B-b-ber BREMBOS!
Discussion
My original from callipers were partially seized so imagine the difference for me when I upgraded 'Ol Gasbag' to Brembos. I'd stripped one calliper about three years ago which helped for a while but even then the original brakes never really inspired total confidence.
Recently I searched through the new DVLA online MoT history system which showed two different testers on two separate years had picked up on front brake imbalance on my car, all this some 10 years ago and before my ownership. So the problem goes way back, clearly a new set of callipers were needed so it made sense for me to take the opportunity to upgrade to Brembos, in the end it wasn't a huge amount more than replacing or refurbishing the originals.
When you consider the whole thing only cost me £600 the Brembo conversion is easily the best value for money modification I've done my the car in the seven or so years I've owned it, the confidence these brakes give changes the way I drive because they've completely removed what I now see was my subconscious mistrust of the original setup.
I'm now running the following setup:
It's the best £850 I've spent of the car ever, period!
Recently I searched through the new DVLA online MoT history system which showed two different testers on two separate years had picked up on front brake imbalance on my car, all this some 10 years ago and before my ownership. So the problem goes way back, clearly a new set of callipers were needed so it made sense for me to take the opportunity to upgrade to Brembos, in the end it wasn't a huge amount more than replacing or refurbishing the originals.
When you consider the whole thing only cost me £600 the Brembo conversion is easily the best value for money modification I've done my the car in the seven or so years I've owned it, the confidence these brakes give changes the way I drive because they've completely removed what I now see was my subconscious mistrust of the original setup.
I'm now running the following setup:
- Front Brembo upgrade with 324mm plain vented Brembo discs & Brembo pads
- Standard rear brakes & Pagid pads
- Rebuilt rear Gaz Gold Pros set at 12 clicks from zero with uprated 400lbs springs fitted
- Double jointed Mondeo rear drop links with (no ARB bending to fit)
- My ancient old Bilstein front coil overs which amazed me by delivering a very compliant ride, excellent control under hard braking and very predictable front end behaviour
- Honda Accord front drop links (front ARB centred as I found it was sitting 10-15mm to the N/S)
It's the best £850 I've spent of the car ever, period!
Get ready girls & boys all fuel is going up again... LPG will go up too but at a slower rate, when fuel prices increase the price gap between LPG and the other two fuels always gets bigger so LPG users win every time.
Last week I filled up with LPG at £0.50p a litre where the 95 Ron was £1.15, that's £1.15 / £0.50p = 2.3 X my 22mpg average economy on LPG meaning 'Ol Gasbag' is happily delivering an average petrol cost equivalent of 50.6 mpg wherever she goes, this comfortably exceeds the 47mpg average I was seeing from my outgoing Toyota Prius hybrid.
Diesel at the same station was £1.16 which gives 'Ol Gasbag' the diesel cost equivalent economy of 51.04 mpg, my factory fresh Audi A3 turbo diesel 1.6 with its DSG automated twin clutch manual gearbox left to do its thing gets bang on 51 mpg average, so while my brand new German super high pressure rail diesel betters the 1.8 petrol Prius Hybrid from Toyota it still actually only just manages to match my V8 TVR on the pence per mile stakes.
I know which of the three I'd rather be driving, and because it costs the same or less to fuel than my two high tech four cylinder examples I get to have my V8 pleasure without any cost penalty whatsoever.
What's not to like
Last week I filled up with LPG at £0.50p a litre where the 95 Ron was £1.15, that's £1.15 / £0.50p = 2.3 X my 22mpg average economy on LPG meaning 'Ol Gasbag' is happily delivering an average petrol cost equivalent of 50.6 mpg wherever she goes, this comfortably exceeds the 47mpg average I was seeing from my outgoing Toyota Prius hybrid.
Diesel at the same station was £1.16 which gives 'Ol Gasbag' the diesel cost equivalent economy of 51.04 mpg, my factory fresh Audi A3 turbo diesel 1.6 with its DSG automated twin clutch manual gearbox left to do its thing gets bang on 51 mpg average, so while my brand new German super high pressure rail diesel betters the 1.8 petrol Prius Hybrid from Toyota it still actually only just manages to match my V8 TVR on the pence per mile stakes.
