Wooden Brakes - Normal?

[blavenia]

Hey all. I just purchased a 95 NSX and my brakes have a very "wooden" feel to them. Very little initial bite or feedback. Is this normal in the NSX? Brakes just don't feel very strong or provide much feedback.

What should I look for if this isn't normal?

Thanks.

 

[nsxtasy]

It's not normal. Perhaps the previous owner used some cheap aftermarket pads like you get at the auto parts store, rather than stock pads or high-performance aftermarket pads.

If they get better when they warm up, it's also possible he used a track-only type brake pad, which needs to warm up to become effective.

 

[KGP]

If your comparing to the feel you get while doing something like your avatar shows, then they would probably feel wooden.:tongue: But, in comparison to many other cars, say a vette for example, then no - the NSX brakes should give more feedback and slightly less wooden.

 

[blavenia]

Then something's not right. They don't get any better after they heat up, either. Judging by the tires he has on the car, he goes for long-lasting over high-performance. I'll have to check this out.

Could it have anything to do with air in the lines?

...And hard as I try, I can't get it to match the avatar stoppie! Something must be wrong!

b

 

[Whatwasthat]

Could it have anything to do with air in the lines?

...And hard as I try, I can't get it to match the avatar stoppie! Something must be wrong!

b

Yes, and probably old brake fluid too. A good flushing and bleeding would help.

 

[nsxtasy]

Yes, and probably old brake fluid too. A good flushing and bleeding would help.

Old brake fluid is more of a problem with ineffectiveness when the brakes heat up. Regardless, I agree; replacing it is good advice. Basically, if you don't have any of the maintenance history of the car, then you should be doing ALL of the scheduled maintenance, to make sure it's all up to date. That means all the stuff in the 30K/60K/etc services (fluids, filters, adjust valves, etc), plus the timing belt and water pump that's in the 90K service (or 6 years, whichever comes first, which means it is now five years overdue on a '95 if you don't know if it's ever been done), plus the coolant (normally part of the 45K/75K/etc except that's done along with the water pump replacement), plus the cooling system hoses. If you have proof that any of this has been done recently, you can skip it until you hit the proper interval from that time. Once everything's done, you won't have to worry about scheduled maintenance for quite a while.