Serious braking flaw(s)
Discussion
I am the happy driver of a Rover 45 turbo diesel. It will hit 123 MPH on the German autobahns, but fails to brake properly if some twit pulls out in front of me. The disks are not vented, so I get bad judder, and the disks warp after a few twits have done their thing. (Germany mainly has 2 laners in the West). I have written to Rover about this, and asked them to fit vented disks under warranty. They refused, stating that the Diesel model was certified with full disks. Am on third set of disks now, and as the warranty is over, I'm paying.
BTW, the 1.6 petrol model has vented disks, but with lower weight over the front wheels. As this failure occurs during normal driving, at speeds which the car is capable of reaching as designed by them, is there anything I can do to force Rover to change the disk type? It's a great car otherwise.
BTW, the 1.6 petrol model has vented disks, but with lower weight over the front wheels. As this failure occurs during normal driving, at speeds which the car is capable of reaching as designed by them, is there anything I can do to force Rover to change the disk type? It's a great car otherwise.
The key phrases here will be 'fit for purpose' and 'normal use'. The brakes could probably slow you down safely from that speed at least once, to a standstill, to pass minimum requirements. Repeatedly braking from those speeds would not be normal.
It should be noted that (according to folklore from my days working with Crewe) the Bentley Turbo R's brakes used to fade before the end of a 150mph stop...
Essentially, the diesel may have a less sporty, more economical purpose, and so that's why the petrol model has the better brakes.
What I would recommend is that you simply uprate brake disks, calipers and pads, as required. Moto-build.co.uk will do a set of uprated brake bits for a 45, upgrade kits start from about 600 quid. Only the fronts will need doing, if you watch the bias, at a guess.
It should be noted that (according to folklore from my days working with Crewe) the Bentley Turbo R's brakes used to fade before the end of a 150mph stop...
Essentially, the diesel may have a less sporty, more economical purpose, and so that's why the petrol model has the better brakes.
What I would recommend is that you simply uprate brake disks, calipers and pads, as required. Moto-build.co.uk will do a set of uprated brake bits for a 45, upgrade kits start from about 600 quid. Only the fronts will need doing, if you watch the bias, at a guess.
Take a look at this web site and think about bedding in pads.
www.stoptech.com/whitepapers/warped_rotors_myth.htm
www.stoptech.com/whitepapers/warped_rotors_myth.htm
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