I know which of the three I'd rather be driving, and because it costs the same or less to fuel than my two high tech four cylinder examples I get to have my V8 pleasure without any cost penalty whatsoever.
What's not to like
QBee said:
He's right - you've had far more column inches out of the LPG conversion....
Did I mention I am presently running this on LPG?
2.9 straight six, about 22mpg before gas.....36-40 equivalent mpg on gas.
I'm liking this vehicle, must be a very spacious and refined luxury car and seems to be delivering small petrol hatchback fuel economy.Did I mention I am presently running this on LPG?
2.9 straight six, about 22mpg before gas.....36-40 equivalent mpg on gas.
Just needs some Brembos
Edited by ChimpOnGas on Tuesday 18th October 20:58
Discopotatoes said:
Andav469 said:
I've put this up on the Griff forum too:-
I have been running this setup for over 3 years, but as I have 16" Estorils, I have to use spacers to clear the calipers.
Question - I am just about to buy some bell and rotor discs from Reyland, as the company turns their own bells, I have asked if they can add 10mm to the bell part of the assembly so that I can eliminate the spacers, anyone got any reason why it could be a bad idea?
no reason why not, all your doing is making the bell and spacer into a 1 pieceI have been running this setup for over 3 years, but as I have 16" Estorils, I have to use spacers to clear the calipers.
Question - I am just about to buy some bell and rotor discs from Reyland, as the company turns their own bells, I have asked if they can add 10mm to the bell part of the assembly so that I can eliminate the spacers, anyone got any reason why it could be a bad idea?
Keep us updated.
I see others are making the conversion kit now, Compbrakes offer it for £66, but it's still cheaper from the original inventor oldphonebloke at £62.
The cheapest however is this new seller who's popped up offering the kit for just £50.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cosworth-2-wheel-drive-...
For anyone considering this upgrade there's a pair of E38 Brembo calipers on eBay right now for £145.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bmw-e38-Brembo-Calipers...
Add a set of genuine Brembo pads for just £40.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GENUINE-BREMBO-FRONT-AX...
Add how about a pair of genuine Brembo discs for £100.
https://www.onlinecarparts.co.uk/brembo-1656894.ht...
Add it all up and the whole conversion will cost you £50 + £145 + £40 + £100 = £335
A proven Chimaera big brake conversion for just £335 is a proper bargain, I hope the above helps someone?
The cheapest however is this new seller who's popped up offering the kit for just £50.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cosworth-2-wheel-drive-...
For anyone considering this upgrade there's a pair of E38 Brembo calipers on eBay right now for £145.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bmw-e38-Brembo-Calipers...
Add a set of genuine Brembo pads for just £40.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GENUINE-BREMBO-FRONT-AX...
Add how about a pair of genuine Brembo discs for £100.
https://www.onlinecarparts.co.uk/brembo-1656894.ht...
Add it all up and the whole conversion will cost you £50 + £145 + £40 + £100 = £335
A proven Chimaera big brake conversion for just £335 is a proper bargain, I hope the above helps someone?
Hi Peter, hope the op went to plan mate?
These Hawke pads sound good, do they make much dust and are they disc friendly?
As you know I don't track my TVR but have been super happy with my Brembo pads, however I would'nt be able to endorse them a track day compound, I'd say they are more a very good quality road pad that balances excellent stopping power right from cold with low dust/noise, they are also proving kind on my discs.
I'd need to try them on the track before I'd be able to confirm the Brembo pads are sutable for that type of activity, but for fast road work I'd say they are spot on, which is exactly what you'd expect from Brembo to be honest. Brembo do offer their 'Racing' branded pads too which seems to be more targeted at the track day guys than the standard Brembo pads I linked above for £50 a set.
Pad compounds are always a compromise between cold and hot braking performance, dust, noise, disc life ect ect... once these unavoidable compromises are understood and accepted it's a case of matching the compound to the type of use the car gets and what each driver considers an acceptable compromise. No pad is ever going to be completely dust free, I had Ferodo DS2500 pads once which are well respected but for me they made my wheels black way to quickly
, others may be quite happy to put up with it.
