Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Brakes brake overheating

Well, I upgraded my brakes for the specific purpose of making them safer for driving in the mountains. I used KVR cross-drilled rotors, thinking the drillings might help them keep a bit cooler, and I used the carbon-fiber pads (which grip harder as they get hotter), and two weeks ago I flushed the system out with SynPower dot-4 fluid. Then, this last week, I took it on a trip to the eastern Sierras. This involved crossing Tioga Pass, which has a long steep downgrade on the eastern side.

I hit the Overdrive Off button and went down the hill at an average speed of maybe 65, with not too much use of the brakes. But after about one minute, I suddenly got stuck behind a slow trailer and had to go about 40. I should probably have shifted to 2nd at that time, and maybe I would have in a minute or two... but within another 60 seconds, my brakes boiled and I had to pull over.

I was pretty disappointed. All that work, and they boiled in two minutes! Thank goodness for the carbon fiber pads, which still had enough grip to stop pretty quickly at the next turnout.

On the way back, I went down Old Priest Grade, which is quite steep and windy. Second gear most of the way, with a few stretches done in first. The brakes were just coming to a light simmer when I reached the bottom.

This is frustrating. My last two cars were five speed import compacts, and neither of them ever had a brake overheating incident even once, even though I never changed the fluid in them. But this car has scared me before with brake boilover, just like the old Rambler that was my first car. I'm beginning to think I can't trust any vehicle with automatic transmission in the mountains.

Also, I noticed that an engine that feels zippy enough in the city sure can feel underpowered up on the high roads.

You need bigger rotors.