5 replies to this topic

[MINIMADMATT1275]

Hia all
After recently installing a fairly high spec 1380 engine in my 1985 mayfair i have decided that i need to have a look at the brakes, at the moment i have got 8.4" twin pot calipers, solid disks and a servo!
the brakes are shocking at the moment and need something doing with them because they hardly work and wont even lock up under hard braking on loose gravel!!!!


My question is that, what should the braking set up that i have got be like? and are 4 pot metro brakes a worthwhile upgrade, or is there not much difference?
I was thinking that in good condition the brakes that i have got should be more than good enough, is this right?
If so would it make em any better for a new set of caliper seals, maybe new pistons and some "uprated" pads. and also a new set of seals in the master cylinder? the rear brakes were completly renewed a couple of months ago so they are fine!
I am trying to keep it cheapish but they need to work well enough to stop the car with the higher power engine and most imporatantly be safe!!!!!

Thanks.

[satvinder]

ive got metro 4 pots, drilled groved and vented disks, green stuff pads. they are the beans, they are amasing if you do alot of stupid driving under hard brakeing.. love them. goo for it.


need new drive flandges tho as the calipers are quite chunky.

[MINIMADMATT1275]

ive got metro 4 pots, drilled groved and vented disks, green stuff pads. they are the beans, they are amasing if you do alot of stupid driving under hard brakeing.. love them. goo for it.


need new drive flandges tho as the calipers are quite chunky.

Hi thanks for the relpy!

Does anyone know weather you have to change the drive flanges for the non vented type and does that mean that you can keep the mini 8.4" disk or do you have to use metro disks and drive flanges?

With the vented is it only the drive flanges, disks, hoses and bolts that you have to swap or are there other things like the hubs, wheel bearings ect?

cheers

[satvinder]

you will have to change the hoses for metro 4 pots anyway as the 4 pots have 2 inlets for the fluid. and 3 bleed nipples

not sure about the drive flange for non vented. got a feeling you will tho as the metro 4pots i think can susport vented and non vented. and yap you can keep the disks

[jaydee]

Does anyone know weather you have to change the drive flanges for the non vented type and does that mean that you can keep the mini 8.4" disk or do you have to use metro disks and drive flanges?

With the vented is it only the drive flanges, disks, hoses and bolts that you have to swap or are there other things like the hubs, wheel bearings ect?

You need a different drive flange for vented discs, hubs and wheel bearings are the same.
Anyway u'll see a big improvement simply fitting non vented discs 4 pot calipers, with new rotors and EBC pads, no need to change drive flanges in this case. Vented discs are just to cool down rotors to avoid brake fading and pad deposit, u definately need them if u stress a lot brakes.
Apart from brake upgrades, a cheap way to increase braking efficency (and safety too) is to change the standard rubber hoses (braided hoses wont let any water coming into you system) and change fluid each year (i do it usually in spring, just after the rainy winter).

[bigmotherwhale]

KAD 4 pots , thats the only thing id put on my car if i had the money

vented disks are not needed on a mini if you ask me, unless your running 10s where the disk diameter is small

they add a huge ammount of unsprung weight and do very little to improve stopping as the pads will have trouble getting up to temperature, sounds odd but brakes work best when there hot (the best temp depends on the pad) "racing" pads will have a higher ideal temp than road pads

unless you stopping from 100mph every min or two like on a track i would go for non vented, im sure there are people on here that know more about this than me,

at the moment im running standard 8.4 disks and calipers with stainless pistons with drilled and grooved disks with a servo,

idealy i would want no servo with kad 4 pots and non vented disks that way there nice and light and have a good "feel", i had an opertunity to get metro 4 pots but once i held them and felt their weight i thought no way! that and the silly bleeding and hoses, better off spending the money there.

Edited by bigmotherwhale, 15 May 2009 - 07:04 PM.