intermittent problem with brakes

[kenzie1987]

hey i recently bought a 2005 corolla t sport and have noticed that sometimes i get a judder through the brake pedal with like a grinding noise. i get it while braking and it also happens when my foots on the brake pedal but im not braking. almost feels like the pads are loose on the carrier and rubbing against disc. anyone ever experience this? looking to upgrade my brakes soon so will replace other parts if needed so to solve this problem. any info will be appreciated

[alan333]

Could be warped discs.  Usually if you can feel it through the brake pedal and the steering wheel it's the fronts, and if you feel it through the brake pedal and the car it's the rears (assuming you have discs on the rear).

The judder should change with road speed, and will be at it's worst when hard braking at high speeds.

[oldcodger]

You don't want to wait until you upgrade "soon", check the brakes out now !  - with a s/hand car you never know whats been messed with.

It could just be warped / worn/ corroded discs as Alan mentions, but also things like, worn out / unevenly worn pads, seized slider pins (common) or caliper problems etc.

You really need to inspect or get them inspected straight away.

Don't forget, modifying things like wheels and brakes ( even though you think they make the car safer) may invalidate your insurance in the event of a crash,  unless your insurer agrees to the changes.

[kenzie1987]

hey thanks for the replies. i'm pretty sure i got a warped disc, when i brake i can feel the car slowing then not so much then slowing again. i was looking at pads but there somuch choice. are mintex any good? want something that wont give me brake fade if i brake hard as my current pads start smoking after a few sessions hard braking on the track. i'll also check calipers,pistons, sliders, carriers etc

[oldcodger]

Think you ought to say exactly how you are using the car, smoking the pads is not normal road use.

Your original question about brake judder, warped discs typically give steering wobble when braking hard from 70mph.

You say the brake pedal is juddering, I wonder if, with the way you are driving,  that it really  the ABS cutting in and the effects of that.

Smoking pads simply means the brakes  are inadequate you your driving style, just using different pads will not cure things,you need a proper brake upgrade, not anything I know about.

 

[Heidfirst]

41 minutes ago, kenzie1987 said:

 i was looking at pads but there somuch choice. are mintex any good? want something that wont give me brake fade if i brake hard as my current pads start smoking after a few sessions hard braking on the track.

Thing is that pads that are good for track use won't be good for road use as they won't get up to temp under normal traffic conditions. If you are going to use it on the track then you should seriously look at a complete upgrade but that should also then be notified to your insurer who may (in this case I think that they would) or may not increase your premium.

[kenzie1987]

i dont really use the car on track often but was hoping there might be good all round pads that might take the odd hard brake. off the track the car only has the odd spirited drive so not looking for a complete upgrade until i use it on track more. 

on the juddering yea i can feel the judder in the whole car from 70 but can also feel it if i brake from 30. i could be rolling about 5mph with my foot on the brake pedal but not pressed and can still feel a judder in the pedal accompanied by what sounds like tha abs but im not even braking and im only rolling. could this possibly be a broken abs ring? thanks for the help guys