Well i am going to throw a curve ball at you?
Personally I hardly ever use the brakes, I slow down for the Lights and such, but never a hard stop. last year we traveled to Denver to see my Daughter.
The wife was driving and she was always on the brakes in the traffic she scares the heck out of me. I mean she slams on them.
But years of driving truck and on the road doing sales, and some racing. I just got used to never touching the brakes if I didn't need too.
You may want to get the Rotors inspected on the car and then do a brake job, the car may need new rotors all around or maybe just have them turned.
Following distance there is a 3 second rule, but I prefer 1 car link for every 10 miles per hour. So if you are doing 55 miles per hour, the car infront of you should be at least 5 to 6 car links ahead of you.
Then you always have to deal with the dopes that will get with in the 5 to 6 links. It's a battle, mostly because the Driver Ed that is done today is so lax that people don't know what to do when they are driving. They think it's like in a grocery store and they are operating a Cart.
On your 03 LS the ABS and Traction control was an option. ABS is great on the slick roads where I live.
Although if I get to sliding around I will put the car in Neutral to get back the control of it.

When you have the time maybe give a little story of your car and all the details about your traveling with the car , etc This will help us get a feel for what you are up against. Good Luck and stay safe.

 

I know of someone who recently got their license.. They blew 2 right turn red lights and still passed.. Its ridiculous anymore..

 

Well in Albuquerque we have some of the most diverse driving conditions ever, from brand new repaved one-lane roads to aging crumbling 3 lanes and the crossing point of two interstates. During rush hours the whole place is bumper to bumper like NY, no matter how fast you're going. I drive 30 miles for school each weekday, 30 miles a day on the weekend for work and 15 a day for my second job 3-5 times a week. These drivers are some of the most insane and unpredictable, my car was almost totaled by a guy who followed me out of anger.

 

Not to be rude, but if you're going so fast that you can't stop at a red light, that's a driver problem not a car problem. There's no reason to be driving so fast on public roads so as to have to engage ABS or lock wheels up during 99.99% of the time driving.

 

Again, it was raining, I was on a 55mph road I made the last second decision to stop at the light in a car I've only been driving for 2 days. It didn't react anything like I'm used to. Good to know your worried about my skills tho.

 

Those BF Goodrich Regatta tires I mentioned.... They performed fine first winter, second winter still had plenty of tread, but first dusting of snow (roads cold, not much snow to call any "accumulation"), I had a problem with stopping and blew through a red light on my way home and had a couple other uneasy moments (mind you, these were NOT icy road conditions, braking should not have been such an issue).
I got home, jacked up the car and rotated my back tires (which were NOT Regattas) to the front and the Regattas to the back. I had ZERO stopping problems remainder of winter, BUT, if I was not careful doing turns, those Regatta's allowed me to slide the read end of a FWD car (94 Grand Am to be exact). Because of those experiences, I have said if that tire is still being made, stay clear of it. NOT a good lasting all season tire.
So if the tires are worn or just a bad tire design, you may need to adjust to compensate. Tires can be an amazing part of the braking performance (as well as the brakes themselves).

 

Thanks for the input guys. I'm probably gonna go with Kelly as I've heard well about them, or Kumho which my dad uses on some of his cars and a buddy of mine uses on his camaro.

 

I have all season Kumhos on my Monte now (I also have 18" aftermarket wheels). They have been terrific tires, but I have never driven them through the snow as my Monte is out spring-fall, never in the snow and salt of winter.

Best of luck, I hope whatever you end up with help and it's money well spent. Also, make sure your brake pads and rotors are good, that nothing weird is going on there. Such as pads glazing or not making good contact and that none of the brake calipers are seized (if any of them are seized in the open position, that is going to create issues for you as well).

 

If it's only a Spring/Summer/Fall type of Monte, I'd recommend the Firestone Firehawk tires. They are the best summer performance tires I've ever had on the Monte. The thing never skids and plants right on the cement.

 

Maybe the brake pads are worn ?