Brake Fade *sheesh*

[tallandy]

My Trophy has had new discs and pads fitted at around xmas time (before I bought it) and I took the trophy out yesterday to show a couple of mates. I must have driven about 10 miles on some country roads, fairly spirited but nothing insane with some mild braking. Next thing I know someones pulling out of a junction and I apply the brakes...... this aint right felt like I had barely any brakes :shock:

I could understand having mega fade if i'd been driving like I was on the track but I wasn't! It was pretty hot about 23 degrees but i'm wondering if its just had really poor quality pads fitted (no make on the invoice) as when I let them cool for about 5 mins and then braked hard plenty of bite had returned....

Quite scary though definately want to sort it out :wink:

Cheers,

Andy

 

[Ajr]

Sounds like the caliper(s) might be sticking.

 

[tallandy]

I was thinking maybe crap brake fluid and crap pads n discs...

 

[hoolio]

Sounds like old fluid but upgrading the whole brake set up on the front is just about the best mod you can do.

 

[tallandy]

What do most people do, go for proper 5.1 brake fluid, and some decent discs, pads or the 4 pot caliper option?

 

[g40steve]

Ahh the pedal to the floor brown moment, had a few of those.
Never had one so far in the Cup, huge brakes

 

[hoolio]

Ah another my cups better than your quaint little red trolleys eh Steve. Not very helpful.
Discs are okish until they wear out but do the rest check the garage to see what people have done.

 

[g40steve]

Ah another my cups better than your quaint little red trolleys eh Steve. Not very helpful.
Discs are okish until they wear out but do the rest check the garage to see what people have done.

No.

If you drive a Trophy hard on country lanes the brakes melt, fact :lol:

Possibly the Trophys weak point :?:

 

[Jay]

Earlier this year I went for Brembo HC Discs, DS Performance Pads, Braided Lines and 4.1 fluid. Made a huge difference as my brakes previously were also ****

 

[BenG]

Did your pedal hit the floor or was there just lack of bite from the pads ?

 

[Ajr]

As above. Pedal to floor is fluid. Excessive pressure required to get decent braking performance is pads. The discs won't matter. Cheap pads are usually much worse than standard. If you're not going on track at all in future just fit some renault pads as uprated ones aren't as good from cold.

 

[BenG]

The Mintex 1155 Pads I have in at the min work very well from cold and are far better than the standard pads, they dont work very well in the wet though for some reason, they take a second or two before they bite.

 

[Ajr]

Have you got grooved discs Ben? Grooved discs usually help a lot in wet weather as obviously they allow the water to be cleared from the friction area easier.

I used M1155s in my 4 pots after DS2500s and they weren't as good on road but out on track when they got really hot they were fine when the DS2500s were smoking slightly after sessions and not as effective. Also tried them in my gti6 brakes a while after using M1144s in the same brakes on a different car(same spec) and they were alright for the ring and brands hatch, not got the same initial bite as pagids, 2500s or 1144s though. They last pretty well though, DS2500s wear quickly.

I'm running 2500s with grooved discs & 5.1 on my trophy, not really got them hot though as i rarely get a chance to drive it hard and don't use it on track. They seem to offer a good improvement in braking power especially once warm. I've been caught out in winter though coming to traffic lights having not used them since leaving home and they have been virtually useless and caused me to panic! M1144s or pagid blues would be better for a road only car i feel.

 

[Cue]

Sounds like fluid boiling to me - probably down to not being changed since new... dot 4 needs doing every few years, dot 5.1 every 6 months.

Poor quality pads can compound the problem also.

 

[BenG]

Yeah i have grooved disks, and using dot 4. The 1155's have been on ages and still have loads left on them. When I first got them I give them a good test to see how well they worked, they were smoking before long and I wouldnt even think of using them on track. I rarely use the brakes hard on the road so I find they work fine for me. Im going to try the Pagids next though.

 

[Ajr]

They will take 700degC plus Ben, optimum temperature for M1155s is between 300 and 500deg. This would have dropped substantially by the backing plate as that would be pad surface temp, but still they are going to be able to take more heat than most decent fluid could cope with by the time the system had been up to temp for a while.

A lot of pads smoke during the wearing in period, it's just the resins and oils in them burning out, it's perfectly normal and not a sign that they are overheating necessarily.

 

[hoolio]

I've found the pagids work really quiet well from cold although they are prone to glazing when not used often/hard. But I've had the wheels almost too hot to touch before without any fade.

 

[BenG]

A lot of pads smoke during the wearing in period, it's just the resins and oils in them burning out, it's perfectly normal and not a sign that they are overheating necessarily.

Ah, That would explain it then. Thats good to know.

I take back what I said.... #-o

 

[Jonc]

I had exactly the same problem recently, coming up to a round about on an A road and nearly parked my car in someone's boot. Pedal to the floor and the car slowed down very gradually, no bite in the brakes whatsoever. Later drove around on an empty road to do some brake testing, did quite a few "emergency" braking, brakes where now hot and braked better than ever!! :? Brakes always seem to work better when hot. Perhaps the pads were glazed, but the disks were definitely worn so I changed the fluid to dot 5.1 and recently changed to new Brembo HC front disks and SS braided lines just in case, but still using the OE Ferodo pads which were changed about 1000 miles ago.

 

[Rexina182]

Sounds like old fluid but upgrading the whole brake set up on the front is just about the best mod you can do.

Agreed!!