These SS Brakes SUCK!
 

Good afternoon,

I apologize if this is the wrong forum but I really wanted to vent and talk about the brakes on my 09 Cobalt SS. The car feels like it doesn’t stop at all! I had the dealer (a friend at the dealer did the work so I know it was done) flush the braking system and even replaced the braking proportioning valve which was listed as a bulletin on GMs internal message boards or whatever it’s called. He said the pads and rotors were OEM and still good. I bought the car used with 27,xxx miles on the car. I just hit 40k. I would think with the Brembo dual piston calipers it would stop much better than my previous car. Right now the brakes, rims, and suspension are all OEM. The tires I just replaced with Michelin Pilot Super Sports which are supposed to be an awesome tire. If I am on the highway staying with traffic, roughly 80 mph or higher and have to hit the brakes hard case some idiot can't drive the car wobbles back and forth.

For reference my previous car was a 2002.5 VW GTI 1.8T. I had the front and rear brakes upgraded to the Audi TT 225 horsepower model. I believe they were 12.1 vented up front single piston and 10.3 vented single piston in the rear. I had Brembo racing brake fluid and stainless steel lines all around. I was using the Hawk HPS pads and Brembo solid rotors all around as well. But I also had over 300whp and the GTI just seemed to handle and brake much better. I had the Shine Racing suspension kit with upgraded mounts, springs and struts but no RSB. I know I had a ton of work done to the GTI but the 4th gen GTI was one of the worst handing cars they ever made and the Cobalt is supposed to be one of the fastest, best handling and braking FWD cars made.

Please let me know what you think... Is it time to get the Hawk HPS Pads, Brembo Rotors, SS Lines, etc. for the Cobalt?

Thank you,

David

The stock pads are much better than hps pads. Ask me how I know. Stock front pads are ferrodo 1000s, good pads. Maybe the brakes are glazed over? Something has to be wrong, mine stops on a dime, these things brake pretty good. What tires are you running?

Are you sure you don't have a suspension problem?

On the Cobalt? Michelin Pilot Super Sports 225/40/18s on the stock rims. PSI is set to whatever is on the door, I think 33PSI. These are the new tires that replaced the old Pilot Sports. They are supposed to be awesome!

Really, the OEM pads are better than the Hawks HPS? Interesting... I did know they were Ferrodos.

Are you sure that the pads are actually the original Ferodo HP1000? This car brakes extremely well. I run it on track hard, and never once has it given me a problem on the street.

FYI - It's a four piston brake caliper. Not two.

I've got the same tires and mine are just fine. So are my stock brakes.

Do as he saids and check the brakes this will cause your car to do that is your esc light on?

That's what I am thinking. But while the car was in for the other stuff my friend at the dealer checked everything over, tightened everything and said it was all good...

my car stops great too... the only time i hate the brakes is the initial pump when it's raining out... until the surface water evaporates the brakes seem weak for a second.

I think all brembos have that problem in the rain first couple times is scary after that you just become use to it

The calipers are 4 pistons each up front?! I thought they were 2. As you can tell, I am still learning about these cars. Ive done nothing but read about MK4 VW GTIs the last 9 years...

Yup I road race my car and the stock brakes are great I have ss lines and wilwood 570 fluid and it helped alot

Lube the caliper pins.

^^^ Ignore that post.

Good idea.

:lol:

Stock brakes are amazing...and if you pony up for the floaters that Powell sells you really don't have much to worry about unless you want a full on racing pad.

I would verify what pads you have OP and go from there. Probably wouldn't be a bad idea to flush your fluid too

He said they did a flush. My guess is you don't have the stock pads anymore and they were replaced with cheap ones. The car wobbling though sounds like a different issue that's probably only making it worse.

No pads beat the stock Ferrodo's up front. The caliper slide pin issue is on the rear. They tend to hang up and drag the inside pad if not lubed once in a while.

One issue is the front Brembo pins corrode into place in salty winter climates, be it road salt or whatever. Tap the pins out of the fronts and put some anti-seize on the retainers. Mine siezed in there after 2 winters and had to pound & drill them out. Pins came out in pieces and had to be replaced.

While the first stop in the rain sux, most unshielded rotors suffer the same fate. Only complaint I ever had on the Brembo's was severe fade from 150 mph on a hard stop. Just couldn't get rid of the heat.

I agree with the posts that you may have replacement pads in there and possibly a warped rotor.

I ran the Hawk HPS pads for a while and they were a definite downgrade. Track pads may resist fade better, but cold stopping would suffer on a DD.

haha how much are those again steddy? i think im too poor to even ask john lol

this

Well my Hawk HPS pads cam in the mail today... tomorrow installed. I'll have a review on stopping power and difference :D buts it's all opinionated obviously.

haha hope your not gonna drive on the track with em lol

only problem i have is my brake light hangs sometimes ...... if i tap my brakes i can look in the mirror and see my brake lights still on when i let up on the brake . but it dont happen all the time . and i can pull up on my brake peddle and the lights will shut off . besides that stops on a dime .. the wobbles sounds like what my car would do when the control arm bushing were shot . fixed them with some moog's and that problem stoped ..... im at 155k 05 sedan and wifes 06 coupe is 135k

haha wtf does that have to do with his brake problems lol he has a ss/tc and has no problems with the brake lights lol