111R Brake Pads
Discussion
Just wondered if fitting alternative brake pads (eg. Green Stuff etc.) will prevent the issue of the pads adhering to the discs if the car is left sitting longer than 24hrs (also to reduce brake dust contamination of wheels)?. I've never known a car to do this and I've laid up cars for long periods in the same conditions before. It's fitted with the original Brembo pads.
Cheers.
Cheers.
Thanks. I always take the car for a run to dry the brakes off just after washing it and putting it in the garage, however the pads still stick to the discs (handbrake always left off). I make sure if I'm not using the car over a few days that I push it foorward/back every day to unstick the pads but this is a bit of a pain in the aristotle.
Gooby, it's not the handbrake being left on that's causing the hassle. I never leave it on when the car's laid up. It's the surface corrosion on the disc that adheres to the pad. Even after a blast with some serious braking to dry them off after washing, the pads always stick to the discs after a day or so. There's no visible red oxidation of the disc but the pads still stick, maybe due to retained moisture in the pads or just the moisture in the air during temp. changes. It's not a huge problem, just annoying. God bless the MMCs on my S1, well, at least on the corrosion issue if not performance 
Note that Bogie doesn't use the crappy oem discs. I no longer get binding with the 42's now that I switched to ali belled discs. The oem discs are made of cheese. Another cheaper option (cheaper than the oems but less prone to rust are the ebc turbogroove discs)
Interestingly, I was really disappointed initially with the ali-bells - my braking was horrible on track yesterday morning. Sinclaires did some playing around with the pads and discs and once they were rebedded, the stopping power is astonishing with no fade / vibration at all.
Interestingly, I was really disappointed initially with the ali-bells - my braking was horrible on track yesterday morning. Sinclaires did some playing around with the pads and discs and once they were rebedded, the stopping power is astonishing with no fade / vibration at all.
Sticking Pads
The unservoed brakes on the S1 were criticised for not having enough initial bite when first applied, so Lotus used higher "grab" pads on the S2 to improve this. A byproduct of these pads is they tend to stick to the disc over a period of time, in damp or humid conditions this can happen within a couple of hours. This is something that affects the S1 as well but not to the same extent. Normally the stiction is limited to a clunk on pulling away, but with wet weather or if the car has recently been washed, the stciking can be quite severe. It's a case of they all do that. Never put a car back in the garage having just washed it. Go for a quick drive to dry the brakes off first. If poosible, park it with the handbrake off
Iron disks corrode slowly when wet. If you've just driven in the wet then try and park the Elise with the hand brake off. If you've just washed it, then go for a drive to dry the brakes out. As the discs rust and slowly corrode, they will bind to the pads in a matter of hours. This doesn't do any damage but you will hear a clunk as they release, the first time you drive off. All cars do this but because the Elise is light, it's more noticable. It's also a good idea to let the disks cool a little before you park your car up with the handbrake on. As they cool, the disks contract and if you park on a slope with really hot brakes, the car may not be there when you get back. Don't wash the car just after a hard drive. If you put cold water on hot disks, they can crack.
GTRene
The unservoed brakes on the S1 were criticised for not having enough initial bite when first applied, so Lotus used higher "grab" pads on the S2 to improve this. A byproduct of these pads is they tend to stick to the disc over a period of time, in damp or humid conditions this can happen within a couple of hours. This is something that affects the S1 as well but not to the same extent. Normally the stiction is limited to a clunk on pulling away, but with wet weather or if the car has recently been washed, the stciking can be quite severe. It's a case of they all do that. Never put a car back in the garage having just washed it. Go for a quick drive to dry the brakes off first. If poosible, park it with the handbrake off
Iron disks corrode slowly when wet. If you've just driven in the wet then try and park the Elise with the hand brake off. If you've just washed it, then go for a drive to dry the brakes out. As the discs rust and slowly corrode, they will bind to the pads in a matter of hours. This doesn't do any damage but you will hear a clunk as they release, the first time you drive off. All cars do this but because the Elise is light, it's more noticable. It's also a good idea to let the disks cool a little before you park your car up with the handbrake on. As they cool, the disks contract and if you park on a slope with really hot brakes, the car may not be there when you get back. Don't wash the car just after a hard drive. If you put cold water on hot disks, they can crack.
GTRene
The eliseparts website probably explained it. The rotor is a better quality than the lotus oem one (couldn't really be worse could it?) Much better cooloing under hard use. They work rather well, but unless you are regularly on track, it is probably not worth the cost.
Bogie uses a similar setup, but with ap 5000 rotors which are really the best there is. He does have twice as much power than I have though.
Bogie uses a similar setup, but with ap 5000 rotors which are really the best there is. He does have twice as much power than I have though.
My brakes still on everytime I put it in the garage. Can be as little as 12 hours. Lotus dealer just says the car is too light and have to accept it. Other than that the lights fall out, the ABS fails, the speed sensors wear out and the discs warp. Not bad for a car that is 6 months old hey
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