recommended brake upgrade

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recommended brake upgrade - 16v
Topic Started: Mon Jun 22, 2009 9:27 pm (182 Views)
tpv01	Mon Jun 22, 2009 9:27 pm Post #1
Member Posts: 114 Group: Members Member #1,489 Joined: July 10, 2007	I want to make my car faster by getting slower quicker! what are the recommended ways to improve the braking on a 16v without going for big brake modifcation. Im talking pads, SS brake hoses (if available on this car) and maybe even discs. Anyone got good advice on this? It is road use not track so dont want race pads that take ages to heat up to temp. I am going to change out the brake fluid and hopefully this will improve firmness but is there other ways to get a bit more out of the braking.



Will	Mon Jun 22, 2009 10:08 pm Post #2
Member Posts: 2,080 Group: Members Member #458 Joined: August 15, 2006	Hi there, I've always found the standard set up on 2.3/2.5-16 cars is pretty good, more than adequate for road use (even Jeremy's well-tracked 2.5-16 runs standard IIRC). I guess stainless hoses might offer a bit more feel through the pedal, but other than that I'd just check that your current setup is in good health throughout. What are the current issues that you'd like to address? I find that even after pretty hard use the standard discs/pads seem to stop well. Will Edited by Will, Mon Jun 22, 2009 10:13 pm.



stwat	Mon Jun 22, 2009 10:27 pm Post #3
Moderator Posts: 12,434 Group: Moderator Member #28 Joined: November 11, 2005	Yes, the standard brakes are pretty much up to the job. I have noticed a bit of fade after lots of hard braking but it soon disappears once the brakes have cooled down a bit. And im talking hard braking down from silly speeds here. Some drilled or grooved discs would eliminate this, so that's what i would recommend along with some performance pads that can handle the heat better. Edited by stwat, Mon Jun 22, 2009 10:58 pm.



kentronix	Mon Jun 22, 2009 10:45 pm Post #4
Admin Posts: 16,358 Group: Admin Member #147 Joined: January 20, 2006	pads, the rest of the system is pretty good. If you want better braking then pads is the best way, if you want better pedal feel then perhaps braided hoses. If you need more then there may be a problem with one of the elements on your current setup.



chrismatheou	Mon Jun 22, 2009 11:58 pm Post #5
Enthusiast Posts: 1,478 Group: Members Member #789 Joined: January 4, 2007	Don't forget a good set of boots always helps



13B	Tue Jun 23, 2009 2:37 am Post #6
Member Posts: 88 Group: Members Member #3,939 Joined: March 11, 2009	I'm quite fond of my 2.0 -> 2.6 front brake upgrade which was easy and cheap and bolted straight in, with no dramas. I picked up the callipers and calliper holding brackets from a breakers, purchased new drilled and slotted vented discs and track-day pads. The whole conversion took about 3 hours and I renewed the brake fluid with SuperDot 4 and also changed the steering tie-rods as well. Combined with A032RS tyres and a good wheel alignment the car pulls-up very hard from high speeds perfectly straight, time and time again. Its also cool that you can keep your original rims, which can be a problem when you go to much larger full competition brake setups.



jeremy	Tue Jun 23, 2009 3:29 am Post #7
Member Posts: 6,573 Group: Members Member #2,018 Joined: December 9, 2007	That set-up is pretty good , all I would change is the fluid , change to dot 5.1 . You need to bleed the brakes often to get the very best out of them , I do it before every track day . Track pads such as Greenstuff are good even from cold , and have a heat resistant layer on them , making them excellent for normal road use and spirited driving . Simple upgrades such as a set-up from a 320-24V are an easy bolt on , these originally used 15" wheels too , and also the discs from an Evo II , which are available from ebay . Lightening the car helps enormously , to increase the brakes efficiency . Jeremy



