Brakes for low power/heavy car

tef

tef

tef

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Joined
2 Oct 2008
Posts
37
Hi all, i got a seat leon st with 1.2L engine. While it is decent enough i feel the brake can do with an upgrade. This is especially the case when the car is loaded up. Definitely some hair raising moments...Any recommendation for casual road use pads that are better than OE ones (mainly for cold bite)? I used to have EBC greenstuff for my 2004 astra and that does pretty good job when it was cold. I generally drive quite slowly for mpg reason. Im trying to see if there are alternatives. I can see some brembo pads that arent too expensive on GSF but dont know if it will give me the upgrade im after.

(Front tyres are P7 and rear is bluresponse at the moment. May switch to crossclimate when it gets colder)

Thanks.
 
Are they overheating or something, why do you think different brake pads will stop you faster? Can you currently do an emergency stop and activate the ABS, if so brake pads will make zero difference.
 
Are you sure something isn't faulty? You shouldn't be having hair raising moments in any car really unless you are stamping on the brakes over and over again until you have cooked them.

The only way to get a significant increase in breaking power would be to have bigger discs, better pads, and stronger calipers. Pads on there own are only going to make a marginal difference. I'd suggest a simple service checking your pads / disc condition and having your brake fluid changed would be a better starting point.
 
They could just need a harder stab of the pedal.

Since we got a VW Caddy as our works van both of us at work have noticed that you really need to press the pedal quite hard when you want to stop from say 70, maybe it's a characteristic of those brakes as they could well be the same part as a Leon. They feel really good at a low speed with lots of bite but it's caught us out the first few times we drove it but you quickly adjust to just pressing harder and it does seem to stop fine it just feels a bit more scary!

But as said unless you're triggering the ABS when you try to stop you're just not pressing the pedal hard enough as it will slow down quicker.
 
sovietspybob said:
They could just need a harder stab of the pedal.

Since we got a VW Caddy as our works van both of us at work have noticed that you really need to press the pedal quite hard when you want to stop from say 70, maybe it's a characteristic of those brakes as they could well be the same part as a Leon. They feel really good at a low speed with lots of bite but it's caught us out the first few times we drove it but you quickly adjust to just pressing harder and it does seem to stop fine it just feels a bit more scary!

But as said unless you're triggering the ABS when you try to stop you're just not pressing the pedal hard enough as it will slow down quicker.
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A bit unrelated, but I had the same experience moving from my old Citroen to my new car. The brakes on the Citroen were almost over-assisted, whereas the new one needed a lot more pressure. Got used to it, now it just feels normal again.
 
What the heck are you doing, my wife's 1.2 Leon stops perfectly fine. The ones in my Leon Cupra are superb, maybe see if you can upgrade to them. But unless there is something broken the stock ones are perfectly suitable.
 
Standard brakes should be fine (owner of a 1.2 TSi FR Ibiza which probably has similar brakes, Leon won't be life-changingly heavier either).

Are you braking correctly? As in, leaving your foot off the clutch pedal until you've slowed significantly/nearly stopped? Can be a bad habit some get into always depressing the clutch immediately when they anticipate slowing to a halt or having to change down. Leaving the gear engaged uses the engine to slow the car down in addition to the brakes (engine braking). Also, this improves fuel economy as the fuel will be cutoff on the over-run, keeping the engine turning over through the car's momentum, whereas if you disengage the gear through depressing the clutch the engine will idle, using fuel.
 
age of car and total mileage would be useful info. brakes could be badly worn indicating reduce performance. Last MOT cert would show brake efficiency .
 
Thanks for the replies guys.

I have only just bought the car 3 weeks ago. It's a 2014 car, 28k miles. I also forgot to mention this is automatic with dsg gearbox.

