Easy to lock front brakes

[adfox]

I was driving our NA6 today and I am still learning how it behaves. I found it was pretty east to lock the drivers front wheel with what seemed like just moderate braking. Is this normal for these cars or should I be checking for seized caliper slides on the other wheels? Any suggestions appreciated.

[kitkat]

im also with Steve, maybe you should consider some new tyres... you can have the greatest brakes in the world but it aint gonna matter if your tyres cant grip...

though if they do lock up, dont both wheels lock up together??? maybe you need to bleed the brakes???

and if it was siezed caliper slides i would assume that it would pull to one way when you brake...

[Adam_NAclubman]

Better tyres will help but you'll still lock em up if you jump on the brakes hard. Thin soled shoes help a bit, get very used to lifting your foot off as it locks up

[adfox]

Thanks for all the replies. The tyres are potenzas(721?) with a heap of tread on them, but they may have gone hard. I'll have a good look at them today. It locked the right wheel only and I think it has done this to me a few times. It did snap awfully sideways on me too last week with little warning so maybe I should be looking at the tyres. We bought the car last christmas, an '89 with only 72,000km on it, it wasn't dríven much so the tyres could be years old I guess and still have heaps of tread left.

[adfox]

Checked the tyres today, they are Potenza RE711's, see here http://www.bridgestone.com.au/tyres/pro ... /re711.asp
They seem to be in pretty good condition, I don't think they have \"gone off\" yet.

[adfox]

I'm no expert but the tyres seem pretty good to me. I've replaced tyres on my skyline before because they had gone hard so have some idea what to look for. I guess I was sus on the brakes because I have read that the slider pins commonly stick on these models if the car is not used regularly. I will do some more investigating. Maybe I'm just not used to the brakes yet! Thanks for all the help.

[StanTheMan]

check thier date of manufacture
it will be on the side wall
if they are over 3yo....I'd be repalcing them

[adfox]

Ok the tyres could well be the problem as you all suggested. Turns out they are over 6 years old! They are in good shape for their age but I suspect grip levels will be well down at 6 years of age. Surprisingly there is no cracking or crazing whatsoever, and they still feel reasonably \"rubbery\". Guess they will need to be replaced soon.

[sirbob]

Try bleeding the brakes/flush the full ystem. If you have more moisture in one line than the other, or more air, or whatever, then you will get unbalanced braking.

My NB has the same issue with the front left, but i think its due to new pads front, old rears thanks to the previous owner. Either way i suspect that when i change the pads and flush the fluid my problems will be solved.

[Juffa]

I guess I was sus on the brakes because I have read that the slider pins commonly stick on these models if the car is not used regularly.

The sticking slider pins tends to be on the rear brakes. Even if replacing the tyres resolves your issues I would be performing preventative maintenance, including greasing the slider pins.

Just my 2.2 cents worth (including GST)

J

[adfox]

No it's an Australian car. Roughly number 400 off the production line apparently. I think I may have some trouble convincing the other driver and owner that we need new tyres when they have so much tread left. He isn't as \"spirited\" with his cornering as I can be

[MVZOOM]

I had this issue for a while, through a couple of sets of tyres (A539's). I'd always lock the RH front while braking - even when I wasn't being agressive.

The advice above seems logical, ie.. brakes overwelming the tyres, however in my case the only thing that fixed it was:

- Replace and bleed brake fluid
- Pad change to Bendix Ultimates

This really helped, but when I replaced the rotors to new units, it fixed it completely. I can now pretty much stand on the brakes and the thing stops.

So maybe do some maintenance on them and see how that goes. As mentioned above, it's always a good idea to keep them maintained!

Cheers - Mike

[adfox]

Interesting, thanks for that info. Brakes are probably due for a flush actually, might do that soon.

[slammer]

ad,

Had the same problem even with sticky DO1's the best cure is a brake bias valve kit around $175 from RAce Brakes then you can adjust the balance F to R. The NA6A's have much more front bias than later models
My 2c