VR6 pads and disks

[jedi-knight83 0]

i did a search but i could only find stuff from a while back and nothing really to satisfy my question which is...

 

I need to change the front brakes (discs and pads) soon and im on a bit of a budget so brembo and red dot are out of the picture..

 

What i had my eye on were

 

ATE powerdiscs from EuroCarParts which are £27.50 each + VAT

Greenstuff pads from NeedForSpeed which are £31.20 for the set + VAT

 

I have already heard good things about the ATE discs from vr6storm among others and i know from personal experience that the greenstuff pads work well....BUT

 

:?: Has anyone used these products together? I have heard that certain pads and disc combos dont work so well. :?:

 

I would appreciate your comments.

[dr_mat 0]

What's wrong with genuine VW pads+discs?

I'd be interested to know how much they are myself, actually.

[jedi-knight83 0]

well i dont know if what i have on there at the moment is 'genuine' stuff or not but im far from impressed with it to be honest. the brake fade is massive coming off a motorway on a slip road.

 

The greenstuff pads on my crx were very good and i had no fade atall.

 

plus, genuine is all well and good when it comes to body work and looks but it is boring in some instances.

[dr_mat 0]

I'd say that you probably just need *new* discs/pads if you're getting significant fade on motorway sliproads - I don't, and mine is running all-VW stuff.

The only drawback with OE pads is the brake dust. The green stuff pads appeal to me a lot on that basis alone, tbh.

One other thing to check, though, is the pads aren't overheating. If you've got binding calipers, they might be overheating causing them to fade much sooner than normal. Particularly if it only happens after motorway sprints.

[dr_mat 0]

Did you sort your ABS out in the end, by the way?

[corradovr6sc 0]

Genuine discs are £35 each

I use ferodo pads from halfords for about £20 but I think vw use pagid.

Grooved/drilled discs are a waste of time imo.

I've used zimmerman dics/pagid pads which were rubbish-overheated easily and eventually warped.

Other recommend mods which really make a difference are braided hoses and dot 5 brake fluid which combined with vw discs should improve things.

[jedi-knight83 0]

the fade is with heavy breaking in general. im pretty set in my mind im gonna get this set up but i wanted to hear from others first.

 

The ABS is interesting.... i was doing a service on the car recently and among other bodge jobs i found from the previous owner was the alarm siren hanging on its cable swinging around the abs pump area. I fitted the siren properly and securely and since then the ABS hasnt given any problems. I've tested it on grass and it all kicks in fine and the light hasnt come on since i serviced the car.

 

Could it have been the siren hitting the pump causing a fault to be registered ????

[Henny 0]

Jedi? Are you actually getting FADE, (the peddle stays as firm, but the braking effect becomes less) or is the peddle just getting more squishy when the brakes are very hot? :?

 

It sounds to me like a brake fluid change may not go amiss on your car if you think that the standard brakes aren't up to much... I've got Genuine VAG pads * and disks on the front of my G60 (same size as VR6) and I'm impressed with them... Coming down from an indicated 140mph on the speedo, there was no fade, no hassles and they worked really well... They've also done me proud coming over the top between Macclesfield and Buxton, which most bikers will know is one hell of a road to drive :wink: , with no fade whatsoever...

 

HOWEVER, I did change the brake fluid when I got the car and it made a massive difference, to both the brakes and the feel of the clutch too... :)

 

Worth thinking about, for the extra £20 it'll add on for the fluid... 8)

 

* admittedly, I'm now putting the Brembo conversion on, but that's only 'cos I don't think that the standard brakes will deal with my new engine, intercooler, charger etc well enough for my liking! :wink: :lol:

[jedi-knight83 0]

Henny, its definately fade but i was gonna change the fluid anyway.

 

does the clutch use the same fluid then??

[Henny 0]

Henny, its definately fade but i was gonna change the fluid anyway.

 

does the clutch use the same fluid then??

 

Cool, Gotta ask these questions, 'cos I don't know who knows what and I like being helpful! 8)

 

The clutch does use the same fluid in the master/slave set up, so don't forget to bleed these through as well as the brakes when you dump the old fluid... :wink: You'll be suprised at the difference it makes to the feel of the car when you've done it as the odds are, on a car like yours, it's never been seen as needing to be changed... Your brakes will feel stronger and more positive, and your clutch will just feel nicer and smoother... 8)

[jedi-knight83 0]

is it easy to bleed the clutch set up then?

[jedi-knight83 0]

Oh and what brake fluid do you use?

 

thanks

[Henny 0]

IIRC there's a bleed nipple on the slave cylinder, so it's very similar to bleeding the brakes: open nipple, press peddle, close nipple, lift off peddle... :)

 

I use Dot 5.1 in my cars as I've always found it to be good and I have never overheated it, where as the old dot4 stuff I used to use in my earlier cars I boiled on a number of occasions... :shock:

[jedi-knight83 0]

any particular brand of oil?

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Greenstuff pads are sh1te. They were on my car when I bought it in February and ripped them off straight away. I then fitted Pagid black grooved discs (all that was available to me at the time) and pagid FR pads and the difference was like going up a disc size. Greenstuff claim to have improved the compound but neither I or Vince at Stealth can confirm that. They still take ages to bed in and still give 'average' retardation performance.

