Lately whenever I accelerate hard the little BRAKE light comes on. I don't go around ___ dragging and yanking my ebrake all the time, so i don't think i could have broken it or anything. Anybody else have this problem or know what the deal is? It only happens at like more than 3/4 throttle.




and also

Can anyone suggest a tire with better grip and longer life than the stock yokohoma's? I'm gonna guess thats not possible but I'm still hoping.

 

There are a ton of better tires out there.... Check the wheel and tire section for lots of options...

I upgraded to bigger and run awesome performance tires.... BF Goodrich G-Force KDW NT's

The brake light is easily covered under warranty... your dealer should be able to replace your switch, as that's probably the cause....

 

you might be due do a brake job..your fluid is probably running low enough to the point where it can slosh around and trip the sensor. happened in my corolla.. how many miles are on the car?

 

Time for new brake pads. When the pads get close to being worn out the fluid level will get lower in the brake fluid resevoir. When you install new brake pads you will compress the caliper piston which will push the fluid back into the resevoir and the light will tun off. Do not try to get around it by adding fluid...the light is supposed to come on when your pads are low.

 

I'm at 15k miles. I don't think the pads would be worn out that quick. I drive fairly hard (aka my fronts are almost slicks after 15k) but I wold think pads would last longer. Should i just get the dealer to check it?

 

I talk to people about brake pads all day long and it is not unheard of to wear out your pads in 15000 miles. Heres a pic of the stock pads vs the pads in our big brake kits:



Im not saying that your pads are worn out, but if you are getting fluid sloshing in your resevoir which is triggering the light to come on, that means that the pads are getting worn and there is more fluid in the calipers to take the place of the worn off brake pads. Since the light is only coming on under certian conditions is means you have some time left before it comes on solid.

Changing your barke pads is very easy and can be done at home with simple tools. The only specialty tool you might need is a C-Clamp to compress the cylinder. Good performance street pads for the tC are avialable for under $50 which is way less than what the dealer will charge you for the low performance OEM pads.

 

Will aftermarket pads last longer than the OEM's and where can i find them? Like Autozone or something?

and not to to sound too helpless about changing my pads but is there a how-to someplace?

 

Pad wear is completely dependant upon the driver, but a performance pads will usually have a shorter life than an OEM pad. As far as where to get pads from, autozone wont sell any true performance pads but they will usually offer something like Raybestos at a high price. We (StopTech)are not a site sponsor so I cant tell you pricing, but we do sell direct replacement high performance pads for the tC for much less than the OEM pads directly through our website.

 

That's what I'd do, but I'm 17 with no credit card. I kind of have to get these fixed before the parents find out. They'd get ____ed because I was driving it "bad" as in aggressivley. I don't go 120 through the middle of town I just like enjoying my car on safe back roads. They won't understand that though. Thanks for your help. I guess I'll just have to see what the dealer will do or get some cheapos and install them myself.

 

dealer brake job is expensive.

 

^ yup do them yourself......

 

be sure to check your brake fluids.

 

like we said, more often than not, if the brake fluid is low, it's for a reason--brakes need attention.