bolide	Tue Jun 23, 2009 8:51 am Post #8
Bolide Posts: 193 Group: Members Member #3,828 Joined: February 11, 2009	jeremy Tue Jun 23, 2009 3:29 am Simple upgrades such as a set-up from a 320-24V are an easy bolt on , these originally used 15" wheels too There's one odd thing about E320 front brakes - the calipers are a little bit bigger than those on a 280. So 15" alloys will fit but 15" steels won't. So if you have a steel spare you have to fit it on the rear Nick Froome www.w124.co.uk



tpv01	Sun Jul 5, 2009 9:13 am Post #9
Member Posts: 114 Group: Members Member #1,489 Joined: July 10, 2007	jeremy Tue Jun 23, 2009 3:29 am That set-up is pretty good , all I would change is the fluid , change to dot 5.1 . You need to bleed the brakes often to get the very best out of them , I do it before every track day . Track pads such as Greenstuff are good even from cold , and have a heat resistant layer on them , making them excellent for normal road use and spirited driving . Simple upgrades such as a set-up from a 320-24V are an easy bolt on , these originally used 15" wheels too , and also the discs from an Evo II , which are available from ebay . Lightening the car helps enormously , to increase the brakes efficiency . Jeremy is dot5.1 really recommended for our cars??? i have seen on here that it doesnt suit our braking system; BMC etc......... I think i am going to just put some fresh DOT4 in and see if that makes an improvement. No idea when it was last flushed.



jeremy	Sun Jul 5, 2009 9:32 am Post #10
Member Posts: 6,573 Group: Members Member #2,018 Joined: December 9, 2007	tpv01 Sun Jul 5, 2009 9:13 am Jeremy is dot5.1 really recommended for our cars??? i have seen on here that it doesnt suit our braking system; BMC etc......... I think i am going to just put some fresh DOT4 in and see if that makes an improvement. No idea when it was last flushed.[/quote] If you go back to original #1 post , I think you are losing track .......Dot 5.1 is ok for our cars braking systems , all it is , is a higher temperature fluid . Do not mix with Dot 4 tho' . A good flush then a four corner bleed , stating at the furthest corner , n/r/s , then the f/o/s is last . Jeremy Edited by jeremy, Sun Jul 5, 2009 9:41 am.



ThankYouLord	Sun Jul 5, 2009 9:34 am Post #11
Member Posts: 1,519 Group: Members Member #108 Joined: December 17, 2005	Don't ever put Dot 5 into a system that has had Dot 4 in - kiss your seals goodbye. Dot 5 is ok if every hydraulic component is new, including lines, but mix the two and it will eat everything in it's path. Taken from first hand, BITTER experience at high speed; one of the most frightening few minutes of my life. If you are lucky, it will pop on you the next day before you move off but it will not last very long before your pedal goes to the floor and laughs at you ! If you put Dot 5 into a brand new system, you are stuck with it for the life of the system. Dot 4 is great in a good system, Dot 5 only resists heat for longer, not more efficient in any noticeable way so on a road car you are losing nothing by using Dot 4. Bad, sticky brakes will generate more heat than they should so that will add to your Dot 4 becoming in-efficient. Most important thing you can look at is the pistons and how good the slide in and out of the bores. If they are bad, your brake is always working harder than it should have to and also is not releasing properly. A freshly overhauled set of 4 new calipers is a joy to drive on and will feel like a massive upgrade if your current brakes are old originals. For what they charge, a recon exchange caliper from a motorfactors is only 10 - 15 quid per caliper more than doing it yourself (I found this out by doing a BMW myself), plus the new ones from the motorfactors come back anodised. Paint these before you fit them with a nice porcelain paint and they will look great for years to come. New ones also come with new fittings and are a proper job - i THINK from memory, Fronts are 55 quid each and rears are 44 but that might be for a std 2.0 and it is a while since i priced these up - Andrew Page Factors were great when i dealt with them. best luck Edited by ThankYouLord, Sun Jul 5, 2009 9:36 am.



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