Brakes

Bedded in my Carbone Lorraines as per their instrunction, erm, not a clue what they were though. Something to do with a number of stops then increasing the speed you stop from etc.

They are vicious pads that eat discs, badgers and vapourise ugly girls if they stray too close.

Not many humans die as the 150dB squeeling keeps everyone well away.
 
hurfdurf said:
I can understand a passenger being flung forward under heavy braking, but if the driver is losing control of his body, especially during an event that requires braking, something is wrong. (with the person and his or her body, not the brakes being like the Hammer of Thor)
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4 years of the original discs and only pads changed in series (front, then back) and then changing the whole lot and adding braided hoses = A different experience to what I've been used to for 4 years straight hence why I feel like I'm being thrown forward if I brake hard.

I don't know, maybe after a few more months of proper driving...hell maybe a year given I don't drive to and from work any more will probably see me get used to it and lose the "what is this I'm not used to the brakes being this strong" feeling.

I've yet to drive any BMW with bad brakes on the road and as Fox has said, they're absolutely fine on the road and provide ample stopping power at speed and as has been mentioned above^ they're pretty much all 50/50 distribution anyway.

I know this is /Motors and there are the usual folks who like to cause a scene by consistently harking on like an ass but is it really worth it?

:p Motors :p
 
[TW]Fox;22516592 said:
Surely the benefit of massive brakes such as the Brembo's paradigm wont shut up about are in resistance to fade anyway?
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Not really, that is more down to the pads, discs and fluid, the advantage of Brembo's is the piston surface area (4 or more large pistons) which provides more clamping pressure for a given pedal pressure, they are simply well designed, as well as being lighter as made of Alloy rather than a lump of cast iron. (lower unsprung weight is good).

Put crappy discs pads in Brembo's and use the wrong fluid, they will boil up and fade just like any other brakes

Alternatively, decent pads and discs, braided lines, and the right fluid can make road brakes very capable on the track, but then it comes down to ultimate feel and performance, and like for like, the Brembo's, AP's etc are just streets ahead, especially in unassisted (unservo'd) racing applications.
 
[TW]Fox;22516560 said:
It isn't going to do 60-0 in 2.7 seconds with crap brakes.
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That depends what tyres are fitted ;)

Always bedded my brakes in as per the instructions.

For track pads they wanted an aggressive break in on an industrial estate, were amazing after that.

Road pads, just drove as normally, would never do any hard braking on the road unless an emergency.

The larger discs usually used with Brembo/4 pot brakes are just for more heat absorption. Brake performance and feel can be influenced by so many factors, the pads are only a small part of it.
 
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Berger said:
The larger discs usually used with Brembo/4 pot brakes are just for more heat absorbtion. Brake performance and feel can be influenced by so many factors, the pads are only a small part of it.
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Actually they offer substantially more leverage as well as heat dissipation.

Simple Physics, but disc size is limited by wheel size, unless you use inboard discs mounted on the drive shafts, like for example a Jag IRS setup, or the front brakes on a Citroen GS.
 
Dr Who said:
Actually they offer substantially more leverage as well as heat dissipation.
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Yeah I realise this too, if you think of a push a bike wheel, stopping it from the outside of the wheel is easier than grabbing it at the hub.

I should have said mainly for heat absorption :)

Running a larger disc increases rotating mass, offset slightly by running an alloy bell, but as small a disc as is reasonably practicable without overheating the disc or pad is best.

The best brakes I have used were a set that some friends and I had developed and machined to suit the Rover turbos, 320mm disc (solid to keep costs down) with Brembo 4 pots from the 406 Coupe. Some careful maths ensured the master cylinder/piston sizes matched up closely to OE, keeping pedal travel as it should have been. Amazing pedal feel and adjustability.

Second best were OE Peugeot brakes on my 306 Rallye with DS2500 pads and Brembo discs. I actually had two sets of these, one which I bedded in myself as per the instructions which were excellent, and another which were on the car when I bought it which were never quite as good.
 
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Housey said:
I bought some yellowy stuffs for my wife's MX5, I even took the wheel off and had a look, but the yellow stuffs still sit in their box (front and back) as I shall now buy some disks too, then take the wheels off again and have another look.

Then take it to Mazda and get them to fit em. I love saving money without saving money.
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I had Yellowstuff pads in combination with braided hoses and fresh fluid on my MX5 and the stopping power was brutal. It's only a light car though so I don't suppose you need a massive contact area on the disks to stop it. Great pads though. :)


I have Pagid OE replacement pads on my Mondeo and the braking is very good, contrary to what people on forums seem to suggest, i.e. that holding a carrier bag out of the window is going to slow you down quicker. They may fade on track though, due to the size of the disks and calipers in relation to the weight of the car. Whether or not this is the case will become apparent if I ever do a track day.


I'd also be worried if a car's braking system *wasn't* capable of throwing you forward and locking the seatbelt should you stab the pedal in an emergency :)
 
[TW]Fox;22516177 said:
Everybody does bang on about BMW brakes being rubbish but frankly I've found mine to be absolutely excellent.
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I'd agree with this although the handbrakes are very poor IMO.
 
Berger said:
Yeah I realise this too, if you think of a push a bike wheel, stopping it from the outside of the wheel is easier than grabbing it at the hub.

I should have said mainly for heat absorption :)

Running a larger disc increases rotating mass, offset slightly by running an alloy bell, but as small a disc as is reasonably practicable without overheating the disc or pad is best.

The best brakes I have used were a set that some friends and I had developed and machined to suit the Rover turbos, 320mm disc (solid to keep costs down) with Brembo 4 pots from the 406 Coupe. Some careful maths ensured the master cylinder/piston sizes matched up closely to OE, keeping pedal travel as it should have been. Amazing pedal feel and adjustability.

Second best were OE Peugeot brakes on my 306 Rallye with DS2500 pads and Brembo discs. I actually had two sets of these, one which I bedded in myself as per the instructions which were excellent, and another which were on the car when I bought it which were never quite as good.
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Out of interest how did you work out the master cylinder business with the rover.
I'm interested in making sure my pedal travel is the same when I swap brakes on the 306. :)
 
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