Overheating Brakes

[ELM'sLX+CHL'sDX]

Hi Guys:

Yesterday, I overheated my brakes going down a steep hill. Got to a stop and it was smooking from the wheel wells. Is there a way of preventing this? I know that I have a problem with my brake booster but I doubt this could be the cause. One thing I would like to find out is if the rear brakes are working properly. I'm wondering if the front brakes are overworking.

Also, I do have aftermarket brake elements. Are the Honda elements far superior to the aftermarket parts?

Thanks,
Claude

[AZmike]

Your booster should have nothing to do with this. Use the engine to control your speed on long downhills. Shift to a lower gear and let off the gas.

I've heard good things about Honda's pads. AEM and EBC (think that's the name) are also frequently recommended.

Your front brakes do 70-80% of your stopping. If you're concerned about the rears take the drum off and take a look at them.

[smufguy]

the smoke from the brakes is normal if u dont have a slotted or crossdrilled. esp in cold climates its pretty much noticable. check to see if ur front disks are within tollerant thickness. aftermarket stuff usually lasts longer than OEM considering they are built for tougher driving, but ppl use them for normal driving. anyways, hope that ehlps.

[Jims 86LXI HB]

Hey, I had slotted/dimpled brembo's and EBC Greenstuff brake pads, even those would smoke when you really pushed things. Of course that was after 35 miles of strut testing on curvey mountain foothill roads, with several stops from over 100mph. You could smell them more than they smoked. And I'm sure their thresh hold before they started to smoke was much higher, but thier not smoke proof, least not under my right foot.:D

[ELM'sLX+CHL'sDX]

Hi Guys:

Thanks much for the input. I did notice a loss in braking performance when I saw the brakes smoke. I did smell them long before I saw them smoke. Is this normal? Would you guys recommend stopping to let them cool off before getting back on the road?

Thanks,
Claude

[anchovies]

Down mountain hills, it's quite normal, but you should've used lower gear to help the brakes if you didn't.

[AccordEpicenter]

Ive had aftermarket junk brakes on my accord, and they heated up and faded very badly. Granted, any pads/rotors will heat up like a mofo if you keep braking from 100+ mph. Honda pads or the new AEM pads are good choices, and honda rotors arent a bad idea either, but they are expensive (like $65+ each!), but last longer and resist warping, but any decent quality rotor will do, but good pads are a must. Also make sure you still have good back drums and shoes, when I did mine 2 mos ago, i had a seized wheel cylinder and bad shoes, and my car only has 110000 miles, go figure. Changing your fluid helps too, gets the moisture out of the system so it fades less.