Front pads?

[brayash]

Apologies if this has been asked before as I should imagine it has, but couldn't find anything in search.

The time has come to replace my front (and possibly rear) brake pads. Since this is a good opportunity to upgrade slightly without spending silly money I thought I might as well get better pads (especially as I live about an hour from the 'Ring). I've started looking around and sniffing out reccommendations, and I've ended up on one of the EBC seller's sites. Having typed in my car, options have come up for the 'Lucas' or 'Bendix' brake systems. Now I'll freely admit I'm a complete mechanical non-starter, so can anyone tell me how I can find this out? My car is an '88 Ph1 1.9 gti.

Whilst I've started this topic, are there any more reccommendations for pads? So far I've heard good and bad about EBC and mostly good about Ferodo, but none of these applied directly to a 205 - so any suggestions? It's mainly for fast road use with the occasional ring trip...

Cheers

[screwloose]

EBC are sh*te. Get either Ferodo DS2500s or DS3000s or Mintex M1144s/M1155 (M1155 are even more track biased somay not be necessary)

I've also heard very good things about Carbon Lorraine pads. Expensive but very good.

HTH

[brayash]

Cheers screwloose - any help with the lucas/bendix problem? After looking for ferodo's the question has come up again!

[Soton Pug]

Get under it with a torch and have a look and see what. if anything is printed on the caliper cylinder. It should be obvious once you have taken a tooth brush and some de-gresser to it. Mine had Bendix pressed into the metel.

[John D.]

Fast road use only EBC Greenstuff have been fine on my 172 Cup once they had bedded in a bit. Never experienced any fade. Agree you do hear a very varied opinion of EBC pads in general. Not sure if this is down to them being unsuitable for some cars (heavier cars perhaps?) or that they used to be bad and since improved (I know that they revised the compound they used last year sometime).

[Mikey G]

Another vote for Ferodo and Mintex pads.

Currently run DS2500's in my 306 and they work very well from cold aswell as good fade resistance on track.

Friend fitted the same to his 205 GTi Turbo (1.9 discs and calipers) and he only had very mild fade on the last lap of a session at Combe. Bear in mind the car is pushing over 200bhp and has a heavier engine up front.

[hifihigh]

If you have lucas calipers like mine, it should say lucas here(bit hard to read from the pic);



I'd also recommend the DS2500 pads, good on the road and also stand up well to track work.

[brayash]

Cheers for the pic - I'll be having the wheel off shortly to have a look.