Ideas on new brakes all round

den's a2

den's a2

Member
Been looking at mtech drilled and grooved brakes for red rocket but would I need to new calipers to go with it!?
 
Yes I agree with spike. ATE power discs - they have grooves in a wave pattern but also the whole disc has a coating that stops the non braking area from going rusty. I ordered my ones from Germany via eBay along with ceramic ATE pads. Cheers mike
 
Generally I would avoid drilled discs, they tend to crack between the holes. Probably also overkill for a lightweight car.
 
personally Id get a set of 312.. mm disc and calipers and larger discs and calipers at the back..

if u know where to look u can masivly increase your breaking potential for a little outlay.
 
The 312 mm disc and Caliper set up is not a bolt on job , it requires a new hub , which also means unbolting the drive shaft nub , and the shock

I am in the process of gathering and rebuilding parts for this upgrade . Fingers crosses should be completed by late summer
 
I have a theory - on a road car the forward weigh transfer during heavy braking means it may be pointless fitting larger rear brakes. The standard ones would probably lock the back wheels with ease if it wasn't for the ABS.
Different story on a race car which stays virtually 'flat' under braking, plus lots of other incidental reasons like heat and pad life which will also be a consideration.

'Brake Bias' brings back memories of the special valve used on the hydraulics to limit rear brake lock -up. Long gone since the introduction of ABS

Cheers Spike
 
Makes sense Spike, thanks for the reply.
I'm guessing 75 PS A2s featuring drum brakes don't have the benefit of ABS assistance at the rear?

I ask because the suspension is quite worn on my A2, and with the extra torque afforded by a recent remap I'm thinking of fitting new suspension and standard size front Brembo discs & pads to harness the extra torque... that got me thinking about brake calliper/disc/pad upgrades and how the system balances the brakes.
The jump from 256 mm diameter discs to 280/288/312 mm discs is quite substantial, especially when the larger surface area of the pads in bigger callipers is also taken into consideration.

On an old road & track car (1994 vintage) I'd fitted larger Brembo front callipers and discs, since it had rear discs and an efficient ABS system allied to an intelligent brake balancing system the car was very stable under hard braking.

Hence I wondered how the 75 PS A2 brake balance system worked.
 
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I’m on 330mm discs with Brembo 4 pots all upgraded and can comfortably say... it STOPS not a cheap upgrade however..

49591
49592
 
Aluminium said:
Makes sense Spike, thanks for the reply.
I'm guessing 75 PS A2s featuring drum brakes don't have the benefit of ABS assistance at the rear?

On an old road & track car (1994 vintage) I'd fitted larger Brembo front callipers and discs, since it had rear discs and an efficient ABS system allied to an intelligent brake balancing system the car was very stable under hard braking.

Hence I wondered how the 75 PS A2 brake balance system worked.
Click to expand...

The ABS sensor ring is built into the bearing assy on both disc and rear drum brake models so ABS on all 4 wheels

As a side issue, I wonder how Drum versus Disc rear brake efficiency compares on the MOT brake rollers. Anyone got comparison results from their last test ?

Cheers Spike
 
Brilliant Spike, thanks for the info ?

I dare say that the drums will be more efficient on such a light car, be nice to be proved wrong though.
 
I fitted Zimmerman Cross drilled and vented discs and pads for about 100 Euro on offer from Germany stops on a sixpence remember the a2s are light you don’t need to go over the top ..if I stomp on them you have to watch the car behind does not rear end you ..?? also remember tyre choice has big effect along with road conditions and abs will cut in if to fierce..lots of factors ?
 
a well adjusted set of drums brakes always results in the rear wheels locking up on the MOT brake test, as the car is so light, so unlikely to be able to prove is disks or drums are better on the MOT test as traction is by far the limiting factor, and is likely the same on the road.
What I will say is the drums are much easier to maintain and get a good handbrake, the disks do so little they tend to seize up where as the drums need next to no maintenance
 
I always use the handbrake very lightly on a dual carriageway (when it's clear and safe to do so) to keep the mechanism working and get some heat into the rear discs & pads so that they don't go off/rust.
 
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