When i first got the car and thought the car stopping power was abit weak i had a look at the manual. The manual says unless the car is going downhill, there will not be any assistance from engine braking. And that is the exact feeling my wifeand i had experienced, basically the engine is totally disengaged while braking. While the ABS isnt activiated but we feel we pressed the brake pedal plenty hard, yet it just feel the brake isnt gripping hard enough) Perhaps like you guys said, this is where it could just be me/wife not used to the car yet as we are also driving a bmw 225xe which can stop a lot quicker.

Compared to my old astra (not performance model), this does feel weak. Hence i thought may be swapping out the pads will help. I will take the car for futher test and report back.

Cheers
 
tef said:
Thanks for the replies guys.

I have only just bought the car 3 weeks ago. It's a 2014 car, 28k miles. I also forgot to mention this is automatic with dsg gearbox.

When i first got the car and thought the car stopping power was abit weak i had a look at the manual. The manual says unless the car is going downhill, there will not be any assistance from engine braking. And that is the exact feeling my wifeand i had experienced, basically the engine is totally disengaged while braking. While the ABS isnt activiated but we feel we pressed the brake pedal plenty hard, yet it just feel the brake isnt gripping hard enough) Perhaps like you guys said, this is where it could just be me/wife not used to the car yet as we are also driving a bmw 225xe which can stop a lot quicker.

Compared to my old astra (not performance model), this does feel weak. Hence i thought may be swapping out the pads will help. I will take the car for futher test and report back.

Cheers
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Try the box in sport mode, as my wife's will hold the revs higher which gives some engine braking, in drive it keeps the engine revs low. My Cupra will blip the gear changes to give engine breaking in Cupra. Mode.

Best to get the brakes checked if your in doubt as I have seen some stupid drivers wear pads out quickly. Maybe the previous drivers usage has shortened the life, the car is 3 years old.
 
If you are having difficulty stopping a 2014 car and it is 'hair raising' then without a shadow of doubt the car is faulty, potentially dangerous and definitely wants taking back to be investigated and repaired.
 
at 28k I would expect any significant wear of the brake rotors unless the previous owner abused them.

Slightest bit of moisture in the brake fluid can wreck it. Check the fluid it should have an oil like consistency if its got the consistency of water then a full fluid change would be recommended.
 
matthab said:
Try the box in sport mode, as my wife's will hold the revs higher which gives some engine braking, in drive it keeps the engine revs low. My Cupra will blip the gear changes to give engine breaking in Cupra. Mode.
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It won't have a Sport mode if it's only a 1.2.
 
Clarkey said:
LMAO you don't need engine braking or sport mode or any of that nonsense to slow the car down.
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The dsg sits the car in lower revs to save fuel so doesn't offer much. In sport mode it sits in higher revs so it's stronger. The dsg has a sport option if you pull the stick back.

My wife's car is a dsg auto 1.2 and has a sport mode in the gearbox, it just holds the gear longer.
 
Clarkey said:
LMAO you don't need engine braking or sport mode or any of that nonsense to slow the car down.
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no one said it was "needed" but both DO help. Engine braking can help a lot by gearing down but obviously going from like 5th to 2nd at high speed will cause major issues.
 
tef said:
Thanks for the replies guys.

I have only just bought the car 3 weeks ago. It's a 2014 car, 28k miles. I also forgot to mention this is automatic with dsg gearbox.

When i first got the car and thought the car stopping power was abit weak i had a look at the manual. The manual says unless the car is going downhill, there will not be any assistance from engine braking. And that is the exact feeling my wifeand i had experienced, basically the engine is totally disengaged while braking. While the ABS isnt activiated but we feel we pressed the brake pedal plenty hard, yet it just feel the brake isnt gripping hard enough) Perhaps like you guys said, this is where it could just be me/wife not used to the car yet as we are also driving a bmw 225xe which can stop a lot quicker.

Compared to my old astra (not performance model), this does feel weak. Hence i thought may be swapping out the pads will help. I will take the car for futher test and report back.

Cheers
Click to expand...

Any history showing brake fluid changes? Should really be done every 2 years.
 
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