New Front Discs

[DaveP]

It's time for new front discs & pads on my 16v Ectotec, and I'm not sure if I should just get standard ones, or grooved/drilled discs. (I may get 17's at some point).

I'm not looking for the best brakes in the world, but if I can improve them a bit for a sensible price, I'd be interested.
I've got a budget of £100 for new front discs (the rear discs are ok), plus pads all round & new fluid. Is this a reasonable budget?

I've seen some grooved front discs on E-bay (item no 7915489632) but I'm not sure if they're any good. They appear quite regularly and sell for about £40-50 for the pair. Has anybody ever used them, or could you suggest reasonably priced alternatives?

Any advice at all would be appreciated.

Thanks

[Smurf]

I recently bought a set of new front discs and pads for my V6 (which are bigger than the 16v's) for about £45 all in. That was from Vauxhall using the trade club discount you get from joining Club Calibra.

[c1emm]

i would never trust 2nd hand brakes

[BenW]

I changed the front disks and pads on my 16v Eco for £40, like Neil using the CC trade club account. Admittedley though they are still pretty crap, so maybe some bigger/better ones might be in order next time!

Welcome by the way

[SukySaggi]

I bought black diamond disks, x drilled and groved, original equipment pads, new brake sensors and fluid. Total cost was nearer £200.
Don't risk it when it comes to brakes

[DaveP]

The discs on E-bay are brand new, not second hand. Sorry if I didn't make that clear. I would never buy second hand brakes. They are sold quite regularly, so it must be a trader.

<a href="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=23013&item=7915489632&rd=1" target="_blank">http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...489632&rd=1</a>

I just wondered if anybody had fitted these themselves, and if they liked/disliked them.

I don't want to fit larger discs because of the hassle/cost even though they would be an improvement. I appreciate the comment about not compromising on brakes, but I'm quite an easy-going driver, so the standard set-up would be acceptable.

I just thought that I could improve things a little while still staying within my budget, and I must say that the looks of the grooved discs appealed also.

I'd be quite prepared to stick with the standard set-up, or fit standard discs with better pads, but any alternative suggestions would be welcome while still staying in my budget of £100. Thanks.

[SukySaggi]

DaveP

The disks do look good and for about £60 you can't really go wrong. Find out what make they are and check the net for any info about them. [img]/smile.gif[/img]

[PUMBA]

Hi Dave,
Get normal disks and pads, why because the brakes on the calli are very good.
I went for my annual road check at the end of June and my V6 under heavy braking was pulling -1 g of gravity.

On a road car drilled and grooved brakes don't offer any benefit, there really only good for race cars, as they dissipate heater quicker which is ideal for racing situations. In fact they also wear your brake pads quicker as they shave of a slight amount of pad off constantly, their is also reduced contact surface which means less braking grip as opposed to the standard flat surface.

If your soley after goods looks go for the drilled and grooved disc's.

If you get premium after market pads, I mean the good stuff not just the pricey stuff, their composite usually has a higher content of metal in it. That means they will bit even better under hard braking than standard pads, but the down side is that you will have to change the disc's more often, why? Because the pads will wear out the disc's quicker.

On standard brakes the disc wear out the pads, not the other way around that's why replacing the disc's is a very uncommon thing. My calli has done 105,000 km, adn I haven't changed the disc's yet.

P.S. It might be a better idea to uprate to 17's, which have a combined tyre & wheel mass that is lighter than you current setup.
This will mean the car will perform better, why? By reducing the sprung weight on your suspension will mean the wheels wil spend more time on the road as the wheels will rebound quicker.
The momentum will also be reduced because of the reduced weight and so your brakes will be able to stop the wheel from rotating quicker.

HTH