[mike2636]

new Frontier, my first , after about 800 miles it has dawned on my that the brakes don't seem to stop as well as other vehicles I have driven. Is this normal? It's prolly gonna be a few years until I need to change pads, but are there upgrades that work better?

Thx,
Mike

 

[shift_RUSH]

Yr and model of your Frontier? Guessing it's a '16, but better to ask first.
Did your other vehicles weigh 4000+ lbs?

There have been more than a few threads about Frontier brakes. Brembo conversion? lol

 

[mike2636]

2016 CC 2wd 4.0. My 96 Silverado has a better feel to the brakes.

 

[Blue Devil]

2016 CC 2wd 4.0. My 96 Silverado has a better feel to the brakes.

Better feel to the brakes? You mean less leg machine workout required if you drive the Frontier, cause you have to use more muscles to get the Frontier to stop? I think the brakes in the Frontier are more progressive. You can press lightly for gradual stops no problem. But in a emergency stop you really have to press hard and it doesn't seem like it wants to lock up or can. Is that what you mean?

 

[mike2636]

I guess that might describe it. My 'normal" pressure does not seem to have the same effect. I hope it is just a "training" issue.

 

[Blue Devil]

You could get more aggressive front pads like EBC yellows. Just a word on caution they can wear out the rotor in 60k or so.

http://www.discountbrakes.com/detai...d_Set/2016/SV/6_Cyl_4-dot-0L/E35DP41747R.html

 

[AndysLog]

ive driven 6 different second gens xterras and frontiers alike.

and i can say 100% that they have all felt like **** except for my buddies 2009 xterrra.

so i recently went to town, bleeding the **** out of my brakes and abs brick and my brakes feel 100% better and as they should or on any other vehicle.
i think our lines are prone to getting air in them.

but that much pedal travel is air in the lines being compressed.

 

[Nissan4Life]

I think the pedal feel is terribly mushy. But they stop fine.

 

[Montagge]

I'm fighting this right now, but I think it's from rusted calipers

 

[Mxmumpwr]

My 2016 CC VQ 4x4 has the same issue. I've already reported this to the dealer. They looked at it, "checked for air bubbles" which I assume means maybe they opened one valve and bled, looking for air.
They said they felt "normal" to the tech.

I've driven my dad's CC 4x4 F150 and the brakes nearly tossed me through the front window first time I drive it.

Absolutely NO reason the Frontier's brakes should be this soft - IMO. Yes, they stop fine, but I believe there is too much pedal travel before they even begin catching, then I feel there is more pressure excerted than should be to stop. For this thing to be rated as capable of towing 7500lbs, no way I'd do so on these brakes!!

But, I will say I've hauled around 800lbs and I felt like the truck stopped just as strong. So Yes, they work but just seem "disconnected" from the pedal. Maybe that's the best way to describe it.

I have wondered......Nissan began producing vehicles some years ago that came with their "new" low end (read cheaper) brakes from assembly. I know they put the cheaper brakes on the Juke, as an example (source straight from Nissan).

I truly wonder if the factory brakes on the Frontier are the cheaper pads!?

I also believe the rotors, especially the rears, are too small - which IMHO also hurts braking in these trucks.

 

[smj999smj]

The factory pads are Hitachi or Sanshin ceramics. Akebono Pro ACT ceramics are a little quieter, but similar in brake feel. I recently put a set of Wagner OEx front pads on my '08 Pathy and they feel a little better, but it's too early to say if they're a big improvement or not. The OEx's are a new line of ceramics that are designed for light trucks, SUVs and CUVs that are supposed to decrease stopping distances and still be quiet and low dust. Both of my R51 Pathys are a bit soft on the brakes. I might look at Hawk LTS pads the next go around.

 

[Mxmumpwr]

I've had great results with Hawk HP pads on other Nissans.

 

[Ninety-9 SE-L]

I'm just going to say it is what it is. Different cars have different feel and it might just take some getting used to. Definitely check for air bubbles and off pad wear if you think something is definitely wrong.

As before, I haven't noticed any problems with my '15, but I know that I can easily kick into ABS mode, especially in the rain, so if you're really looking to make the petal firmer, just beware the Fronty is relatively small and probably isn't going to behave like a full-size truck, you'll probably just lock up easier.

Braking capacity really comes down to the tires and how much traction you have. The Frontiers could probably use some better brakes, especially for towing, but bigger brakes are useless if the tires aren't biting down.

 

[rpcraft]

MY brakes have always been Mooshy feeling and when sitting at a light they actually slowly bleed down (no leaks) I have taken it to the dealer before and they didn't really improve anything. Mine is a 2013 Crew Cub model. 75,000 miles later and it is still the same but the only thing they have never done is completely flush the fluid and bleed the system (mainly because I have never had time to leave my truck there all day so bad on me). I am fairly sure that it's a slight amount of air in my system but it has always stopped sufficiently. I upgraded the front rotors and pads but before too long I am going to get one of the reverse bleeder systems and take care of it myself. The fluid is pretty dark and nasty looking so on top of needing to be flushed I figure I'll be able to get the trapped air out. I just need to research a little on how to bleed with the ABS system...

