Mk2 MR2 brake refresh

[Paul_B]

Hi,

I'm considering getting the front brakes on my '96 plate Mk2 n/a sorted soon, as the ones on there are feeling a bit tired. Currently got standard discs, and green stuff pads. Under heavy braking I can feel a bit of brake judder coming through.

So, I'm thinking new discs, pads and brake fluid. I'd be happy to stick with standard discs but would like to upgrade the pads and brake fluid. Unless people say otherwise.

Does anyone have any good suggestions for the above based on previous experience, and what sort of prices should I expect as well as the best places to look.

This will be for fast road (hoon) use.

Thanks

[hygt2]

I use Mintex disc and pads on my 1995 n/a. The pads are softer than EBC but it has good bite on road and track and doesn't eat the disc. I also notice there are less scoring or disc warping. It can also lock up the tyres at 70 mph in dry so the braking force are very good (with Falken ZE912 tyre combination)

Fluids I use DOT 5.1 and highly recommended - never had soft brake pedal from overheating.

Best of all, Mintex disc is only £20 each and a set of Mintex pads are only £20 so you even if you use up the pads every 6 months, the pads cost still aren't significant.

From experience, I get through 3-4 sets of front Mintex pads to 1 set of discs. A set of front pads last me about 10k miles (about 70-80% worn between 9k service interval) and fluid change also at 9k interval.

[Martin F]

If the mileage on your car is quite high then i'd also consider refurbishing the calipers or replacing with reconditioned ones.

The sliders can become stuck over time and also the pistons may be running less than smooth in the bores, both which lead to poor braking performance.

[Tib]

Nicely copied across from the owners club.

Stick with dot 3. If you're boiling dot3 there's a sticking caliper or something somewhere. Plus some other non dot3 brake fluid can corrode your internals. You can get some good Dot3. If I remember right, AP racing do some decent stuff.

Agreed on the caliper refurb. You can do it yourself, there are kits. On the bay they're about £30 quid for fronts and the same again for the rears.

Disc wise I've had a good experience with Mintex stuff on other cars, but something tells me you're after a bit more than that. Carbotech pads are allegedly the dogs danglies, but you're looking at £160 just for the fronts. The defacto choice seems to be EBC, and which ones you go for depend on what you're willing to live with - they all have advantages and disadvantages.

It's worth getting some braided lines if you're changing the fluid too. I hear goodrich make the best available.

Remember your brakes are only as good as your tyres.

[hygt2]

Tib said:

Remember your brakes are only as good as your tyres.

Agree and I am more inclined to upgrade tyres rather than brakes too.

Also, I have had 2 new front calipers as one started sticking at 170k - still original engine and gearbox mind but it is on its 3rd set of suspension.

[Tib]

I plan on doing a refresh on mine pretty soon as well as some up-rated lines. I'm being pretty lazy about it though really, I have an inkling I have a stuck piston on the passenger side.

Tyres wise people recommend Proxes T1-Rs on them. No argument here on that front.

Hah, I've just ticked over 100k and everything's on its original run through. *touches wood*

Edited by Tib on Friday 27th April 15:53

[Paul_B]

Cheers for the response guys. I'll look into the caliper refurb kits, I'll check what sort of state they're in before doing this though. Cars on 108k so could probably do with it! Tyres will probably need doing by the end of the year but they seem pretty good at the moment, running Falkens.

Has anyone had experience with Ferodo pads on an MR2? I've been in other cars with them on and they seem to be really good.

[Scantily]

Paul_B said:

Cheers for the response guys. I'll look into the caliper refurb kits, I'll check what sort of state they're in before doing this though. Cars on 108k so could probably do with it! Tyres will probably need doing by the end of the year but they seem pretty good at the moment, running Falkens.

Has anyone had experience with Ferodo pads on an MR2? I've been in other cars with them on and they seem to be really good.

If you do need to refurb your callipers don't do it yourself and just buy some professionally refurbed ones from bigred or brakes international, they'll be put back together far better than you could do yourself, and the pistons will have been replaced also which are not included in many of the diy kits.

[Marf]

Grooved discs, redstuff pads and rebuilt calipers here. Even cold the bite is better than on stock brakes, warm they're awesome. Noisy though.

AD08s help too

[Red Devil]

Tib said:

Carbotech pads are allegedly the dogs danglies, but you're looking at £160 just for the fronts.

EFA.

Mine were fitted to the car when I bought it 3 years ago and still have plenty of life left in them (on stock rotors). True, they're not cheap but far less than the repair costs of bent bodywork! In terms of annual running costs £160 is peanuts. A tad over two tanks of fuel for a Mk2 MR2.

