[Pocket_Rocket]

Originally Posted by TROLL

something a lot of people dont realize... can you activate your ABS on dry pavement? try it... if you can activate your ABS (or lock up the wheels if you dont have ABS) then your brakes are not the first thing to look at, your tires are. when you lock up your wheels or activate ABS whats basically happening there is your brakes overpowering the grip levels of your tires... its your tires not being able to keep up... they are the weak link in the system at that point.
it may or may not apply to you but just something that i wanted to explain since a lot of people dont realize that.
now on to your question directly...

not stopping at a light... its unlikely that your brakes are to blame there.

i would look at the amount of attention that the driver of the car was giving to the road and the traffic light first honestly.
if that isnt a problem, then the next most likely culprit of poor stopping distance would be your tires since they will lose traction much sooner than your brakes will lose their clamping force (unless you are doing heavy racing and heating them up a lot, causing brake fade).

for street driving, there's really nothing that your stock setup cant do... except save the driver from dangerous or negligent driving. the brakes will be able to slow the vehicle down fine, much better than your tires will have traction to slow the car down. basically, if you can activate your ABS then your brakes are overpowering your tires grip. if you need to reduce stopping distance, stickier tires may be a good solution. all in all though for street driving you really shouldn't NEED any upgrades.

but if you do want to upgrade and/or prepare for the track, you can also keep it quite simple... here's what i'd recommend in the order of importance...

1) pads: ferodo ds2500 are a great crossover street/autox pad and should work fine for light track use as well. also carbotech bobcat and hawk hps are good street pad options. these will make a huge impact on pedal feel and can directly improve your cars stopping performance at normal and hot temperatures.
2) stainless steel lines and upgraded brake fluid: do these together... goodridge makes lines and ate superblue or ate typ200 are the fluid i use. it wont improve your braking distance, but rather pedal feel when braking hard for better brake modulation.
3) tires: these are probably as or more important than the other upgrades to improve braking but they are more expensive. a summer tire is a must for performance driving and will have a huge affect on your cars performance all around
4)....
5)....
6)....
7) rotors: i am listing this so far down because its not important. rotors rarely make any performance difference at all. they are generally just for replacing worn rotors or for looking pretty. serious racers use generic rotors because they realize that spending more money here is pointless.
8) big brake upgrade: if all else fails maybe you do need a big brake upgrade, but dont even go here until you try all the rest. when you NEED this upgrade you'll know it, and you'll know why you need it. if you dont know why now, then you're not ready for it.

just my opinion and i'm sure others will think differently but hope that helps...

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