alright, my breaks still have the pulsating feel to them, but here's some more news on everything. the pulsation started once i put my new rims and tires on... 18x7.5 rims and 225/40/18 nitto nt555 tires. so the first thing i checked was the rotors... they were slightly warped, and i had them turned. still had a pulsation. so then i went out and bought some new rotors... I ordered EBC slotted and dimple drilled rotors with hawk hps pads. after they were put on, i still had a pulsation. so today i go and get my wheels rebalanced. they said the wheels were out of balance pretty good so i though "sweet, my brakes are finally going to feel right." well, i was wrong... i had the new rotors checked out and they aren't warped. So does anybody have a damn clue as to what might be wrong? i'm running out of ideas.

 

brake pads probably need a re-seat or the saddle bolts that hold your calipers in could be hand tight.

 

what do you mean by hand tight? like they need to be tightened more? i'll have to look into that... i also thought about putting my stockers back on and seeing if maybe the problem just follows the rims. i just haven't had a chance to do that. the problem isn't severe, it can just be irritating after awhile.

 

Well I just put my new rotors and pads on myself and I have no problems at all...Thing is before I put them on I took off all the rust and **** that gets built up over time between and around your studs (i think its called the hub).

Its been a week now and everything had been working great



These are StopTech Rotors and Hawk HPS Pads (pic of everything put on)

 

Can you feel the pulsating in the brake pedal.If not it cant be your rotors.

Re read through your post and now think that the problem you refer to it actually a tire problem.
The tires dont go out of balance that easy unless they aer moving on the rim,
Do a launch and the tires actually spin on the rims and when you stop they move as well.

You seem to be out of ideas so Iam throwing this one out there.
Mark the tires and the rims to see if the marks remain lined up.


Heres another one .
Does the center of your new rims fit nice and snug on the hub center or is there space between the center of the rim and the hub.
This should be fairly tight fit to keep the rim centralized and not moving on the studs.

 

Yea something is loose. That much is certain unless you have something warped going on but that is incredibly unlikely since you bought new everything basicly. Also check and see if there is any play with your rotors (take your hand and try to move them). Im throwing out anything I can think of.

To determine if it is your brakes or tire alignment I would push about 80 on the interstate. If there is no vibration until you brake, then its something brake related. My rotors warped all the time and didnt feel it in my brake peddle. I felt it along my steering column and my rattling dash.

 

alright, so i've determined that the problem is actually my drums in the back. when i hit the brakes, i feel the pulsating in the pedal, but not in the steering wheel. i actually feel it like in the seat and everything, so i'm almost positive, like 99%, that it's the rear drums. does anybody know the best place i could buy some new ones? and are they fairly easy to put on? just a question because i don't want to take them anywhere now because i've had bad experiences with a few shops already, and i learn pretty quick. also, what all would be required for me to buy? just the drums? or do i need anything else?

 

You should just be able to have the drums turned but if you feel the need to replace them, that's all you need to replace. Just to be sure, you could lightly pull up on the parking brake while driving to see if there is a pulsation in the drums since the parking brake only activates the rear brakes and the pedal activates all 4 wheels. Just be sure you keep the button pressed so you can release the lever instantly and don't yank it right up. Just pull it up gradually until you feel the pulsation, it should be fairly obvious, then release it.