Big Brake Upgrade

[GarLaf]

I have a GX with grooved discs, redstuffs and braided hoses. Although better than standard I still feel that the brakes are very underperforming for such a quick car. I was considering a GPX upgrade which is not too expensive. With the sterling value against the euro I am now looking at the wilwood kit or the brembo kit from freaky. I would love to hear the views of those who have upgraded , pros -cons ins- outs etc, before I part with my cash.

[colm_mcm]

good review of different brake setups here, Cat seems to know his stuff

[Mitsumaniac]

rb-performance are selling GTO big brake upgrade for FTO with 324mm brake discs for 390pounds + postage

http://www.rb-performance.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/23_35/products_id/330

I`m very tempted I have to say

[miss-enzo]

ill be selling gpx callipers and grooved and dimpled discs after xmas if your interested!!

[GarLaf]

Thanks but I think Im going for a wilwood kit. What are you going for yourself?

[miss-enzo]

evo 5 brembos...... getting evo wishbones and hubs so they can go on tho.... didnt realise it was so much effort but it will totally be worth it!!

[colm_mcm]

do you need different driveshafts then?

[fatboyfat7]

This comes up a bit and to be honest, I dont see the big deal. Personally I dont think the standard brake set up is all that bad. Am I alone on this?

[GarLaf]

The standard set up is terrible on the GX

[Myfeckin FTO]

This comes up a bit and to be honest, I dont see the big deal. Personally I dont think the standard brake set up is all that bad. Am I alone on this?

GPX / GPvR is just about passable with the twin pot set-up on the front calipers and slightly larger discs - GS/GR/GX single pots wouldn't stand up to much if any abuse. Neither set-up would be strong enough for a track day. Regular brake fluid changes, braided hoses and better quality pads will help a lot with the standard set-ups on both mivec and non-mivec FTO's.

Really can't compare to a nice 4 pot set-up (Brembo/AP Racing/KAD/Alcon etc ) on the front though.

[colm_mcm]

Most family 1.4 hatchbacks have better brakes than the FTO ones to be fair.

[Myfeckin FTO]

Most family 1.4 hatchbacks have better brakes than the FTO ones to be fair.

I guess we have to take into account that the FTO was introduced in 1994.
Most modern family hatches also weight a good deal more than the FTO as well.

Probably the biggest advance in braking since 1994 has been in regards to the ABS,Traction control and Stability control systems commonplace on more modern machinery. Still put a big brake kit on the FTO and it will outbrake any of the modern hatches on the road.

[Muad_dib77]

Just thought I'd add that Freaky parts have two options in stock just now..

Wilwood and a "big red" kit..

http://www.freakyparts.co.uk/epages/es1 ... %20Kits%22

I wonder how they compare to the RB-Performance GTO kit..

[Mitsumaniac]

I`d still go for GTO upgrade ... you get 4 pot calippers brackets and 324mm discs for 390

[Muad_dib77]

I`d still go for GTO upgrade ... you get 4 pot calippers brackets and 324mm discs for 390

I think you're forgetting that the GTO kit doesn't come with Pads and they're either 75 or 82gbp ontop and if you fancy braided lines (and you would) they're another 30gbp ontop.. so all in we're talking 495gbp or 502gbp..

now...apply the 5% discount...

495gbp becomes: 471gbp
502gbp becomes: 477gbp

(both rouneded up)

Willwood kit is: 479gbp
Big Red kit: 675gbp

Also it is possibly worth keeping in mind that whereas the Willwoods and the big reds are new the GTO kit contains refurbed calipers.

I haven't a clue what I'd pick..

[Myfeckin FTO]

The GTO upgrade looks to me like the most worthwhile - quality 4 pot calipers with large disks.
AFAIK the Wilwood is just a two pot set-up.

[Dilogoat86]

For the kind of money you'd be spending I think you'd be better off just getting good disks and pads really. The improvment can't be that good over the standard setup, I mean the car was shipped with them. I have grooved and drilled disks with some spurious pad and they stop me well quick. I think it's more about how to brake rather than spending 1k+ on a setup that is FAR to good for the car.

[CJ]

I think the problem with the FTO is its difficult to improve braking significantly by simply upgrading key components, discs pads, lines and new fluid will certainly help but not significantly in my experience. Upgrading the previous list will offer consistent braking and help reduce brake fade but you really need to start looking at upgrade kits to get any significant benefit. As per MfFTO, putting on a kit that offers way too much braking power (and more importantly) doesn't allow for progressive braking can be just as bad - you'll know what I mean if you've ever driven a car with over-servoed brakes.

It would be interesting to get a real worl comparison between the similar priced and Willwood options. Kev, maybe you could offer your thoughts on the latter.

CJ

[kevinod]

The GTO upgrade looks to me like the most worthwhile - quality 4 pot calipers with large disks.
AFAIK the Wilwood is just a two pot set-up.

Just looking at this, Wilwoods are 4 pot calipers.

[kevinod]

It would be interesting to get a real worl comparison between the similar priced and Willwood options. Kev, maybe you could offer your thoughts on the latter.

I thought the Wilwoods were very good, very predictable linear breaking if you know what I mean - the harder you press the pedal the harder it braked just as you would have expected so very controllable. Excellent stopping power, although I haven't tried Brembos or GTOs or any of the others to compare, no complaints about the Wilwoods.

[GarLaf]

Thanks for that Kev. Coincidently I just ordered the Wilwood kit tonight. I think its better value for money than the others. I was getting a bit tired of the standards. I switch between the RX8 and the FTO quiet often and it really highlights the poor standard of the Brakes. The 8 has 323mm discs front, 302mm back. It also only has a single piston set up. The brakes are superb. I wouldnt have to even put a set of uprated pads on it. I think the black and silver will look really well with the hanzo rims. I also went for a grooved option for an extra 40 pound.

[Muad_dib77]

Hey Garlaf.. where did you order?

[GarLaf]

I got them from Freakyparts

[GarLaf]

Anyone know if the heat shields need to be cut off or can they be just bent back? IIRC they do not come off to easily.

[Muad_dib77]

from what I've read it's safe enough to just bend them back..but if you're doing a permanent installation you can cut them..