Hi, Looking to buy some new front and rear callipers, discs and pads this week. Although I only have a small budget I hope to get something better than my Sierra Brakes.
Has anyone bought brakes recently and what sort of price will I need to spent.
I have a bike engine car and will only be using it on the road. (no track days).
Advice needed on what type off brakes and where to buy.
Cheers Rob.

Don't know how much they are, but wilwood are good and light. Quite cheap for what they are too.

Anything light is gona cost. Dont know about Wilwood, but Hi spec ultra lights are about 1200 squids for front and rear calipers, bells and discs and pads.

Why would you want better then what youve got if you dont intend to track the car? The Sierra stoppers are designed to pull up a car weighing probably twice that of a BEC, so more then adequate for road use I would have thought.

if i was in your situation, my first modification would be mintex 1144 pads. I was recommended to use them and am eternally amazed by how good they are. Crazy bite and seemingly completely fade proof.

Second would be to save weight by going onto thinner unvented discs. For track, use drilled and grooved if you want, probably not needed for road use.

Thirdly would be to get some aluminium calipers, however, i dont believe this is a worthwhile investment for road use since the weight is not crucial here.

on a BEC it simportant to keep the weight down but also the un sprung mass..

this should be a relevant number on a bec with almost no weight...

sow going to normal discs and alu stoppers will take away quet some suspension ballast wich will give you better conform!!

Tks

by changing to normal discs the rotating mass is also lower!

I have standard sierra discs all round. They stop my BEC really well. With better pads you'd have all the brake force you'd ever need.

Making the calipers out of alloy doesn't make them stop the car any quicker. Generally, it is your tyres that determine the maximum deceleration of your car, not the calipers.

I am changing the calipers because the sierra are starting to rust and are a little past it I think.

If you are on a limited budget, make sure that your existing brakes are in good condition and use Mintex pads as Joel says. Exchange calipers are very reasonable and well worth it.

If you want bling then go for alloy calipers etc. you won't feel much difference on the road but you'll feel aa big difference in the pocket

Cheers

Mark

I've got M16 front calipers and sierra 4x4 rear calipers and fitted ferodo DS2500 pads to front and rear calipers. I use the car on the track and find this upgrade ( about £140) very cheap for the braking performance i've gained.

They look like Green Stuff groved and Vented disks in you picture archive?.
If there standard sierra size I would have thought there more than enough.

In our Pinto engined car its usually the tyres that give up the grip before the brakes are lacking, and we've just got the standard disks with groves machined in and standard pads.
I would have thought better set of pads would be more than enough?.

(Also is it possible to have too high a spec pads for road use that they take a while to heat up? i.e you really have to jump on them before they start to bite?)

Rob, have a look at the caprisport website and have alook at their brake upgrade kits, they use standard ford stuff, and may well be worth a tel call to them for your specific needs,
I'm thinking of upgrading using one of their kits , once I've swopped engines,
I'm using mintex pads at the min in M16 calipers, which have vastly improved the brakes for now,
Incidently a mate of mine recently fitted lightweight 4 pots to his Mk, and was dissapointed with the results ,
as has been recommended , swop pads first , then upgrade to bigger calipers / discs if you feel the need to, you may also have to fit a bigger brake master cylinder too!!
Regards,
Greg

Thanks for the help, I take a look at the caprisport site.

Cheer Rob

Had a look at caprisport, I think I would like a new set od wilwood. seem a good price.
Anyone using them on a kit. (any good)
I had a look at the wilwood site. not sure which will fit the sierra upright. ?
Help

Just as an asside to anyone wanting to fit 1144s with 240mm plain discs.
I was fully intending to do the same, but the pads are £75 a set for the 240 standard discs vs about £30 for the vented and 260mm ones.

Greenstuff are about £28 a set for all of them.
Despite hearing poor reports about greenstuff pads (mostly from here) I gave them a whirl and they have been fine. No excess wear, no excess noise and work well from cold. Certainly better than standard but not I suspect as good as DS or 1144s.

Rgds

Rich

Don't look at Pagids then, my pads cost me over £100 just for the front set

I had Greenstuff before those actually, and the Pagids (RS15) are a world better for feel and lack of wear on disks as well as pads, although they should be for that money!

[Edited on 11/8/06 by ChrisGamlin]