I'd call the Brembo pads excellent for day to day driving that work well for fast road use too, I'd be surprised if your Hawke pads arent better for track days though as thats what they're desinged for. I guess if the Hawke pads work well on the road from cold too and don't make excessive dust or squeel they may make a better all round option for those who do the ocational track day in their TVR.
However, I have to admit even if this is the case I'm just too tight to spend £173 on pads, I'm more a £50 a set kinda guy
These Hawke pads sound good, do they make much dust and are they disc friendly?
As you know I don't track my TVR but have been super happy with my Brembo pads, however I would'nt be able to endorse them a track day compound, I'd say they are more a very good quality road pad that balances excellent stopping power right from cold with low dust/noise, they are also proving kind on my discs.
I'd need to try them on the track before I'd be able to confirm the Brembo pads are sutable for that type of activity, but for fast road work I'd say they are spot on, which is exactly what you'd expect from Brembo to be honest. Brembo do offer their 'Racing' branded pads too which seems to be more targeted at the track day guys than the standard Brembo pads I linked above for £50 a set.
Pad compounds are always a compromise between cold and hot braking performance, dust, noise, disc life ect ect... once these unavoidable compromises are understood and accepted it's a case of matching the compound to the type of use the car gets and what each driver considers an acceptable compromise. No pad is ever going to be completely dust free, I had Ferodo DS2500 pads once which are well respected but for me they made my wheels black way to quickly
, others may be quite happy to put up with it.I'd call the Brembo pads excellent for day to day driving that work well for fast road use too, I'd be surprised if your Hawke pads arent better for track days though as thats what they're desinged for. I guess if the Hawke pads work well on the road from cold too and don't make excessive dust or squeel they may make a better all round option for those who do the ocational track day in their TVR.
However, I have to admit even if this is the case I'm just too tight to spend £173 on pads, I'm more a £50 a set kinda guy
So the one thing you can say for sure is if you fit 324mm discs on a TVR they won't wear out in a long long time, their ability to absorb heat is huge, of course brakes work by converting kinetic energy into heat so their ability to get rid of all that heat is essential.
What a lot of people forget though is you need some heat for any pad compound to work to it's optimum, even everyday street compound pads need a bit of heat to reach their optimum performance.
This is why I chose the Brembo pads, they're just excellent quality great performing street pads, I really doubt track day pads would ever get hot enough to reach their optimal performance window with those big 324mm discs stopping a light weight TVR when driving normally on the road .
Lots of heat is bad, but not enough heat is a problem too.
What a lot of people forget though is you need some heat for any pad compound to work to it's optimum, even everyday street compound pads need a bit of heat to reach their optimum performance.
This is why I chose the Brembo pads, they're just excellent quality great performing street pads, I really doubt track day pads would ever get hot enough to reach their optimal performance window with those big 324mm discs stopping a light weight TVR when driving normally on the road .
Lots of heat is bad, but not enough heat is a problem too.
And to update this thread for the benefit of those running this brake conversion I've just bought a replacement set of genuine Brembo pads:
Part: Genuine Brembo Brake Pads (Brembo part no: P 06 018)
From: http://www.carparts4less.co.uk
EuroCarParts part number: 10111017A
Cost: £35.31
But I paid a little less today
As we all probably know EuroCarParts operate under a number of business names CarParts4Less being just one of them, and CarParts4Less always seem to be way cheaper than EuroCarParts especially if you use the CarParts4Less eBay store. They are all reputable and only sell genuine parts, they all use the same part number so they are definitely all the same company.
So today I searched for EuroCarParts part number 10111017A which covers my Brembo E38 Series 750i BMW pads used in the Brembo caliper conversion presented in this post, and another one of their company names came up this time calling themselves CarPartsBargains, again they are using the same EuroCarParts 10111017A part number so it's them alright.
CarPartsBargains had a price of £32.95 which was already cheaper than the first set I bought over two years ago which were £35.31, so I thought great I'll have those and stick them into stock, but I then get the option to add a typical EuroCarParts looking discount code PAYDAY20 that gave me a further 20% off this already very good price.
