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Auf los! · 05-30-2013, 03:29 AM

Some more details:

Brake fluid is topped up. I flushed and changed to ATE Super Blue LAST spring. No brake problem for about 14 months.

I've got at least 1/4" of pad material (on the outboard pads, anyway). Do the inboard pads wear any faster than the outboard? I would think not.

Never seen any kind of brake-related warning light...I believe I have two, right? One light that would warn me of low brake fluid and one for low pad material?

I went from 17" Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus, which were excellent in every way, run from last fall, all winter, until just a few weeks ago. The new 19s are Michelin Pilot Super Sports, which, jeez, should INCREASE my braking power.

It really seems to me that this braking problem did not appear until AFTER I had more than 500 careful miles on the Super Sports, which is nuts!

Being brand-new wheels, with a lot of spokes, I have been cleaning them excessively with a LOT of dilute Simple Green and water. But jeez, I would think any slipperyness from residual Simple Green would be gone after one or two applications of the brakes.

Just before this problem arose, it is true that I did slather Black Magic Tire Wet dressing on the sidewalls, and the design of the Super Sports is such that they have VERY rounded "shoulders," and yeah, I did get some of this stuff on the first inch or so of the outboard shoulders, but...I have driven through a lot of rain since then, and it is hard to believe that the dressing is affecting the contact patch.

I dunno, it's weird. I step on the brakes and it's like nothing happens for a second or two. Then they start to grab. And the grab seems muted, only about half of what I am used to. It's like my pads are "glazed"?

I have to do something about this, though, because I commute on the Merritt Parkway in Connecticut (my own private Nurburgring when I am traveling in the opposite direction of the rush-hour jam), and it is common to go around a curve and suddenly come upon a sea of brakelights from stopped traffic. (This is literally a recurring nightmare I have, ha!) If I am lucky I have 50yds in which to go from 85mph to zero!

05-30-2013, 03:29 AM	#8
Auf los! Registered User Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Wilton, CT Posts: 195	Some more details: Brake fluid is topped up. I flushed and changed to ATE Super Blue LAST spring. No brake problem for about 14 months. I've got at least 1/4" of pad material (on the outboard pads, anyway). Do the inboard pads wear any faster than the outboard? I would think not. Never seen any kind of brake-related warning light...I believe I have two, right? One light that would warn me of low brake fluid and one for low pad material? I went from 17" Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus, which were excellent in every way, run from last fall, all winter, until just a few weeks ago. The new 19s are Michelin Pilot Super Sports, which, jeez, should INCREASE my braking power. It really seems to me that this braking problem did not appear until AFTER I had more than 500 careful miles on the Super Sports, which is nuts! Being brand-new wheels, with a lot of spokes, I have been cleaning them excessively with a LOT of dilute Simple Green and water. But jeez, I would think any slipperyness from residual Simple Green would be gone after one or two applications of the brakes. Just before this problem arose, it is true that I did slather Black Magic Tire Wet dressing on the sidewalls, and the design of the Super Sports is such that they have VERY rounded "shoulders," and yeah, I did get some of this stuff on the first inch or so of the outboard shoulders, but...I have driven through a lot of rain since then, and it is hard to believe that the dressing is affecting the contact patch. I dunno, it's weird. I step on the brakes and it's like nothing happens for a second or two. Then they start to grab. And the grab seems muted, only about half of what I am used to. It's like my pads are "glazed"? I have to do something about this, though, because I commute on the Merritt Parkway in Connecticut (my own private Nurburgring when I am traveling in the opposite direction of the rush-hour jam), and it is common to go around a curve and suddenly come upon a sea of brakelights from stopped traffic. (This is literally a recurring nightmare I have, ha!) If I am lucky I have 50yds in which to go from 85mph to zero!