Their only downside is they create a lot of brake dust which means frequent wheel cleaning. If not, it will do your alloys no good at all

Tib said:

The defacto choice seems to be EBC, and which ones you go for depend on what you're willing to live with - they all have advantages and disadvantages.

Carbotech are an order of magnitude better than EBC.

Tib said:

It's worth getting some braided lines if you're changing the fluid too.

+1. Got those too. Even some new OEM ones will make a noticeable difference.
On a high mileage car any original rubber ones will be well past their best and tend to swell.

Tib said:

I hear goodrich make the best available.

Endless aren't bad either.

Tib said:

Remember your brakes are only as good as your tyres.

The bit that most people forget.

[Tib]

Good post mate.

Looks like I might be rolling some Carbotech pads soon then. Something tells me Endless lines are going to be a pain in the rear to get hold of.

[Red Devil]

Tib said:

Good post mate.

Thanks.

Tib said:

Looks like I might be rolling some Carbotech pads soon then. Something tells me Endless lines are going to be a pain in the rear to get hold of.

I just mentioned them as an alternative.

Nowt wrong with Goodridge
http://goodridge.brakes-hoses-fittings.co.uk/car-b...
Mine has these
http://www.blackdiamondperformance.com/hoses_toyot...

[hygt2]

Tib said:

I plan on doing a refresh on mine pretty soon as well as some up-rated lines. I'm being pretty lazy about it though really, I have an inkling I have a stuck piston on the passenger side.

I would start by spinning the wheels in the air and see whether they are binding.

Then, try light braking on the rollers MOT used to test brakes variation on. No need to jam the brakes on, just start with gentle braking and see if the brakes are consistent side-to-side.

Even the stock brakes and stock Yokohamas Toyota fitted when new generate over 1.2g in braking force (tested in early copies of the AA magazine) so the stock set up is plenty powerful enough !!

[Tib]

I have those tyres fitted, and that's a good amount of braking force. Something feels up though; I have an MX-5 in the garage which decimates the 2 as far as braking performance and pedal feel goes. I pretty much figure (unless there is a sticking caliper) that the whole system just has 100k on it and needs replacing and renewing.

[Red Devil]

Tib said:

I have those tyres fitted, and that's a good amount of braking force. Something feels up though; I have an MX-5 in the garage which decimates the 2 as far as braking performance and pedal feel goes. I pretty much figure (unless there is a sticking caliper) that the whole system just has 100k on it and needs replacing and renewing.

Assuming no sticky slider(s) or piston(s) (the latter on Mk2s are prone to surface rust and a good polish works wonders) then fresh fluid and new hoses alone can make a big difference.

Brake fluid is hygroscopic and I'm always amazed by how seldom some people change it. DOT 3, DOT 4, DOT 5.1 glycol-based fluids should be changed every couple of years to maintain peak performance.

Edited by Red Devil on Tuesday 1st May 03:03

[Tib]

I can believe that many people don't change their brake fluid... mainly due to the fact that no-one wants to get covered in it. Yeah, that's where my thoughts started really. I've got some AP Racing Dot3 I'm going to use in mine - just need to wait for the weather to settle down a bit really.

[jaketurner]

It's worth noting that the brake balance on an MR2 is important - there's a reason the rear discs are about the same size as the front... (in fact I think the backs are 281mm vs. 275mm on the front).

So don't just do the front - you might end up with some nervousness under heavy braking if the back isn't up to par too.

I've been running Carbotechs on standard plain discs (£100 for all four from Camskill if I remember rightly...!) for a couple of years now on the road and sprinting - they're about half worn. They're great from cold and amazing once warmed up.

Jake

Edited by jaketurner on Wednesday 2nd May 13:11

[Red Devil]

jaketurner said:

It's worth noting that the brake balance on an MR2 is important - there's a reason the rear discs are about the same size as the front... (in fact I think the backs are 281mm vs. 275mm on the front).

The rear discs have always been a larger diameter (but thinner) than the front.
Mk2 Rev1
Front: 256mm x 24mm + Rear: 262mm x 16mm
Mk2 Rev2 onwards
Front: 275mm x 30mm + Rear: 280mm x 22mm

jaketurner said:

So don't just do the front - you might end up with some nervousness under heavy braking if the back isn't up to par too.

Good point.

jaketurner said:

I've been running Carbotechs on standard plain discs (£100 for all four from Camskill if I remember rightly...!) for a couple of years now on the road and sprinting - they're about half worn. They're great from cold and amazing once warmed up.

Camskill's current price for the larger discs ('91 onwards) + pads is just over £61 for each end.
http://www.camskill.co.uk/products.php?mode=search

Carbotech pads cost a lot more than the discs! I'm running them with stock discs and braided lines. They were on the car when I bought it in 2009 and are nowhere near needing replacement yet. Stopping power is far better than any of my previous cars.