So in the end I paid the grand total of £26.36 for a full front axle set of genuine Brembo pads which I have to say I've found to be absolutely excellent quality giving very low dust, zero sequel and exceptional braking performance. I don't believe cheap and brakes should be words used in the same sentence, but Brembo really are the king of brakes and I trust them implicitly so this is just a great buy for a very high quality set of pads.
Best of all I know EuroCarParts do not sell fake components, its just they have huge buying power and I suspect they don't consider pads for an old E38 Series 750i BMW to be a fast moving line so they don't expect to make big margins on these pads.
Here's the link, and don't forget to add that discount code PAYDAY20....
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222714821367
NB: Forget the image its for illustration purposes only
And finally here's my PayPay receipt showing the seller is definitely EuroCarParts...
And I fully expect the usual chap in the EuroCarParts van will rock up on Friday to drop them off, I also expect my Brembo pads to have the hologram seal on the box as did the last set did I purchased from EuroCarParts. This hard to fake hologram seal, the reputation of EuroCarParts and the excellent performance of these pads 100% proves to me they are selling genuine Brembo brake components.
I hope this helps my fellow Chimaera owner friends running this excellent brake conversion save a few quid without compromising on quality one bit
Part: Genuine Brembo Brake Pads (Brembo part no: P 06 018)
From: http://www.carparts4less.co.uk
EuroCarParts part number: 10111017A
Cost: £35.31
But I paid a little less today
As we all probably know EuroCarParts operate under a number of business names CarParts4Less being just one of them, and CarParts4Less always seem to be way cheaper than EuroCarParts especially if you use the CarParts4Less eBay store. They are all reputable and only sell genuine parts, they all use the same part number so they are definitely all the same company.
So today I searched for EuroCarParts part number 10111017A which covers my Brembo E38 Series 750i BMW pads used in the Brembo caliper conversion presented in this post, and another one of their company names came up this time calling themselves CarPartsBargains, again they are using the same EuroCarParts 10111017A part number so it's them alright.
CarPartsBargains had a price of £32.95 which was already cheaper than the first set I bought over two years ago which were £35.31, so I thought great I'll have those and stick them into stock, but I then get the option to add a typical EuroCarParts looking discount code PAYDAY20 that gave me a further 20% off this already very good price.
So in the end I paid the grand total of £26.36 for a full front axle set of genuine Brembo pads which I have to say I've found to be absolutely excellent quality giving very low dust, zero sequel and exceptional braking performance. I don't believe cheap and brakes should be words used in the same sentence, but Brembo really are the king of brakes and I trust them implicitly so this is just a great buy for a very high quality set of pads.
Best of all I know EuroCarParts do not sell fake components, its just they have huge buying power and I suspect they don't consider pads for an old E38 Series 750i BMW to be a fast moving line so they don't expect to make big margins on these pads.
Here's the link, and don't forget to add that discount code PAYDAY20....
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222714821367
NB: Forget the image its for illustration purposes only
And finally here's my PayPay receipt showing the seller is definitely EuroCarParts...
And I fully expect the usual chap in the EuroCarParts van will rock up on Friday to drop them off, I also expect my Brembo pads to have the hologram seal on the box as did the last set did I purchased from EuroCarParts. This hard to fake hologram seal, the reputation of EuroCarParts and the excellent performance of these pads 100% proves to me they are selling genuine Brembo brake components.
I hope this helps my fellow Chimaera owner friends running this excellent brake conversion save a few quid without compromising on quality one bit
And here they are...
Brembo actually use a QR code and Brembo logo seal, I've checked and this is 100% correct.
So a full front axle set of excellent performing genuine Brembo pads for just £26.36, with top quality consumables available at such pocket friendly prices this Brembo brake conversion really is an extremely practical and cost effective brake upgrade.
When it comes to pads the Brembo brake upgrade is actually as cheap if not cheaper to service than the standard brakes, while at the same time delivering big improvements in feel and stopping power. If your standard Chimaera front calipers need fully refurbishing as mine did, this upgrade kinda becomes a no-brainer!
For the record and in period there were a number of other cars fitted with the same caliper so obviously use the exact same pads, this late 1990s Brembo four pot caliper was not only used on the larger engined E38 BMW 7 series but it was also fitted to the Maserati 3200GT and the mighty 1.8 ton 199mph Ferrari 550 Maranello..... so trust me they're just fine on a 155mph 1,060kg Chimaera
Of course if you quote the Ferrari 550 when buying your pads you might find they are a little more expensive for what is exactly the same pad
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222818481498
Dave.
