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View Full Version : Rear disc conversion, yay or nay?


Rob77
23-01-06, 05:26 PM
On a 20XE Nova, is a rear disc conversion advisable?

Will be on 305mm discs at the front.

Any opinions?

Rob.
Adam
23-01-06, 05:28 PM
Well, they look cool :D
but imo not really worth bothering.

Drums do the job fine.

305s should be well up to the job of stopping the car easily.
novatek
23-01-06, 05:36 PM
iv got a back axle 2 go on mine wen its been painted

just looks sexy, and easier to change pads rather than shoes :lol:
Rob77
23-01-06, 05:53 PM
I heard that the discs often need an air bubble in to stop them locking up too easily...

Is this true?

Rob.
Lee
23-01-06, 06:30 PM
Youll need a bias regulator to set them up right. Wouldnt recommend an air bubble :lol:

get a new set of drums and give em a coat of laquer to keep them looking fresh!
Rob77
23-01-06, 06:33 PM
Youll need a bias regulator to set them up right. Wouldnt recommend an air bubble :lol:

Must have been an old wives tale that was nonsense then!

Rob.
Austin_Nova16
24-01-06, 01:24 PM
Just putting the finishes touches to my rear beam using golf stub axles. Will post up how it goes, but it really is a lot simpler than the weighty vauxhall set-up.

I used to run a vaux disked rear beam, but went back to drums after finding they didn't make it feel any better than drums.
craig green
24-01-06, 04:10 PM
I feel sick just looking at my drums.....

What half decent performance car came with drums as std?
beavy69
24-01-06, 05:31 PM
Hey Bottlethroddy:

If you get massive breaks for the front and leave the back as drums, can you just whak em straight on or do you have to use a bias regulator for that too?
Adam
24-01-06, 05:43 PM
You only need a Bias valve for Rear brakes, to prevent them locking up before the fronts do.

You can fit any brakes on the front without using any kind of bias valves.
jamie gsi16v
24-01-06, 05:52 PM
no way, ask skud about rear discs lol, i had them once and without a bias valve they just send you in a spin if you jump on them too hard, they look good but theres more disadvantages than advantages, plus your handbrake never works very well atall!
beavy69
24-01-06, 06:07 PM
Jamie, Bottlethroddy was talking about only changing the front disks for better ones and not changing the rear. i.e leaving the rear as drums.

But yes it seems you do need the brake bias valve if you change the rears for disks as well.
jbowman
24-01-06, 07:20 PM
I have a cav rear disc beam on my astra with cav gsi set up up front, the rears will lock up when u jump on the brakes but most of the braking (70 to 80%) will be done on the front brakes anyway. Having discs on the nova will jus make it too skitish under heavy breaking and do more damage than good - but they do look good.
Rob77
24-01-06, 07:24 PM
Fair enough, will stick with the drums at the moment then!

Rob.
beavy69
24-01-06, 07:36 PM
One of my drums locks up on the slippy shit at the bottom of my road but I think Ijust need a new brake cylinder lol
dan16v
24-01-06, 10:20 PM
most of the probs seem to come from people runnning 16v front brakes which are crap any way! a decent 300+mm front set up shouldnt be a problem! im now on disk rear with 308mm 4pot fronts.
Rob77
24-01-06, 10:55 PM
Do you use a bias valve Dan?
jamie gsi16v
25-01-06, 09:29 AM
[quote="beavy69"]Jamie, Bottlethroddy was talking about only changing the front disks for better ones and not changing the rear. i.e leaving the rear as drums.[quote="beavy69"]

we are replying to rob77 thread as he started it, suggest you start your own thread if you want to no about something else.
jbowman
25-01-06, 11:38 AM
To stop the rears locking up you need a brake compensator found on the rear beam of a GSi, GTE or Cav with disccs. Without it the braking system wont be able to define between front and rear. This means to much brake bias to the rear, idealy you want 70:30 front to rear braking.
You can get a brake adjuster kit or brake bias valve from your local performance parts shop of demon tweeks should have one.
CorsaCruiser
29-01-06, 09:44 PM
they look good but theres more disadvantages than advantages, plus your handbrake never works very well atall!

:bull****: if u ask me, i've had them on for 3 months, using the original bias valves that were on my nova van:
(3/30), and they never lock up, tried it in the dry, wet and at different speeds
(up to 60 and then braking to a standstill).
I've got astra 16V brakes up front and astra discs on the back, the handbrakes have been adjusted and
are brilliant, better than my old original drums which can't be adjusted as tight as the astra ones.
(got an MDF floor with sub&amp in the back, probably around 25-30 Kg in the back)

Howto (http://www.migweb.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=240889) convert to discs :thumb: