Ok lets start off with say, yes I know the xB is a eono car. Yes i know that the xB does not have a racing plateform... Yes it has a underpowered motor....blah blah blah


OK with that out of the way...

The story begins lastnight, a couple of my buddies (3 foci and 1 acura and my lunch-box) decided to do a joplin run (if you live in the manassas/ woodbridge area, you do or need to know about joplin road.... aka 619. 15 miles of some of the craziest switchbacks, camelhumps, etc.) So basicly you have all 5 of us just balls to the wall.... w/ 2 foci up front, my lunchbox in the middle and the rest behind me... we went for it. Surprising enough, i was keeping up! 35mph turns at 70, shacanes at 105mph, it was sick. (regaurdless if my friend can or cannot drive thats not the point here)

I guess what i'm getting at is in trying to keep up in an underpowered car such as the box, you make up alot of time in braking, you just need to brake late and brake hard... with me weighing 2400lbs it's easy to do. But as i'm about 5 miles into it, trying to slow from 100+mph to 30 for a corner, i press the brake, i feel the ABS given a little feedback, then somewhere around 55mph, the brakes just give.... here i am pushing so hard i'm flexing my seat, but the car just wont slow... I had a dangerous amount of brake fade, but not only that, when they fade, its in a matter of a second, from all brakes to nothing!!

So i guess what i want to ask is.... is there any upgrade brake kits out there? Any good pads that resist fading? Tomarrow i'm going to call up my old work and ask to see if Carbon Metalic makes a pad, but i was wondering if anyone else had done any upgrades and know if anything work best? I'm using my stock 15s so i need to be able to fit into those, so i guess thats on limitation.

Given that you have the stock 15's, I think you are stuck with your current caliper configuration. You could go with the larger brake upgrade kits out there, but you'd need a 16 or 17 inch wheel.

As far as I know there aren't any aftermarket pads available in the US. I've seen a few JDM aftermarket pads, but I have no idea if they are any good.

You could try vented rotors. Those should help expel gasses/heat a tad bit more quickly. I think most of the sponsors on this site have vented rotors for sale.

Basic upgrades:

C-One Braided Brake Lines: www.slstore.com
C-One Brake Rotors Set: www.slstore.com
2 picks of C-One Brake Pads: www.slstore.com
* Satisfied Pro Tech Shoes: www.tirerack.com
* EBC Sport Grooved Rotors: www.tirerack.com

* These parts are listed for a 2004 Echo. If the xA & xB share the same brakes then these parts should work.

Big Upgrades:

Rotora Front Big Brake Upgrade: www.slstore.com
Wilwood Front Big Brake Upgrade: www.slstore.com

Here you go:
http://www.brakesrus.com/

They have EBC GreenStuff pads for the xB. These are great pads. I had a set on my ZX3. Compared to stock and Mintex A/F pads, the EBC's had greater initial bite, less fade, and much less brake dust. These are great pads for a street car that sees ocassional competition.

Moto-

You boiled the brake fluid. I believe that standard Toyota brake fluid is rated at DOT 3 which has a boiling point of 401degrees farenheit. A switch to DOT 4 will raise the boiling point to 446 degrees. Super DOT 4 will get you to a 500 degree boiling points and DOT 5.1 will get you over 500 degrees. Don't confuse this with DOT 5 which is silicone based and has its own rules. Twenty years ago the DOT 5 was the trick for VW GTI's when we were boiling the fluid regularly on slalom courses. There are other issues with DOT 5 Silicone which don't make it your best choice anymore.

As you should bleed out your fluid after boiling ( the corrosion inhibitors are fried ) you should check around your favorite supply shop and have them hook you up with some DOT 5.1. Do a good purge on your fluid ( flush with the new, don't air or alcohol purge) and plan on doing it often if you insist on making the rotors glow red.

I dont think i boiled the fluid... normally when you boil the fluid, the pedal becomes spungie.. Naw this was firm...very firm! So the pads just over heated... makes sense too. Most everyday pads need a VERY strong initial cold bite, so they work first time, everytime. But autocross pads and racing pads, work best when are "up to temp" (well depending on which pads you get) I'm looking for an autoX pad just because they have good cold bite, but still keep that bite well into the temps.

I called up Performance Friction today, they have me the universal front xB brake code of "D990" (same as 2002 Echo) So come tomorrow i will start calling around so cost and avalibility of these items.... i will post my findings just incase someone else might wunna upgrade from the stock brakes.

Moto-

I defer to the first rule of emergency services; don’t second guess the officer who’s “on scene”. You’re there, I’m not. But now that all is said and done, you can do some detective work. Firm pedal throughout? I’m only into week six on planet Scion-Toyota after over twenty orbiting VW so I don’t know if the proportioning valve would act as a check. Are the pads glazed? Delaminated? Are the rotors still true or warped? Is there a hint of tempering rainbow? Sniff the brake fluid bled from the calipers – old socks? Without opening a CSI lab try a few drops on a white coffee filter and see if different colored rings form after an hour. New and clean will all be the same color.

Virtually all cars would benefit from larger brakes if one plans on doing more than commuting and parallel parking. We’ll have to read up on what size rotor/caliper combo one can shoe-horn onto the XB.