up grading brakes.

[tazsport69]

hi thier, i am about to up grade my brakes on my nova 1.3sr project.

in the past i have used 2.0 cav gsi setup on the front but i found they wern't as good as i thought they would be?

i av been suggested 1.6 astra mk3 1ns.

any 1 got any suggestoin's ?? an a suit able servo setup to match.:thumb:

[big gra]

theres no point changing to bigger brakes if you dont change the servo, there just poo.

cav 2.0 brakes are always good and easy to get hold of at a scrappy, and a nova gsi sevo will be fine.

[Welsh Dan]

The servo has nothing to do with it, the servo just makes it easier to press the pedal.

The braking setup is only as good as the pads, if you used cheap motor factor pads they wont be anywhere near as good as m1144's or suchlike.

[meritlover]

drum brakes all-round are the way forward.

[Jack]

Mr Meritlover has a very valid point. Drum brakes can be painted bright colours, and as anyone knows, painted drums = +50bhp.


theres no point changing to bigger brakes if you dont change the servo, there just poo.
My V6 calipers say otherwise :D

[tazsport69]

ok i mentoind servo's coz of mine was a 1.0 and i thought a slighty larger 1 would be a good thought whilst changing the brakes.

iv aslo got to remba im goin to run 14 astra gte wheels or compitmoves,
and use the 15 for day to day runing etc.

[meritlover]

14 astra gte wheels will require a very large trailer/wheel transporter.

but seriously, 14" wheels will limit your disc/caliper selection to an absolute minimum.

servos dont make the brakes better, they just make the pedal require less energy from your foot (the total force on the brakes is the same with or without a servo)

all the servos in the world wont compensate for brakes of poorness.

[tazsport69]

ok. im not sure wot to do with the nova at the mo. wetha to use it as a day car, or do navi runs in it etc aswel::) i will have to up-load pic's an see what u guy's fink ov it??:eek:

[Dod]

Have you bled your brakes properly??

[craig green]

Astra/Cav 16v stuff is fine unless running over 200bhp IMO.

Use better pads in future & maybe check your MC is OK or the fluid is fresh/not aged.

The best improvement to a Novas brakes without going silly would be a 22mm bore MC of some description. This will bring the brakes upto Astra GTE 16v spec (if using rear discs) which is pretty awesome on a car as light as a Nova. It will also mean V6 calipers & such like will work to their optimum whilst retaining a good pedal feel.

[Dod]

Cav 16v items are dead on, the pads and discs are dirt cheap for replacement items. Chances are they need to be bled or have the Discs or Pads replaced. After that, also remember the discs need to be bedded in which should take a while to do. but if you've all this done correctly, theres no reason it shouldnt be ok.

[craig green]

I've driven Novas where 16v stuff felt pants. I've no idea why but my mates XE had the same brake setup as my GSi. Std 1600 cars with 16v fr stoppers & green stuff pads. His car had spongier pedal feel & required far more pressure from your leg to haul it up. Mine felt so much more positive.

I'd suggest a recon MC.

[tazsport69]

yeah iv been thinking abwt atrsa 1.6 or 1.8 disc's n caliper's etc n may b 4 now n a set of MINTEX pads:D :D for the front, and leaving the bk std but iv alway's serviced them regular.

[garethcolley]

Im running V6 284mm on the front on my LET. Stops no problem, bought them brand new for £250 with new calipers and fast road pads. They squeeze under my Compo TH 15's aswell.

[mikey14sr]

My 256x24mm brakes allways seemed to have a slightly longer feel to the pedal, but even with cheap pads they stopped the SR more than quick enough, I'd had a few members almost hit the windscreen when demonstrating them!

1.6, 1.8 mk3 astra front brakes are 256x24mm if they've come off a 16v version, according to the box that my last set of discs came in.

[tazsport69]

aww nice1 cant wai to find a decent set cheap now lol lol

when i had the cav brakes they were a bit ott an actid like like ancor's from the titanic lollol an they were very very easy to lock up easpecily in the wet!! but iv seen astra brakes 1 or 2 now an they seem to work better for the nova's

with the
smaler engines etc. it would b totalt diff i fink if a 2.0 16v was goin in?

[mikey14sr]

Mine were actually off a 2.0 8v cav, like i say they took a bit of extra movement to get biting, but when they did, they were quite controllable before locking up, if anything, I'd say that having a slightly softer feel to the pedal due to the different m/c to caliper ratio actually gave better control of the braking.

[Dod]

DO NOT TEXT TYPE PLEASE!!!!

Its also worth spending a few quid and getting Braided Brake lines as they reduce the swell in the Hose when braking and so shorted your brake pedel.