Nearly totalled a 106

mattyprice4004 · 1 Apr 2009 at 14:43

Coming upto a roundabout in my 400 today at about 70... slowed down quite heavily, all was fine, it's only a small roundabout on an NSL and you can see over it, around it etc.

Anyway, a 106 comes onto it, coming round the roundabout crossing my entrance to it so I slow down quicker, all is fine down to about 40, getting quite close now. Normally I can stop on a pinhead, but the car started to lose the bite, so I put more pressure down, but couldn't stop in time!

Shot infront of the Pug, missed it by about a foot, very shook up. Pulled over and the brakes were discoloured and I can feel the heat coming off them, so obviously it was trying, but any ideas as to why it didn't stop?

Normally I would have been fine, pads and discs aren't worn but they aren't vented, just solid. Would vented discs help, or is it new brake fluid time?

Sorry if you're the 106 driver, I did flap and wave around to try and alert you

antijoke · 1 Apr 2009 at 14:48

Just try approaching a roundabout at normal speed.

AmDaMan · 1 Apr 2009 at 14:48

lol, you cooked your brakes from 70? LIES!!!

You were either going a lot faster than 70 or you had been tanning it well before you got to the roundabout!

Fluid will probably need changing now too, pads might even be glazed over.

Firestar_3x · 1 Apr 2009 at 14:51

From the previous post's you've made about your car you seem to be under the impression its some road going racer.

Your car can't stop on a pinhead, you cooked the brakes or boiled the fluid, i would check the pads / discs / lines but replace the fluid

Matt82 · 1 Apr 2009 at 14:55

is the fluid due to be changed?

Howard · 1 Apr 2009 at 15:18

Firestar_3x said:
From the previous post's you've made about your car you seem to be under the impression its some road going racer.

This. It's not. Drive sensibly until you have a decent car.

mattyprice4004 · 1 Apr 2009 at 15:20

At the end of the day it's a family hatch, and I've just made it a bit quicker

I've never really done anything with brakes before, so this was a bit of a shock! Tops I could have possibly going was 80, and started slowing down way before the roundabout.

Just seemed as I threw anchor and prepared to stop, the car wanted to play chicken.

Before I've been doing a tonne, nearly missed a sliproad that had traffic lights at the top of it and easily made that, the car was on it's nose!

Seems strange

And I've never done the brake fluid, and no idea when it was last done.

Adam · 1 Apr 2009 at 15:21

Firestar_3x said:
From the previous post's you've made about your car you seem to be under the impression its some road going racer.

Your car can't stop on a pinhead, you cooked the brakes or boiled the fluid, i would check the pads / discs / lines but replace the fluid

Another case of a rover driver thinking that he has an F1 car! There was another guy a couple of years ago who also drove a rover that used to give us a write up of the "drama" he experienced everytime he left the house in his car. Awesome!

If it were me and I drove a rover, I certainly wouldn't want to attract attention to myself

paradigm · 1 Apr 2009 at 15:23

rover416i said:
I've never really done anything with brakes before.

So you've made it "a bit quicker" but didn't give any thought to stopping it?

Upgrade brakes BEFORE upgrading power.

Rainmaker · 1 Apr 2009 at 15:23

Ouch.

rover416i said:
Sorry if you're the 106 driver, I did flap and wave around to try and alert you

Horn broken? LOL

Matt82 · 1 Apr 2009 at 15:23

rover416i said:
And I've never done the brake fluid, and no idea when it was last done.

definately get that changed if youre planning on driving quickly. if you have a eurocarparts nearby pick up some ATE super blue. £10 a litre and it will more than do the job for you.

Malt_Vinegar · 1 Apr 2009 at 15:38

If you were driving hard before the incident, it might have been some brake fade as they overheated.

antijoke · 1 Apr 2009 at 15:40

rover416i said:
At the end of the day it's a family hatch, and I've just made it a bit quicker

I've never really done anything with brakes before, so this was a bit of a shock! Tops I could have possibly going was 80, and started slowing down way before the roundabout.

Just seemed as I threw anchor and prepared to stop, the car wanted to play chicken.

Before I've been doing a tonne, nearly missed a sliproad that had traffic lights at the top of it and easily made that, the car was on it's nose!

Seems strange

And I've never done the brake fluid, and no idea when it was last done.

So you have now upped it by 10mph.

You need to slow down and realise you are not driving a performance car before you kill someone/yourself.

mattyprice4004 · 1 Apr 2009 at 15:40

Adam said:
Another case of a rover driver thinking that he has an F1 car! There was another guy a couple of years ago who also drove a rover that used to give us a write up of the "drama" he experienced everytime he left the house in his car. Awesome!

If it were me and I drove a rover, I certainly wouldn't want to attract attention to myself

I don't try and have an adventure, it's not an F1 car, not yet

paradigm said:
So you've made it "a bit quicker" but didn't give any thought to stopping it?

Upgrade brakes BEFORE upgrading power.

Upgrade? Vented discs is all I can think of, help?

Rainmaker said:
Ouch.

Horn broken? LOL

I was too busy making my seat brown

Malt_Vinegar · 1 Apr 2009 at 15:43

Pads/Discs/change fluid/braided hoses/
Better calipers and bigger discs if you want to get fancy

Oh, and dont skimp on tyres either. You can have the best brakes in the world, but on **** tyres they wont help, and will probably hinder performance.

However, get that fluid changed and get braided hoses whist doing it. Might as well whilst whipping out the fluid.

http://www.torquecars.com/articles/brake-fade.php

BenjiSayers · 1 Apr 2009 at 15:46

rover416i said:
Upgrade? Vented discs is all I can think of, help?

Uprated brake-lines & pads

mattyprice4004 · 1 Apr 2009 at 15:59

Malt_Vinegar said:
Pads/Discs/change fluid/braided hoses/
Better calipers and bigger discs if you want to get fancy

Oh, and dont skimp on tyres either. You can have the best brakes in the world, but on **** tyres they wont help, and will probably hinder performance.

However, get that fluid changed and get braided hoses whist doing it. Might as well whilst whipping out the fluid.

http://www.torquecars.com/articles/brake-fade.php

I've got Toyo T1Rs on the front, and while the brakes gripped well at first I felt them hold the road well.

The pads are stardard naff ones, and the discs are original solids. How hard is it to change discs, based on the knowledge I can change pads okay?

paradigm · 1 Apr 2009 at 16:00

rover416i said:
I've got Toyo T1Rs on the front, and while the brakes gripped well at first I felt them hold the road well.

The pads are stardard naff ones, and the discs are original solids. How hard is it to change discs, based on the knowledge I can change pads okay?

Changing discs is not much more difficult than changing wheels IMO.

Get yourself some decent discs, decent pads, and refresh the fluid.

If your brake lines are old, they might bulge under pressure, so perhaps braided hoses would be a good call also.

It's not expensive either, I've just paid a little over £170 (delievered) for grooved (and vented front, solid rear) discs, and EBC redstuff pads all round

[TW]Fox · 1 Apr 2009 at 16:05

I think this is the day you learn you have a 10 year old Rover 400 diesel and not an MG ZS BTCC Touring Car and drive accordingly.

fonzee · 1 Apr 2009 at 16:08

anticonscience said:
You need to slow down and realise you are not driving a performance car before you kill someone/yourself.

+1

rover416i said:
Before I've been doing a tonne, nearly missed a sliproad that had traffic lights at the top of it and easily made that, the car was on it's nose!

oh dear.