Brake upgrades!

[Ed-1.4]

Just got a 2000 1.4 16v Alize. Just out testing the brakes on some quiet country lanes and have decided I wnat a bit more stopping power. I have never got any upgrades like this before and I was after a pointer in the right direction. Are there any pad/disc upgrade kits and where from and what price am I looking at?

Great site

 

[CraigM]

Congratulations on your new car and welcome to ClioSport.

I have a 1.4 16v Clio as well and found the standard brakes easily suffered from brake fade. There are a lot of options for upgrading from pads to full brake conversions:

The cheapest option is to change the brake pads (approx £30) for some fast road pads like Mintex M1144 or some K-Tec kevlar pads (http://www.k-tecracing.com/show_product.asp?id=245www.k-tecracing.com/show_product.asp?id=245) this should give a sharper braking response and more resistance to brake fade. The next step is to upgrade the discs (approx £100-150). TarOx sell cross drilled, and grooved discs that are a direct replacement for the standard discs - these will help even more with eliminating brake fade.

If you want more braking power then you will need to go for bigger discs(approx £250-800). The cheapest way of doing this is with the K-Tek big brake kit (http://www.k-tecracing.com/show_product.asp?id=245www.k-tecracing.com/show_product.asp?id=245) this kit uses the existing calipers, but has a extener bracket which moves the caliper further out to allow 285mm discs (standard are 259mm) to fit. This is what I have on my Clio at the moment (http://www.mcmillan-uk.com/clio/brake302.jpgwww.mcmillan-uk.com/clio/brake302.jpg) and I have not managed to get any brake fade with them - they also have a lot more braking power than the standard brakes. If you want serious braking power then you can get 4 or 6 piston calipers with big disc for £500-£800 from HiSpec Motorsport (available from K-Tec) or from TarOx. Be warned though, I bought a 4 pot kit from HiSpec Motorsport and it didnt fit properly and HiSpec were complete b******s after they had my money and refused to give a refund.

Also if you become a member of ClioSport you will get a discount at both K-tec racing and TarOx as well as loads of other places.

 

[Ed-1.4]

Thanks very much for the advice. Think I will go for the discs and pads together. I am not mechanically minded so how much can I expcet to pay for fitting?

 

[Pero]

Go for it immediatelly! I have ClioII 1.6 16V and after having it for about 6 months I decided to do it, because I think that serial brakes are sh*t! I have cross drilled discs and kevlar pads and it sure is helping!!! Especially in town ride when You have to pull fast and stop fast too! Do it and You will drive with more security and confidence!

 

[Clio16vPaul]

I use the KTR vig brakes on the valver.

where abouts are you? cos i expect you would struggle to convince a normal garage to fit it for you, they wont like it.

Ktec will do it at labout cost if your near them, failing that its not very hard....

 

[Fred@BTM]

just try changing the fluid for some of the 5.1 dot stuff??? cheap and simple enough to do

 

[Ed-1.4]

I am in Norwich. So pretty far from K-Tec. How come a normal garage wont do it for me? Is it something to do with the fact that the parts are not coming from them? Never thought of changing the brake fluid. How does this make a difference as I thought that they were all very similar. Also has anyone got any tips on performance upgrades that aren;t going to kill me on insurance as it was expensive to start with?

 

[Clio16vPaul]

they may well do it, but i know a guy who couldnt get a garage to do some similar work cos the parts are non standard - so they will be a little bothered about liability issues especially with brakes.

it will totally depend on what sort of garage - a small company is more likelyto do it, try the and see.

if you do change the fluid make sure you totally flush the old fluid, or basically the new fluid will be con=taninated and be neutralised to a similar DOT to the old stuff..

 

[CraigM]

I have no idea how much it would cost to fit them, but if you go to a small garage I doubt they would have any problems fitting the parts.

Changing the brake fluid for a higher dot rating will help to reduce brake fade as the fluid will have a higher boiling point. I would personally go for super dot 4.1 rather than dot 5.1 as it is a LOT cheaper and almost as good. If you are going to change the brake fluid it might be worth changing the flexible brake pipes for braided ones - as they have a metal braided cover over the hose they dont baloon out like a normal hose and therefore give a better pedal feel.