Brake Upgrade or Improvement non DIY
Brake Upgrade or Improvement non DIY
Author
Discussion

tacoma

Original Poster:

215 posts

263 months

Wednesday 11th May 2005
quotequote all
I know there is a DIY thread running on this but where can i get my brakes upgraded or improved inexpensively?

I don't do track days so don't need mega performance but I had the car checked over last week at Owen Developments (near Abingdon) and they showed me that while the brakes were working they weren't fantastic.

I want to hold onto my chim for a long time and feel that before doing anything to improve the thrust i should sort out its ability to stop!

All suggestions gratefully recieved.

mike

GarryM

1,113 posts

312 months

Wednesday 11th May 2005
quotequote all
Did they actually say what was wrong with them?

If it's just a case of discs and pads wearing out then assuming the callipers are OK my suggestion would be new drilled and grooved discs, braided hoses, Dot 5.1 fluid and some good pads (Ferodo DS, Mintex etc.) IMHO this gets about the most you can out of the standard set up.

(the big brake supporters will probably say standard brakes are rubbish and you need huge discs and new callipers )

GreenV8S

31,017 posts

313 months

Wednesday 11th May 2005
quotequote all
I'd agree with Garry, except specifically stay away from drilled discs. Grooved discs are fine as a way of degassing the pad surface and postponing brake fade, but if you aren't getting brake fade then you are better off with the standard plain discs. They are cheaper, produce less dust, less pad wear and more contact area between the pads and discs which normally means better braking.

tacoma

Original Poster:

215 posts

263 months

Wednesday 11th May 2005
quotequote all
Gary, thanks for the reply.

The basis of the problem was that they were not wearing across the full potential range, indicated by a lack of wear on the inside of the disk.

Have you carried out the mods you suggest to yours? Can it be done easily, i am not a complete mechanical pigmy but time is a premium but i enjoy doing 'things' to the car. Roughly, how much might all you suggest cost? where might i get the braided hoses from?

Appreciate your time in replying

mike

>> Edited by tacoma on Wednesday 11th May 13:45

GarryM

1,113 posts

312 months

Wednesday 11th May 2005
quotequote all
I had a similar situation with my Griff when I bought it. The best route is to change discs and pads although in my case I put some abrasive greenstuff pads on and after a couple of track days I'd worn the discs flat again!

The set up I mentioned below cost me about £600 all in with Ferodo DS 2500 pads which are quite pricey (about £150 F&R). If you stick to standard discs, which have the other benefits Peter has mentioned, you will save quite a bit, I guess £150 off that price. Hoses and fluid are fairly cheap and a no brainer I'd say.

Edited to say Peninsula did the work for me and supplied all the bits.

>> Edited by GarryM on Wednesday 11th May 13:55

PeterC

386 posts

298 months

Wednesday 11th May 2005
quotequote all
Have a go in a number of friends similar TVR's to check your car's brake performance - this will give you an idea of how good the standard system can be.

The symptoms you describe suggests to me that your brakes are in need of a full and proper strip, clean and rebuild by a garage? They may need to replace the discs and fit new pads.

This should bring your cars performance up to scratch which should be good enough for normal road use.

zippee

14,125 posts

263 months

Wednesday 11th May 2005
quotequote all
Mike,

I've just bought a set of black diamond 12 grooved discs and predator pads for both front and rear of my Chim, if you have a look in the breakdown on my profile it will detail individual costs for these and for where they were purchased.
I'm fitting them next weekend so can't comment on time etc. but its not that difficult a job, especially on the fronts. For the rears you will need a special tool to wind the piston back in (front just pushes in). The one thing I'm not doing is braided hoses as personally I don't like the feel of them, though this is a personal choice and many prefer it.
I'm also taking the time to rub down my calipers and paint them at the same time.

GreenV8S

31,017 posts

313 months

Wednesday 11th May 2005
quotequote all
That suggests to me that the sliders are sticking.

Steve_T

6,356 posts

301 months

Wednesday 11th May 2005
quotequote all
Gents,

See here for a similar discussion. If you're in for £600, then you should also look at the Godspeed setup for £650.

www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/topic.asp?t=174727&f=9&h=0

Cheers,
Steve.

P.S. I'm not making anything out of this before you ask, it's just I feel this setup is the business.