Rear brakes binding

[Robin Penny]

Anyone else had rear brake problems. S2 Elise 21K miles. Turns out to be v.rusty handbrake cable after just 18 months!

[AnthT]

yup it happend to me
s2 36k miles, £130 for a new cable.
it was a pain in the ass. i had to strap up the handbrake so that i didnt us it, as it would lock on and not release untill i got on my hands and knees and phisically released the cable on the back wheels.

[Robin Penny]

It seems like a common problem for all year round users. Just changed my rear cable and packed the ends with grease. Try not to use it too much now! Also changed the rear pads, the inside ones were well down due to the sticking cable. Lotus supplied the bits FOC. A bit awkward fitting the pads. I had to make a tool to wind the pistons in. Is there a way of changing the pads without removing the caliper?

[Stuart Mc]

Amazed by the state of the nearside disc on my '99 111S. Shocked that the thing had corroded as much as it had. No wonder brakes weren't what they should be. Have just changed the front disks after 22k miles and now am doing the rear disks too. Even after less than 100 miles on the new discs (still bedding in) they seem much better than original brembo pads and setup.

Not sure of the changes S1 to S2.

But the moral of this is always check the inside of the disk and don't just look at the outside. Nearside always suffers more than off side.

[Robin Penny]

What discs/pads have you gone for?