brakes

[ben lee]

what are 256mm and 288mm brakes like on a nova useing a 1400sr servo/master clyinder?

on my astra i whent from 256mm to 288mm and pedal trave incresed and perferd 256mm

is it poss to fit a bigger mastercylinder? to reduce pedal traval?

[Adam]

256mm are fine, and work perfectly good with a decent pad/disc setup.
288mm are ghey imo, pedal to the floor etc. Altho a lot of people have had no problems....

I've heard you can fit a old astra MC(larger bore for more fluid movement), but tbh, i'd stick with 256m.
OR 284 turbo brakes, as they have a smaller caliper piston, giving improved pedal travel, but still use large discs....

[ben lee]

was also thinking of makeing up a bracket to mont a 256mm caliper to run 288mm discs or even 308mm discs.

[Adam]

I dont see how much of a gain that would give, as the caliper would still have the same braking force and pad area.... Maybe reduce fade slightly due to a larger disc.

256 usually suffice for most nova's, even track cars etc. Plus there lighter than larger Gm brakes.

[ben lee]

more braking effort and more heat deplacement and also will look good.

[Adam]

Effort will be exactly the same no?
As the pad/piston size has not changed.

[ben lee]

if its the same why do vauxhall yoy the same calipers on 288mm and 308mm setups?

its like useing a small bar and long bar to undo wheel nuts.

[Adam]

I cant answer your first question.

But yeah they would disperse heat more.

But i dont think braking force would change at all, if you have a 60mm pad on a 200mm disc, or on a 300mm disc, the pads/caliper would be pushing onto the disc with exactly the same force/surface area?

The only benefit would be more the disc is physically larger to transmit more heat...


If im wrong, someone please correct me. :)

[Driver]

^^ didnt really get the above statement

but heres how it if iirc

brakes are about leverage so even 1.2 calipers with spacers and big disks will be an improvment

hi spec do a kit to turn your 256mm setup to 280 which includes disks, spacers and pads

[Sirnixalot]

if you move the point where a clamping force is applied perpendicular to a rotating mass towards the outer edge then you can slow the mass "faster" with the same force.

The 16v calipers would apply more force on the 288mm disk compared to the 256mm disk but this only works up to a point, though i doubt this isnt the case, the rotating mass may be too great for the given force to even stop, your pad choice may be more important using the 16v calipers with the v6 disks than if you were using 16v with 16v and v6 with v6. To be fair its probably not THAT criticle, but with any brake upgrade...who wants to use motor factor pads? Defeats the purpose (unless your broke like me).


i think i might have blinded me with science lol

[Welsh Dan]

I cant answer your first question.

But yeah they would disperse heat more.

But i dont think braking force would change at all, if you have a 60mm pad on a 200mm disc, or on a 300mm disc, the pads/caliper would be pushing onto the disc with exactly the same force/surface area?

The only benefit would be more the disc is physically larger to transmit more heat...


If im wrong, someone please correct me. :)

You'd have the same force, on the same pad, but with more 'leverage' because of the larger radius. Its the same principle as better acceleration with smaller wheels&tyres :thumb:.

[Sirnixalot]

THATS what i was trying to say but couldnt think of how to word it

[SRlew]

while this is here, is there away of reducing the pedal travel then? iv got 256mm set up

[Sirnixalot]

fitting a larger master cylinder will help reduce the pedal travel, other than that your pretty much outta luck

[Adam]

You'd have the same force, on the same pad, but with more 'leverage' because of the larger radius. Its the same principle as better acceleration with smaller wheels&tyres :thumb:.
Ahh right,k.


Lew-You should have no travel problems on 256, pedal sit be hardly any lower than std brakes.

[SRlew]

well i put a gsi cylinder/servo on. tbh im not sure what the standard brake travel was like, but mine is quiet bad tbh

[Sirnixalot]

the servo wont change pedal travel, just how easy it is for the pedal to be pressed.

the master cylinder however will affect pedal travel depending on size