You need new rotors front and rear, new pads, and need to carefully inspect the calipers for heat damage from new pads on worn out rotors.

Does the backing plate on the pad touch the antirattle spring on any of the calipers? If so, expect to find the caliper rubber roasted from being run hot from stuck pistons. They get cocked when the backing plate hits the spring, this both causes the piston to get sideways in teh bore and stick AND wears the rotors on a taper, so if you put new pads in they will only touch the rotor at the top 1/4" or so -- no brakes. Cure the piston problem with caliper rebuild kits (piston seal and dust sheilds).

If the dust boots are cracked, rebuild the calipers, it's easy.

I've never noticed all that much difference between braking in forward vs reverse, except that the front tires will lock up more in reverse on gravel, as expected.

Peter

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1972 220D ?? miles
1988 300E 200,012
1987 300D Turbo killed 9/25/07, 275,000 miles
1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turobodiesel 218,000
1972 280 SE 4.5 165, 000 - It runs!