 

[AndysLog]

You are supposed to disconnect the abs electronics before you bleed. I had luck with my driveway being rocks, I absed the **** out of my system then parked and bled the system and it was 100% awesome after that


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[GB Frontiersman]

I had an '06 CC V6 SB before I traded it for my '13 CC V6 SB & the brakes on both of them, along with the turning radius, are the two biggest gripes I have about either truck. I say "gripes", but maybe that's to strong & would rather call the spongy brakes more of an 'annoyance' than anything else, especially if you aren't used to them. The brakes aren't to the point where I feel unsafe to drive the truck or if I were to haul anything. However, they certainly take a bit of extra work to bring the truck to a stop in a hurry & definitely take more leg work than most other vehicles I've driven over the years. In comparison, my father has an '02 Toyota Tacoma & the brakes on that thing will nearly throw you thru the windshield if you don't watch it. If the brakes on my Frontier were somewhere between my fathers truck & how they are now, I think they would be perfect. Come to think of it, I may have a partial solution to the problem.

There's a well known member on here who goes by the user-name X-Mods. Theres a part somewhere in his build thread that he was complaining about the spongy brakes of his truck as well. If I remember correctly, while he & one of his friends were working on his truck they noticed that when the brake pedal was applied the master cylinder had quite a bit of movement to it. So, he fabbed up a bracket that fits around the MC & mounted it to a factory bracket that's underneath the MC &, I think, part of the ABS brick. He said it seemed to firm up the pedal feel & also improved his braking performance. If anyone is interested, might look up his build thread & check it out.

 

[2013Pro4X]

In comparison, my father has an '02 Toyota Tacoma & the brakes on that thing will nearly throw you thru the windshield if you don't watch it.

I owned an '02 tacoma for 11 years. I always thought that the NO ABS on that vehicle (at least the one that I had anyway, not sure if was an option) had something to do with it.

As far as the fronty, I am one of rare people that had a stuck caliper at 39Kmiles. After I replaced the caliper I find the braking to be very good. One thing I still find weird is that in an emergency stop, it stops very good, however in a gradual stop, followed by extra braking pressure, it doesn't seem to stop as well. I have replaced my brake fluid and power bled my system so I don't believe there is any air in the system.

I had luck with my driveway being rocks

What does the rocks mean Andrew? I'm not sure I understand.

 

[GB Frontiersman]

I owned an '02 tacoma for 11 years. I always thought that the NO ABS on that vehicle (at least the one that I had anyway, not sure if was an option) had something to do with it.

As far as the fronty, I am one of rare people that had a stuck caliper at 39Kmiles. After I replaced the caliper I find the braking to be very good. One thing I still find weird is that in an emergency stop, it stops very good, however in a gradual stop, followed by extra braking pressure, it doesn't seem to stop as well. I have replaced my brake fluid and power bled my system so I don't believe there is any air in the system.

Im pretty sure my fathers '02 Taco has ABS on it. I think its an Prerunner SR5 model, if that makes any difference. I do know that if I ever have to drive his truck for some reason, I drive around the neighborhood a little to get used to the brakes or else I'll end up on the hood at the first red light! LOL! And, now that you mention it, its pretty odd how sometimes the Fronty acts like its trying to throw you out the front seat & in other situations it acts like it cant be bothered to apply the brakes. Hmmmm, weird...

 

[AndysLog]

I owned an '02 tacoma for 11 years. I always thought that the NO ABS on that vehicle (at least the one that I had anyway, not sure if was an option) had something to do with it.

As far as the fronty, I am one of rare people that had a stuck caliper at 39Kmiles. After I replaced the caliper I find the braking to be very good. One thing I still find weird is that in an emergency stop, it stops very good, however in a gradual stop, followed by extra braking pressure, it doesn't seem to stop as well. I have replaced my brake fluid and power bled my system so I don't believe there is any air in the system.



What does the rocks mean Andrew? I'm not sure I understand.

i was able to activate my abs at the spot i was bleeding the brakes.
ive done some searching into the corners of the interwebs and some people across a lot of different makes have had luck with making the abs actuate then bleeding out the brakes.

before i tried it myself i was like eh, but i do believe it had a positive impact on my bleeding. my pedal is firm yet mobile, its exactly how i feel it should feel. no more of that mushy bs.

 

[Pelican_Flyer]

'16 CC mushy, KC not

I just bought a '16 S King Cab, but the truck I wanted wasn't in stock. The dealer took my trade and since they didn't have my truck, they lent me a '16 S Crew Cab. It had very mushy brakes, but it would stop if you got on them. After 60 miles in the loaner, the dealer asked me to return it because they'd sold it (over the web) and he loaned me a '17 Crew Cab. No mushy brakes, very solid, linear in feel and felt secure.

Two days after that my '16 King Cab showed up and it has good, firm, progressive, and linear brakes. No mush to them at all.

So... maybe a chat with your dealer is in order while the truck is still under warranty? Try driving another CC and see if it drives similar.

Just my two cents.