Ever since I got Nix back on the road from her front suspension refurb last year, we, she and I, have been tearing up the local asphalt to the extent possible.

This was hampered only by a 20 mile detour through small town neighborhoods, which lasted for 2 months while CalTrans replaced a 100 year old bridge which hasn't seen water in at least 5 years.

After that main arterial was open again, Nix and I were among the first to be On The Road!
As I had been driving Trucklet exclusively for 2 months with his very nice ABS, I knew there would be some re-acquainting, how she rides (like a cloud) how she handles (crisp and confident), how she corners (on rails), how she stops (can lock all 4 in a straight line), so I Didn't expect the *Brake Fade* during extended city driving! It was a little like stepping on a plum! If I put her in neutral before each red light I could get her stopped in time.

Oh, This simply won't do!

I knew I had saved one of Doug's posts regarding what brakes he likes on his V12 daily driver, I found it and ordered the front pads he recommended.





Rear pads also semi metallic, but a different brand, Wagner.


Now that our domestic pump crisis is resolved, I got fronts changed in a couple hours altogether including finding all the toys, er, tools and jacking her up.

I learned a little trick over in the Xjs section, crack the bleeder just a bit (being careful not to suck air into the system) to relieve pressure and allow the pads to come away from the rotor enough to get a pry bar in and shove the pucks fully back. Worked a treat!

I didn't like the look of the old pads one bit! They were still thick enough alright, but all trailing edges showed melted slag! Hopefully you can see in these photos.



I've never seen that before and I don't think it's supposed to be like that.

New pads all done.


I didn't fool with jack stands this time, I don't have any low enough anyway, so I just put some timbers under the cross member. Worked fine as I didn't need to get Under the car.


Rear will be a very different story I know, but I don't intend to hurry. As I'll be working alone, I plan to go slow, take my time, read the Blue Book, probably only do one side at a time. I didn't do those last time, husband did, so as I've never had my hands in there, it will be an Adventure!

Then a complete fluid flush (although, in this drought there will be no water in the system), she should be ready to go (and STOP) for another 5 years at Least!
(';')

 

Good work !

Replacing the rear pads won't be particularly adventurous. It's the same procedure. It's just that you do it laying down, that's all . Bring everything you'll need with you when you crawl under and put it within easy reach. You'll have 'em done in no time !

Interesting about your brake pads and the melted slag. What this slag really is, and how this occurred deserves some thought. I'm thinking (first cuppa coffee disclosure applies here) that it's the glue from the pads. But why ?

Some very aggressive driving might have created enough heat to melt the glue, especially if the pads were brand-x. Or if there was a problem with the brakes dragging a lot of heat could build up. This could cause the fluid to boil, especially if the fluid was older or degraded in any way, and give you you soft pedal.

Cheers
DD

 

I am inclined to go with Doug/ Brand x pads. Soft. quite. Not long lived and almost certainly not up to LNRB type sirited driving,

The fade in my experince relates to glazed pads. too slick. Jst side, not grip. i swapped out the pads in my XJ/ No slag. but glazed.

Way bck in my early days, my cars ith drum brakes were mostly lousy at stopping. New shoes heped

One time in malibu i was drivng a company comet. wow, super brake fade!!11 Pued over at a turn out to let them coool. In drums, they expand and the shoes do not bite !!!! Panic!! A reason that disc are better...

Carld

 

On a heavy car like a Series II or III Jaguar or an XJS, driven fast through a series of bends doing ones best to be fast with acceleration and braking before each corner, particularly downhill ones, even with top notch brakes discs and pads, fade can come quite quickly. Just ask the guys racing these cars in the UK. I have EBC slotted discs and Red Stuff pads, and the above conditions started them fading.
Anything to confess LnR??

 

Um, nothing you lot don't already know. I drive hard and I drive fast. I don't drive Anything like it's made of glass and I'm addicted to cornering Gs. Brakes are a last resort to keep from tail-ending the guy in front who didn't get out of my way in time.

We have very few hills in the valley and we don't go the foothills much anymore since I resigned our Jag Club membership.

I seldom brake in a corner, especially one I know, unless absolutely necessary (if, for example, a cow jumps out in front of me); I prefer deceleration beforehand if I need to slow at all and go through at full power (I find Power is easier to control than braking). In fact, in my misspent youth, I frequently reached down to pull the wire off the stop light switch so that those behind me didn't know to brake at this part of the turn until it was almost too late. (On a strange curvy road, don't we all, while following a local, watch to see where they brake and follow them through the line?) But I've outgrown that foolishness.

I heard an interview of a race driver once, well known at the time, his name escapes me atm, who said the secret to going fast was to turn as little as possible. Therefore, I enter a curve high and exit high, and have in sight just where I want to touch the apex, making it as straight as possible (the S-curves are a Lot of fun doing this). If it's a curve I know, I can be consistent within a couple feet of each of these points at any given time, challenging myself t see how quick I can be today.... Especially, if it's just me and half a tank of gas. (Many people don't understand how handling and performance are effected by a passenger, or even an extra 10 gallons of gas)

My brakes do get a workout in city driving though (As I mentioned above, she locks up all 4 in a straight line, IF they're not hot!), but I'm Much more conservative in city! There are so many Idiots/square mile on the streets, most of them angry to some degree, many of them not really drivers but steerers only, having little idea where they are in space and time. I always expect someone will do something stupid right in front of me and I'm not often disappointed. Hence the workout my brakes get in town driving.

I'm certainly hoping these pads will be up to the task. If they aren't, as I mentioned to husband this morning, next it's drilled rotors, RED calipers and ceramic pads.

He was not amused.
(';')

 

No, you haven't LnR! You are just pretending.

 

DRAT!!
BUSTED AGAIN!