help brakes?

[womble sri]

my standard brakes began to get really bad i put this down to them being worn but i have now upgraded them to astra gte brakes and there no better its a '89 1.4sr would i need to change the servo/master cylinder?

[Adam]

Have you bled them?
Is the pedal spongey?

256mm brakes should be way better than your 1989 1400SR ones, as they are bigger and ATE type.

[ally_worsley83]

I fitted GTE brakes on a standard SR, so the upgrade was basically just vented discs which were slightly bigger. There was not much improvement until I had to replace the servo, apparently using the standard servo on bigger calipers means more strain, so mine died, luckily for me at the bottom of a large hill!

The bigger GSI/GTE servo gives much greater braking pressure and for me made all the difference!

[tappingt]

Is that what i will have to do then, i have 2.0ltr Vectra discs and calipers on my 1.0ltr?

[Jon_nova1]

why have you got 2L brakes on a 1L :lol:

[novatek]

you never know if your gunna drive off a cliff lol

[tappingt]

why have you got 2L brakes on a 1L :lol:

Because the pistons had seized and the pads were badly worn so i needed to buy new calipers and for what it was worth getting some Vectra ones from a scrappy was worthwhile, and for future purposes as i will be dropping a 2ltr 16v in. Do i need to upgrade my servor?

[novatek]

no need to upgrade the servo mate (as long as yours works)

and like long live the nova said - make sure you bleed the system, get all the air out

[Ste L]

dont have to upgrade it, but will give even better braking with the bigger servo from a gte/gsi/sri

[Philsutton]

just press the pedal a bit harder you pansies

[Adam]

My 16v brakes are fine with the standard 1.2 servo.
You have put the calipers and springs on the right way haven't you? Bleed nipples at the top of the caliper.

[tappingt]

well i have blead the brakes succesfully and have all the air out of the system, would that mean i have put them on the right way?

[Adam]

Why?
Do you have a problem with pedal travel as well?

If the pedal is nice and hard when the engine is off, and doesn't sink to the floor if you hold it down, then they should be fine.

[Dar]

Not sure if there is an element of sarcasm there, but just in-case there isn't. You can still bleed the breaks until all the air stops coming out. Even if the bleed nipples are the wrong way around. However you won't have got the air at the top of the caliper.

So to avoid any doubt, here is a piccy of the 2l breaks with the bleed nipple in the right place. If yours are in the same place then job jobbed. If not whip them off and swap them around and re-bleed the system.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v485/DPursey/DSC00072.jpg

Also the servo only helps breaking like power steering helps steering. If your breaks really arn't that good, its possible that you may need to look at the master cylinder. Just another point, make sure that the sliders for the floating caliper run nice and free (They are the shiny bits that hold the caliper to the carrier).

Hope this helps
D

[tappingt]

yep thanks for the help think ive done it ok!