Some Braking Questions...

[Dan the 480 Man]

Ok.

I've been perusing the forum for a while now, and i have some questions.

I'm soon to be the owner of a Rich Mod, so i'm going to be giving the whole (or as much as ££ allow) braking system an overhaul. It's been ok up to know, but pads are getting low front and rear, the fluid looks the same colour as Murf's Tesco savers Coke , and as there will be another 40/50hp under my right foot, stopping has become quite an important issue with my girlf...i mean me.

All my cars have had OE brakes from the first day i could drive, so now i'm going to treat myself to an uprated setup.

I want to get some after market discs. I've been looking at these by Black Diamond, and they seem like a pretty good buy. I have heard in the past that some brake discs can shatter, but i can't remember which sort it is. Is it Drilled or Grooved? And which are the better for heat dissapation? Obviously i don't want too much, if any, brake fade. I drive reasonably round town, not a maniac or anything so i want some that will be good at heating up quickly-but at the same time, i drive quite fast on the carriageway, and i am a self confessed late breaker, so i don't want anything that's going to get too hot and not perform well under heavy braking.

Secondly-Pads. I noticed that mine are getting low, and quite quickly too. And low and behold, what name did i find on the receipt in my service wallet? Ferodo, which just confirmed to me they are pants. They were crap on my 440, and according to the service when they were changed (August last year), they have only covered 5k and there aint much left! So, i'd like some better pads to go with the discs. I've read a fair bit on here about EBC pads. Now, if i'm using uprated disc's, would it be better to go for uprated pads (i.e. 'Green Stuff'), or just regular road pads? I think Chris1roll was using Volvo pads and said they were ok with his disc's, but has anybody had a pair to compare to uprated pads? And as my rears are low too, would they need to be replaced matching the fronts or would standard OE pads be ok?? Can anybody recommend some good uprated Pad's?

Thirdly-brake fluid. what's the difference between all these Dot 5.1 etc? I have to confess, i don't really understand it all. If i'm planning an uprated setup, what would be the best fluid to use, and how do they vary? Is there any that would damage my system or that wouldn't work?

Fourth (and final ), can anybody tell me-are Black Diamond discs really black?? Oh, and one more thing-can anybody recommend a decent p[lace to get disc's from, or a decent but cheap stockist maybe?

Sorry for all the questions, but as it's a very important thing the 'ol braking system, i thought i'd get as much info as possible!

[martinholmesuk]

i did a thread in the brakes bit about discs/pads

[Dan the 480 Man]

Ok, so that answers a few questions. It would seem Grooved discs are better and less likely to shatter, MBC fast road pads or EBC Green/Red Stuff are the pads to be looking for...

What are peoples personal experiences with them then?

[VanDerGraaf]

Dan, i think drilled discs are the ones that can crack- those grooved vented discs look pretty good to me! You don't sound like a nutter driver so i'm sure they will be more than satisfactory- though i must stress i have no personal experience of them!

As to the pads, i don't think you can get the EBC Greenstuff for the 480, but the standard Blackstuff pads are well liked by Catgroom, i think i'll try those myself.
Don't think the rear pads/discs are worth getting anything other than standard for as there is never too much brake load on them really.

Fluid- all 480s were originally equipped with dot 4, dot 5.1 tends to have a higher boiling point which means less chance of brake fade , which can only be a good thing.
Your car being a 93 may be ok for 5.1 (early cars wont like that in their brake system as it corrupts the seals) but i'm not really sure. Lee runs 5.1 in his 93 turbo and has been fine.
But as Murf said, you can get dot 4 fluid which has a high boiling point like a 5.1. I'm sure someone else will fill in more on the tech details of these.

I have no idea if the Black Diamond pads are black but it would be fun if they were!

Hope my limited knowledge is of some use to you!

Rohan

[ReVolvoLution]

I would have put grooved on mine but they squeal like a bitch at the best of times... Especially if you dont use the car regularly and all the brake dust and rust hits the grooves it just makes them even worse!

Standard disks, good pads and fluid should be good enough and only cost a fraction of the price. If you want to improve on that then look at bigger disks and calipers

[catgroom]

Dan I have used a rich mod now for 70000.The original braking system is more than adequate.I have just put EBC black stuff kevlar pads on recently as you know,a cheap ebay buy.You cant get red/green/yellow stuff pads for the 400s.
This is a shame!!!

[Brasco]

I'm gonna put grooved black diamond discs when I replace. Can't hurt.