'95 Suburban Brake Problems...

anbran · May 3, 2009

So what is it sbout the 1995 Suburbans brakes?! They say they are crap! (I believe it!)

What is it specifically that is the problem??? Master cylinder? Calipers?, Prop valve in ABS? Wheel cylinders? Rotors and drums? Pads and Shoes?

Surely when it was new, it could stop!!!

bronyaur · May 3, 2009

I have a '95 Suburban K1500 that I bought new and it currently has 120,000 miles on it (it's the wife's car). The only problem I've had with the brakes is that the rotors warp. I torque the lug nuts and have tried various pad materials but the result is always the same. Other than that I haven't had any problems with the brakes. I've also got a lot of boat towing miles on it and have never had a problem braking when towing, either.

DBVille · May 3, 2009

I believe the problem is several. First, the brakes are undersized, in regards to brake fade, and hence the rotor "warping" problem. See the link below.

Second, the lousy feel is because GM had/was afraid of problems with the back wheels locking under sudden application of the brakes. Their solution to idiot drivers was to dampen the response of the system and the brake application, as well as limit rear braking upon application.

I have heard that the brake booster is slow to respond, dampening response. Try it your self - get going 10 mph, and SLAM on the brakes. It will lurch, but takes a half-second or so, and your foot puuuussshheesssss to the floor, it won't drop to the floor. The brakes will stop the vehicle, but this sluggish response kills the "feel" and your confidence.

This link talks about brake "warping", and I believe it is correct. However, whether it is brake warping, or pad build up, it still comes from excess heat buildup in the rotors - caused by undersized or undercooled rotors and calipers. Now, if you raced a Suburban, or run it down a mountain road at speed, I would expect you can overheat any of the newest trucks. But, IMO, the early years, especially for Suburbans, which weighed more, just couldn't handle the heat, so to speak.

http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp_warped_brakedisk.shtml

Referencing my response in your other thread - you would have to go through the whole damned system to fix it, and have to KNOW what you are doing to do so. This is and engineered system, not one to go through arbitrarily "upgrading" parts. Use quality pads, and drive within the limits of the truck, you can make them last. After figuring out the issues, I could easily get rotors to last 40,000 miles driven correctly, or could "warp" them in 5,000.

Note that these problems indicate it would work fairly well in a towing application - no sudden application of brakes, and particular care to not overheat the brakes.