Which brakes?

[Marshall936 0]

Sorry if this is a repost (i have searched) and also if it is a pretty vague question,

 

but i drove my new C for the first time recently and the brakes on there have only just been replaced, but they are sh#te!

 

Can anyone recommend some decent discs and pads for a 1.8 16v, i've had a look around but i'll be honest i've never bought brakes so wouldn't know the difference between a decent set or not, have about £200-£250 to play with for discs and pads.

 

Thanks

[Diesel Junior 0]

I know they have their detractors but for me EBC green stuff are the way to go. Sure they squeak and squeal for the first 200 miles but for stopping power on my VR6 they are excellent.

[G60 CS 0]

Pagid fast road pads and Zimmerman drilled disks from GSF should do the trick nicely

[Alex_G60_Fanatic 0]

g60 280mm disks on the front would help... but if they're really bad then I would check that when they fitted the new ones they bleed the brakes correctly.... air pockets would monkey your braking.

[Marshall936 0]

but if they're really bad then I would check that when they fitted the new ones they bleed the brakes correctly.... air pockets would monkey your braking.

 

Is there any way i can check that myself?

 

Pagid fast road pads and Zimmerman drilled disks from GSF should do the trick nicely

 

Just gave gsf a call and they have replaced the zimmerman with these:

 

http://www.europerformance.co.uk/pages/products/product_info.mhtml?product=3690070

 

Any good?

 

I know they have their detractors but for me EBC green stuff are the way to go. Sure they squeak and squeal for the first 200 miles but for stopping power on my VR6 they are excellent.

 

Think i'll go for the green stuff pads as they seem very good and gsf actually recommended them too :)

 

Thanks for the help, everyone! :D

[Alex_G60_Fanatic 0]

Is there any way i can check that myself?

 

Get a brake bleeding kit from halfords for about £10 and do it yourself. You'll need a 11mm (i think) spanner and some patience. Goes quicker with two people though.. check this out http://www.carbasics.co.uk/how_to_bleed_car_brakes.htm

 

And i wouldn't bother with the GSF brake disks... they're made of cheese.

[Marshall936 0]

Thanks, that looks pretty simple actually will sort that out before i invest in some new brakes.

 

And i wouldn't bother with the GSF brake disks... they're made of cheese.

 

Really? i thought brembo's were supposed to be good?

[steve_16v 0]

Really? i thought brembo's were supposed to be good?

 

I think Alex will have been referring to the generic discs from GSF (which are pretty crap), those Brembo Max will be fine. They're not really what you'd call an upgrade but should be at least as good as OEM.

 

If your existing discs are in good condition at the moment there's not much point changing them though (unless you're fitting bigger ones), the pads are where you'll notice the most difference. Also, if it's still on the original hoses they'll want changing by now, ideally with braided ones.

[Marshall936 0]

Ah i got ya, not sure what ones are on atm don't think they are oem ones, will have to check.

 

Ok i'll try bleeding the brakes, if that fails i'll change the pads and then if that fails i'll go for some hoses. Is something like this any good? :

 

http://www.h-dev.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=4199

[Alex_G60_Fanatic 0]

I'd leave the hoses... They wont improve your braking performance much. I'd wait till your existing hoses need replacing before spend money on that sort of thing. If the bleeding doesn't work then I'd get new pads.... And if your still not happy then uprate the disks to larger ones... 280mm g60 ones I think are a straight swap. :)

 

And yeah... Sorry for the confusion but the GSF ones are pants... the Brembo disks will be as good (if not better) than OEM! soz

[mr.ots 10]

It would be a good idea to check the condition of the callipers aswell. If they are original they may well be in need of some attention. I've just had mine refurbished and changed the disk, pads and replaced the brake fluid at the same time and it has made a dramitic improvement.

 

I replaced my Brembo Max discs and Green Stuff pads with a new set of the same. I know some people don't rate the Green Stuff pads but I've used them for a couple of years now and I'm happy with them. They are just bedded in and the stopping power is impressive.

 

Get yourself an Eezebleed kit from halfords and replace all of the brake fluid, mine was changed a couple of years ago but when I bled it out it was quite dirty looking. It's very easy to do.

 

Here are some before and after pics:

[Pat_McCrotch 0]

I guess they are still 280mil brakes ots? How much did the refurb cost?

[mr.ots 10]

I guess they are still 280mil brakes ots? How much did the refurb cost?

 

Yeah, stayed with the 280s. Plenty of stopping power when they work properly.

 

I had the callipers and carriers done in a black polymer coating at Bigg Red. The callipers were £129 for the pair and £30 for the carriers.

 

My offside calliper was seized and as you can see from the pic the pistons were badly corroded.

 

Once I've got some spare funds I'll get the rears done too.

[__Andy__ 0]

upgrade to g60 calipers carriers discs and pads, ive done this to all three of my valvers and the differnce is well worth the effort... oe discs and pads are more then enough with the g60 setup.

[Wendy 0]

For pads and disks - I have just replaced my from EBC to Ferrado's - an 100% improvement - a little more brake dust on the wheels though !!