What Brakes

[Nova_Tek]

I recently bought a set of ATE Calipers off a MK3 Astra GSi - 256 x 24.

Now soon Im thinking to do a conversion... but not 100% sure if its gonna be an XE/XEV or a LET. Now for the XE these brake will be fine but what about the LET?

Will this size be OK to stop the beast? I have 15" rims so fitting the larger 288mm V6 items will be ok but will mean that I bought the current set for nothing.

Plus, its very possible that next summer me and the car will be going to live outside the UK so part wise it will be even more difficult to get specialist or modified bits like 4 stud 288 disks.

Which is why I ask :thumb:

PS Sorry for rambling on :)

[Welsh Dan]

The 256's with good pads should be enough to stop you.

[Dar]

Xen0phobiak is 100% correct. The breaks are more than man enough to stop you.

[craig green]

I wouldnt want 256's on a LET IMO. I used to crave bigger on my 1.6T its amazing how much more speed a turbo motor can generate between bends.

288's are so heavy though, + the slave cylinder is bigger again than the 256's so pedal feel will suffer.

I say have some brackets made & use 256's on some bigger discs, FIAT ones or even Merc A class discs I've seen used before.

[Dar]

Good discs, pads & fluid are a must! If you can stamp on the breaks and lock the wheels then your brakes are good enough. If you are getting brake fade and you already have decent discs, pads & fluid then it's time to upgrade.

I used to run mine on 256mm discs. For the first part of its life they were standard and I got brake fade after a few laps. Finally one of the pads disintergrated under brakeing, scary stuff!!!

So I put some grooved discs on, used Mintex M1144 pads and put decent brake fluid in and never had a problem after that.

The only reason I am now running 288mm discs is because they were cheap and I can change the pads easier.

EDIT: Although CG's idea of bigger discs with ATE calipers isn't a bad one at all.

[Stuart]

the VX runs 288mm all round with very small AP 2 pot calipers up front. This is more than enough for the turbo version which can get some stonking speed between bends.

I loved the Mintex 1144's I had the only niggle was they wore out too fast (by that I mean I got 9 months out of a set but that was 15Kmiles including a lot of b-Road terrorism)
Ive now got Performance Friction Braking 97 spec pads all round. and my WOW they are a world better than the 1144's, time will tell if they last longer but initial thoughts are good as they dont dust as much and can get some uber uber heat in (but you MUST MUST have good fluid to cope)

ATE Super Blue fluid is very good and still "cheap" in terms of performance fluid and I think Oli said that its the same composition as AP 600 fluid if you can get that easier.

[Nova_Tek]

Thanx for the replies.

Reading whats been said 256's with good pads/disks is good enough so any upgarde in the variables would be an improvment.

I was going to use braided hoses up front, higher performance fluid plus at least good quality pads maybe EBC and probably at least GM disks. The car will be purely road use but there some lovely bends in Cyprus that im gonna be tempted to take :D

In terms of the engine if I stick a LET in there apart from simple mods such as exhaust & filter, want the engine to be standard. If I was gonna be running mega power out the LET then Id go for much larger items.

:thumb:

[craig green]

Stu, did the 1144's eat discs aswell or are the pads soft, so to speak?

[Welsh Dan]

I was going to use braided hoses up front, higher performance fluid plus at least good quality pads maybe EBC and probably at least GM disks.

If you decide to use braided flexi lines, use them on all 4 corners. EBC pads aren't rated too highly on here either.

[Adam]

Avoid ebc green stuff.

[Stuart]

Stu, did the 1144's eat discs aswell or are the pads soft, so to speak?


discs were no more worn than I'd have expected from 15K on OEM pads really.


its well regarded that the 1144's are softer and do their job very very well (plus being cheap helps too :) .... as a rough guide I paid ?65 for 1155's for nova/corsa gsi fitting pads about 2 years back)

[Mike]

Avoid ebc green stuff.

Agreed, utter turd IMHO.

My SR killed a set in under 5 months, lasted around 5kmiles. Mintex M1144's ARE where its at :thumb: alot of poeple on here use them, myself included, and TBH i pretty much swear by them for a modified or even standard road car

[Stuart]

yep 1144's are the tits for the cash involved :D
They dont transfer heat into the caliper as much as these new pads ive got which means you HAVE to have decent discs (even non funky GM discs would do)

[blue_peg_16v]

i run willwood dynalites with 280mm discs found the 256mm ate combo to be in adiqate got a lot of brake fade, was running tarrox discs and pads and i think that might of been the reason wasnt too impressed didnt seem much better than the standard vauxhall stuff, the four pots are awsome though

[Nova_Tek]

In which case seeing as EBC stuff isnt well recomended here whats a decent pad to go for?

fairly cheap so I can buy a few sets to take over as spares.

Also Was thinking to go for maybe cross-drilled or grooved disks to aid in braking just to improve things a little further.

Many Thanx

[Dan]

alot would depend on what discs and pads from tarox you run, as with like many things there are cheaper options and the not so cheap stuff.

witht eh normla 256mm ate setup I use the tarox 40 groove discs with matching track pads (unsure of exact code/model) and have never had fade from them on a trackday in the last few years of running them (same set). More than enough force to late brake my thing lol

[Nova_Tek]

When I say cheap I dont mean in the way of ?6 pads and ?10 disks lol

Just an upgrade to OE stuff really. If I need to buy say 3 sets of pads and 2 sets of disks then i dont wanna be spending a fortune as things will be tight dosh wise :)

Maybe a quick blast around websites is the key to get an idea.

:thumb:

[Nova_Tek]

I know that EBC isnt very well received on here but how would the EBC Ultimax (Black) pads compare to OE GM stuff?

They seem kinda cheap wondering if anyone has used them and maybe theres a reason for the cheap price

[Welsh Dan]

If something is cheap there is always a good reason.

According to this: http://www.ebcbrakesdirect.com/car/parts_pad.asp?part=pad&make=VAUXHALL&model=Astra%2FBelmont&year=2%2E0+%2895%2D98%29
...the black pads are OEM replacement, in which case I'd get proper GM ones.

[Stuart]

ebc discs are "ok" their pads are toilet on small cars (I had greens on my omega and they were awesome and lasted ages.... but on the VX they were dire)

Mintex 1144's are the best for the budget.

[Nova_Tek]

Dudes anyone used the OMP sports pads and OMP F2 Disks grooved & drilled?. Also any gen on Black Diamond Predator pads?

Just been visiting some sites tryna get ideas and prices.

I need a 'brake', ooooo bad joke lol

:thumb: