Strange brake feeling in my Accord

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Car is a 2015 Honda Accord Sport. The brakes on this thing are the best I've ever used in any car before (coming from someone who has driven nothing but G-bodies, minivans and econoboxes for the last 30 years). Pedal is high and firm, with lots of feel, and It'll stop hard and straight without any drama. They are one of the things I love about this car.

But they are also one of the things I hate about this car. I've noticed in the last few months that when at a slower rate of speed, like when applying the brakes somewhat lightly to eventually come to a stop at a light or whatever, the brakes make the car 'chug' noticeably. The only way I can describe how it feels is like half the rotors' surfaces are less grabby than the other half. It's definitely in time with wheel rotation. But the strange thing is that you feel it in your body and NOT through the pedal like you would if the rotors were warped or had pad buildup. The brakes feel nice and smooth through the pedal but the car does not come to a smooth stop. It's not bad enough to see from watching it from the outside, it is all felt through your butt in the seat.

So what could cause this? Did I overheat them somehow creating hard spots that are less grabby or something? Did I get them hot then get them wet? I've never felt this before and it drives me nuts every time I come to stop.

The car has only 25k miles on it. The rotors are nice and smooth and pads have plenty of meat on them. It's still under warranty so taking it to the dealer is always an option but I don't want to be charged for diagnosing wear items like brakes. I've also tried putting it in Neutral to see if it might have something to do with the CVT but that does not appear to change the way it feels while braking. I'm considering replacing the rotors and scuffing the pads a bit and see if that changes/helps/fixes it but them I'm afraid of losing the fantastic brakes this car has otherwise.

Anyone else experience this before?
 
The problem described is most likely an uneven transfer layer between the pads and rotors. Mclasser is right, the thing to try is re-bedding the brakes with the object being getting them dang hot and trying to redistribute the transfer layer evenly across the rotor surface.

When doing this be mindful not to make any complete stops with the rotors and pads so hot, otherwise that will lead to brake pad imprinting on the rotor which is probably what caused the issues in the first place.

In the future when making frequent and/or hard stops in traffic for a stoplight or what not, rather than coming to a complete stop the entire time, which cooks your pad onto you rotor, try creeping slightly and that will help prevent the problem from re-occurring.
 
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re: material transfer: this has to be A RACING ONLY PROPOSITION with certain metallurgy.

My Nissan suffers from horrendous brake shake that make the front end walk off the road at the end of a high speed stop (I have a daily 85-15 mph slow down over 1/4 mile at exit 2 onto rt 97W in Salem).
 
Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
My Nissan suffers from horrendous brake shake that make the front end walk off the road at the end of a high speed stop (I have a daily 85-15 mph slow down over 1/4 mile at exit 2 onto rt 97W in Salem).

I'll say this, after reading your incessant and seemingly never-ending posts about the chronic and ongoing issues you have with ALL your vehicles, I'd never, ever want to buy a car from you.

I mean come on. Assuming the Nissan actually does what you say, then that is a mechanical failure that can be determined and rectified. Why do you persist on driving it like that and feel the need to document your lack of maintenance here on BITOG?

Or are you somehow blaming this issue on the oil which is your usual culprit?
 
Originally Posted By: mehullica
Sounds like the rear rotors have excessive thickness variation.


This is my diagnosis as well, if the car has had no other "incidents" in the 25k miles run. The front rotor warp is felt through the paddle and steering; and the rear rotor warp is felt through the entire car, esp. at high speed.
 
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Originally Posted By: kschachn
Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
My Nissan suffers from horrendous brake shake that make the front end walk off the road at the end of a high speed stop (I have a daily 85-15 mph slow down over 1/4 mile at exit 2 onto rt 97W in Salem).

I'll say this, after reading your incessant and seemingly never-ending posts about the chronic and ongoing issues you have with ALL your vehicles, I'd never, ever want to buy a car from you.

I mean come on. Assuming the Nissan actually does what you say, then that is a mechanical failure that can be determined and rectified. Why do you persist on driving it like that and feel the need to document your lack of maintenance here on BITOG?

Or are you somehow blaming this issue on the oil which is your usual culprit?
Id be happy to oblige by not selling you anything ... Even my vintage audio stuff.

Went to the dealer for remedy, and they would not fix it under warranty. Brake are not worn
I have MORE IMPORTANT stuff to deal with, currently.


THIS IS A COMMON NISSAN COMPLAINT
 
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Sounds like uneven pad transfer or corrosion on the rotors. Most likely on the rear if you are not feeling the steering wheel vibrate when braking at highway speeds.

A light machine of the rear rotors would most likely fix both of those issues.
 
My fusion had some shake with high speed braking. Installed a strut tower reinforcing bar and it was eliminated. I think the towers were flexing inward toward each other from the weight transfer. Slap a steel bar across the tops and they can't do that anymore.

Do you have shake/judder at low speeds as well?
 
In case anyone cares, I replaced the rear pads and rotors about a month ago and it didn't fix the issue. But then I did the fronts yesterday and it solved the problem. Go figure. I'm just glad it feels like a new(er) car again.

Parts used were Centric Premium e-coated rotors and Posi-Quiet Ceramic pads and I'm very happy with the results. The brakes feel subtly different but they still feel great, and the pulsation is gone.

An observation: The new Centric front rotors appeared to be slightly thicker then the OEM Honda parts with more meat but slightly less venting for the same overall width. They even felt a little heavier. And the hats may have been gray phosphate coated but vanes and the rear face sure weren't. Everything was covered with rust. Pretty disappointing for original Honda parts.
 
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