads and the same rotors .