 

The best setup I've yet tried (and I've tried a few!) is plain VAG discs and Pagid FR pads.

 

Who cares about dust? Braking performance is more important than cosmetics.

 

K

[jedi-knight83 0]

thanks Kev, thats the type of comment i like.from someone who has tried the set up's.

 

what didnt you like about the greenstuff? even as a standard pad they are pretty cheap (£35 per set) arent they?

 

are you saying the VW discs and Pagid FR pads feel better than your current Pagid discs?

 

how much are the pagid pads usually?

 

Thanks alot!

[jedi-knight83 0]

also when you say VW discs, do you literally mean walking into the stealer and asing for some discs? or do you mean GSF or ECP discs?

 

would you not bother with the ATE powergroove discs?

 

also...

 

just found Pagid FR-5051 pads £35 + VAT per set

[Henny 0]

also when you say VW discs, do you literally mean walking into the stealer and asing for some discs? or do you mean GSF or ECP discs?

 

would you not bother with the ATE powergroove discs?

 

also...

 

just found Pagid FR-5051 pads £35 + VAT per set

 

VW disks, go to the dealer... It's quite amazing how much they've dropped their prices on bits like these recently... 8)

 

That's a pretty good price on the pads too...

[Kevin Bacon 5]

what didnt you like about the greenstuff?

 

They didn't have much feel, initial bite (important for urban driving) was mediocre and they faded. They weren't really horrendous, you can just do better, that's all.

 

are you saying the VW discs and Pagid FR pads feel better than your current Pagid discs?

 

Definitely. VAG's steel quality is superb and that is key to a good bite. The Pagid FR pads work extremely well with VAG's grade of metal. The Pagid grooved discs were fitted at stealth because he didn't have any plain ones, and I couldn't stand the Greenstuffs any longer, but when they're worn, I'll be reverting to plain VAG, no question. They're pretty good though....absolutely no fade.

 

how much are the pagid pads usually?

 

I don't know tbh, I didn't look at the invoice! I think I paid about £70 for front and rear FR pads + £90 odd for the discs (front only).

 

Out of interest, the combos I've tried are:-

 

Zimmermen drilled with Mintex M1144 pads

Pain VAG with Ferrodo OE spec pads

Black diamond drilled/grooved with Ferrodo DSxxxx sport pads

Plain VAG with Greenstuff

Plain VAG with Pagid FR

Pagid grooved with Pagid FR

 

Combo 5 is the best, by far :lol:

 

K

[jedi-knight83 0]

ok so the £35 + VAT for the front pads sounds about right

 

Just phoned VW, £34 +VAT for each disc! thats loads cheaper than i expected :D

 

so VAG disks and Pagid FR pads it is...

 

shame those ATE powergrove things look pretty cool.... but if these VW ones are better i'll go for those instead.

 

just gotta choose which brand of brake fluid now.. how much fluid do these things take?? 2 litres?? :?

[Kevin Bacon 5]

ok so the £35 + VAT for the front pads sounds about right

 

Just phoned VW, £34 +VAT for each disc! thats loads cheaper than i expected :D

 

so VAG disks and Pagid FR pads it is...

 

shame those ATE powergrove things look pretty cool.... but if these VW ones are better i'll go for those instead.

 

just gotta choose which brand of brake fluid now.. how much fluid do these things take?? 2 litres?? :?

 

I'm not saying what I've experienced is right for everybody, ultimately it's your choice, but if you ever need impartial advice, then this is the best place to get it :lol:

 

So in that respect, you could try the ATE ones but the only snag is you can't return them once they've been on the car! Unless they warp unexpectedley!

 

As for Brake fluid, Castrol used to do some nice hi-boil point DOT5 (silicon based - non hygroscopic) but it was pricey and not all caliper/MC seals will like it.

 

If you're goinf for DOT4, any old stuff will do and you need a litre to do a complete flush.

 

K

[Joe M 0]

From Bentley.

 

Do not use silicone-based brake fluid (DOT 5). Even the smallest traces may cause severe corrosion in the brake system. Use only new, approved brake fluid which complies with standard FMVSS 116, DOT 4.

 

Needing my brakes done soonish as well, probably go for the standard front disks with pagid pads, but what does everyone use at the back? Standard disks I assume but standard pads or pagids as well?

[Kevin Bacon 5]

From Bentley.

 

Do not use silicone-based brake fluid (DOT 5). Even the smallest traces may cause severe corrosion in the brake system. Use only new, approved brake fluid which complies with standard FMVSS 116, DOT 4.

 

Needing my brakes done soonish as well, probably go for the standard front disks with pagid pads, but what does everyone use at the back? Standard disks I assume but standard pads or pagids as well?

 

Well that answers the DOT5 in relation to VWs question then, cheers Joe :lol:

 

I just use plain rear VAG discs with Pagid FR pads. That also makes a nice difference too :lol:

 

Kev

[Henny 0]

DOT5.1 shouldn't cause any of the problems associated with DOT5...

 

IIRC I've got DOT5.12 in mine :?

 

I've been running DOT5.1 in my VWs for the last 5years or so with no problems at all... 8)

[Henny 0]

I REALLY like google! :wink:

 

Definition of DOT5.1

 

and another one:

 

From a manufacturer