Brake Upgrade options?
Discussion
Ive got a Mk1 1.8 with standard brakes at the moment, problem is the pads start to fade under heave use, can I just upgrade the pads or is it worth changing the discs as well?
Was thinking of upgrading the pads to EBC Yellow as heard there good on the road and track, any advice would be helpful.
Thanks, Tim
Was thinking of upgrading the pads to EBC Yellow as heard there good on the road and track, any advice would be helpful.
Thanks, Tim
I put a set of these on my turbo car and they seem to be totally unwarpable and work lovely with a set of EBC yellows. Chucked away the nasty pads the disks came with. Not had any fading problems with them either. I have other cars with vastly more expensive disks on that are no better.
You'll find stacks of opinions and conflicting advice on the forums. I was looking at upgrading my 1.6 brakes a while back, waded through I don't know how many posts and in the end settled for some Mintex 1144s. The reason for this was partly cost, but as they are used for the MX5 race series and have good performance from cold, I thought I'd give 'em a go.
The result was better than expected. My old ones would fade a bit after a few track laps and could lock up easily, especially in the wet. The Mintex pads got hammered around Donington in August, with no hint of fade all day and in the wet are much more easy to modulate, giving good feel up to the point of locking up.
I'm well chuffed with them. Some people really rate the Axxis pads, but sometimes they're in short supply.
If your fade is that bad, some fresh fluid will definately be in order.
The result was better than expected. My old ones would fade a bit after a few track laps and could lock up easily, especially in the wet. The Mintex pads got hammered around Donington in August, with no hint of fade all day and in the wet are much more easy to modulate, giving good feel up to the point of locking up.
I'm well chuffed with them. Some people really rate the Axxis pads, but sometimes they're in short supply.
If your fade is that bad, some fresh fluid will definately be in order.
As long as your discs are not warped or worn excessively, they will be ok.
As mentioned,change your fluid,dot 4 or 5 if your feeling rich.
I use mintex 1144 as a track day pad,on my std mk1. No fade,and I'm hard on brakes. I keep them in for everyday use too.
People say oem pads are the best for road use,but they are quite expensive for a std pad.
As mentioned,change your fluid,dot 4 or 5 if your feeling rich.
I use mintex 1144 as a track day pad,on my std mk1. No fade,and I'm hard on brakes. I keep them in for everyday use too.
People say oem pads are the best for road use,but they are quite expensive for a std pad.
Mintex 1144 are good up to point. Was impressed with them for fast road.
However we totally fooked a set of half worn fronts at a track-day last Sat to the extent that the friction material was all used up - then some!
Having scoured various forums it seems likely Yellow Stuff or Carbotech XP8's are the way to go if you're a heavy braker and have deep pockets.
Standard discs seem to be OK.
Amazingly the fluid didn't degenerate (i.e. pedal stayed firm - just not much braking!) but it is Castrol Racing Dot4 which I bought from these guys at a decent price but plus carr & VAT = total c.£19 but worth it IMO.
http://www.design911.co.uk/fu/prod12947/Brake-Flui...
Braided hoses had also sharpened the pedal.
Comments apply to a s/c Mk1 but I believe they'll apply to all marks.
HTH.
Cheers, Pewe.
However we totally fooked a set of half worn fronts at a track-day last Sat to the extent that the friction material was all used up - then some!
Having scoured various forums it seems likely Yellow Stuff or Carbotech XP8's are the way to go if you're a heavy braker and have deep pockets.
Standard discs seem to be OK.
Amazingly the fluid didn't degenerate (i.e. pedal stayed firm - just not much braking!) but it is Castrol Racing Dot4 which I bought from these guys at a decent price but plus carr & VAT = total c.£19 but worth it IMO.
http://www.design911.co.uk/fu/prod12947/Brake-Flui...
Braided hoses had also sharpened the pedal.
Comments apply to a s/c Mk1 but I believe they'll apply to all marks.
HTH.
Cheers, Pewe.
I never had any fade or lack of stopping power on road or track from what I assume were OEM pads on a standard Mk1 1.6. I can only assume because I never had to change them (in 20k Km and a handful of trackdays), but the previous owner had it serviced at a Mazda dealer so its likely.
That was driven very hard, but on cheap road tyres and standard power - obviously adding more power and more grip will work the brakes harder.
That was driven very hard, but on cheap road tyres and standard power - obviously adding more power and more grip will work the brakes harder.
Yellowstuff are ok (i.e. they don't fade on track) but they feel a bit wooden to me. Axxis ULT (if you can find them) give harder braking, don't need warming up and don't fade. They do dust a lot though.
Standard Mazda will feel better that Yellows too. They might be expensive for standard pads but still cheaper than any of the uprated/track pads and are way better than all of the budget pads (Especially EBC Kevlar/Greenstuff). They also last very well and don't cause much dust.
Standard Mazda will feel better that Yellows too. They might be expensive for standard pads but still cheaper than any of the uprated/track pads and are way better than all of the budget pads (Especially EBC Kevlar/Greenstuff). They also last very well and don't cause much dust.
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