Brembo actually use a QR code and Brembo logo seal, I've checked and this is 100% correct.
So a full front axle set of excellent performing genuine Brembo pads for just £26.36, with top quality consumables available at such pocket friendly prices this Brembo brake conversion really is an extremely practical and cost effective brake upgrade.
When it comes to pads the Brembo brake upgrade is actually as cheap if not cheaper to service than the standard brakes, while at the same time delivering big improvements in feel and stopping power. If your standard Chimaera front calipers need fully refurbishing as mine did, this upgrade kinda becomes a no-brainer!
For the record and in period there were a number of other cars fitted with the same caliper so obviously use the exact same pads, this late 1990s Brembo four pot caliper was not only used on the larger engined E38 BMW 7 series but it was also fitted to the Maserati 3200GT and the mighty 1.8 ton 199mph Ferrari 550 Maranello..... so trust me they're just fine on a 155mph 1,060kg Chimaera
Of course if you quote the Ferrari 550 when buying your pads you might find they are a little more expensive for what is exactly the same pad
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222818481498
Dave.
My E38 Brembo calipers are the the classic Brembo pin and cross spring arrangement.
Please be aware the Brembo pads I'm buying are not track day pads, they're just a really good quality road compound.
So many people fit track day pads to their standard cast iron mono block Ford calipers to try and get them performing a bit better, this is the wrong approach in my opinion as what they often end up with is poor braking from cold, sequel and excessive dust.
There is no such thing as a perfect pad compound, from road pads to track day pads I'm afraid to say they all come with some form of compromise, this is an unavoidable fact as there's no magic compound in all the world (and at any cost) that's going to give you the advantages of a good road compound yet instantly turn your existing brakes into stoppers that perform better.
If there was such a miracle compound we'd know about it and the OEMs would definitely already be using it!
Don't get me wrong, there are definitely compounds out there that will give you better stopping power and will tolerate more heat, but they will always always come with at least one compromise like shorter disc life, sequel, poor from cold performance and lots of dust... and to be quite honest often you'll suffer all of them.
My approach was simply to fit way better and significantly more powerful brakes in the first place, then just use quality road pads that work from cold, don't cover my wheels in dust and are nice and quiet. This way I enjoy truly better brakes without all the compromises of a track day pad.
Works for me
Please be aware the Brembo pads I'm buying are not track day pads, they're just a really good quality road compound.
So many people fit track day pads to their standard cast iron mono block Ford calipers to try and get them performing a bit better, this is the wrong approach in my opinion as what they often end up with is poor braking from cold, sequel and excessive dust.
There is no such thing as a perfect pad compound, from road pads to track day pads I'm afraid to say they all come with some form of compromise, this is an unavoidable fact as there's no magic compound in all the world (and at any cost) that's going to give you the advantages of a good road compound yet instantly turn your existing brakes into stoppers that perform better.
If there was such a miracle compound we'd know about it and the OEMs would definitely already be using it!
Don't get me wrong, there are definitely compounds out there that will give you better stopping power and will tolerate more heat, but they will always always come with at least one compromise like shorter disc life, sequel, poor from cold performance and lots of dust... and to be quite honest often you'll suffer all of them.
My approach was simply to fit way better and significantly more powerful brakes in the first place, then just use quality road pads that work from cold, don't cover my wheels in dust and are nice and quiet. This way I enjoy truly better brakes without all the compromises of a track day pad.
Works for me
This is definitely a fantastic upgrade, anyone sitting on the fence needs to try a Chimaera with these Brembo brakes and they'll soon be pulling the trigger.
It's not like the standard brakes are bad, it's just better is... er,, better
There were a few key contributors who lead the way with this one, I just copied Andav469's & roseytvr's advice, so many thanks to these guys from me
It's not like the standard brakes are bad, it's just better is... er,, better
There were a few key contributors who lead the way with this one, I just copied Andav469's & roseytvr's advice, so many thanks to these guys from me
Gassing Station | Chimaera | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff