How good are your brakes??

Level 7 User Joined: 22 Jan 2006 Posts: 182

Simple question.... frankly i think the brakes on my 19 are pap compared to other cars ive owned, with no real feel, now either mine are up the creek in some department, or they just arent that great. (remember i drive the heavier ph2 cabby)

New front discs and pads installed around 2 months ago, no fluid leaks and the servo seems to operate as it should.

Would a brake fluid change make much difference or am i on the road to nowhere?

opinions...... Very Happy

Level 7 User Joined: 22 Jan 2006 Posts: 182

ah yes... i also have ABS...

Forum Moderator Joined: 18 Feb 2004 Posts: 7432

yeah change the fluid, it's probably still original. You might be surprised at the difference it makes!

Site Subscriber Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 1141

On DBL I found the pedal very stiff and very little 'progression' in the brakes, the pedal was almost a 'on off' switch!

I replaced the front calipers with a set that were 5,000 miles old and made a world of difference, however I did also have the brakes bleed at the garage for a tenner.

You can trade in your existing calipers at GSF for reconditioned ones for about Â£40.

Site Subscriber Joined: 29 Jan 2005 Posts: 1108

Rosso, my brakes are also shit compared to other cars I've driven. I've got new discs & pads on the front and have changed the brake fluid, and that did improve them a bit, but they're still not as good as they should be I don't reckon

Site Subscriber Joined: 15 Oct 2004 Posts: 1139

"well i aint gona beat around the bush....mines r SHITE!!!"

Level 7 User Joined: 22 Jan 2006 Posts: 182

well as long as its not just me! ill get the brake fluid changed and the system bled.... and just keep leaving myself more time to stop!

Site Subscriber Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 1141

Rosso";p="86040 wrote:

well as long as its not just me! ill get the brake fluid changed and the system bled.... and just keep leaving myself more time to stop!

Change the calipers?

You shouldn't need uprated discs/pads.

Site Subscriber Joined: 23 Jan 2005 Posts: 502

Get rid of the ABS.

Level 2 User Joined: 24 Oct 2004 Posts: 49

the 19 brakes are chit! when a person need to use the brakes, where are the brakes! Laughing

Level 7 User Joined: 22 Jan 2006 Posts: 182

R1916S";p="86080 wrote:

Get rid of the ABS.

why?

Site Subscriber Joined: 23 Jan 2005 Posts: 502

My PH 2 16V has no ABS and stops fine with a nice hard pedal. Until they fade that is.
Standard disks and calipers with EBC green pads.

Pug 206 GTI I have has ABS, but the pedal is very light. like a switch, no feel.

I prefer the heavy pedal with feel. Its also simple.

Mr Quoter-vator Joined: 16 Feb 2004 Posts: 7405

maybe I'm lucky but mine feel fine!

or maybe mine are just in working order?

Level 7 User Joined: 22 Jan 2006 Posts: 182

Thats the point JB....

well brake fluid change today and has made a definite difference, much better feel to the pedal! Will so some hard core stopping soon to see if the higher boiling point makes much difference there...

Mr Quoter-vator Joined: 16 Feb 2004 Posts: 7405

get the calipers apart and make sure they are free running and grease up the sliders on reassembly.

Site Subscriber Joined: 29 Mar 2005 Posts: 731

I use omp pads and I think "max" discs. I've never had problems with the brakes, they may "feel" a little on/off but me and a mate did a 0-60 and back test with my 19 and his 306 rallye. He beat me to 60 by a very short margin but I stopped a fair bit quicker than him so they can't be bad. He was saying he didn't lock up or anything when braking and neither did I so it's as fair a test as we were gonna get really.

Site Subscriber Joined: 23 Jan 2005 Posts: 502

Really its if you want your brain â€“ foot to decide if the wheels are locking or not, or the electronics.
I find it more fun to let my foot do it, (hopefully the brain can keep up its end) than the electronics. A harder pedal helps, as itâ€™s easier to dose the pressure when you are bouncing around a bit.
Iâ€™m sure that on a test the ABS will win, but I like to think that going into a bumpy hairpin down hill on the side of a mountain I can feel the road through the brake pedal and do it better. (No way but let me have my fun).

Anyway I think that the standard breaks on my cars, ABS or not, work fairly well unless you go to mad with them. Track (which I donâ€™t do) or very steep mountain downhill.

So get your standard breaks cleaned out and have fun.

Another point is that if you change from an ABS to a non-ABS cars as I do, you tend to throw every thing into the windscreen with the ABS and then think the non-ABS car has no breaks. Luckily between the Renault and Peugeot I have the clutch pedal to remind me.

Level 1 User Joined: 28 Dec 2004 Posts: 38

my L reg chamade stops fine

12 monthly fluid change
ebc front pads cross drilled front discs
standard rear pads and discs

no ABS

neil

Newbie Joined: 20 Jan 2006 Posts: 12

i had phase 1 chammy i put goodrich hoses on it and bypassed the load compensator!jobs a gid n!even at 120 or over touch the brakes and you'll go out the window!!easy Rolling Eyes