Discussion
hello people . i made a thread 2 months ago when i was looking to buy a caterham . then i found one and i bought it . since im a motorcycle addict since the 90s , i like good brakes , and im very familiar with hard braking from insane speeds using 2 fingers on a not boosted brake circuit stopping about 280 kilos . now , after the testride i did in the caterham i bought i thought the brakes where faulty or something , the pedal is wood , the braking force is low and to block the front wheels is hard if not near impossible . i searched around on the internet and ive learned that this is a caterham habit . to me it seems that if the brakes would function with a lot more bite , i would get much more confidence , but is this possible ?
the setup in my car is the radial mounted 4 pot caterham calipers , unknown pads ( mounted by dealer so prob oem ?) and the master cylinder is on the foto . any thoughts on this is apreciated . tnx in advance .
the setup in my car is the radial mounted 4 pot caterham calipers , unknown pads ( mounted by dealer so prob oem ?) and the master cylinder is on the foto . any thoughts on this is apreciated . tnx in advance .
I’m have standard brakes with MIntex 1144 pads and there fine.
I have , however , got the AP Racing master cylinder , which transformed my brakes for both feel and also removing a horrid dead spot at the top of pedal travel.
Also available are high effort pedals , but four pots are almost overkill on a standard 7, so there maybe an underlying issue.
I have , however , got the AP Racing master cylinder , which transformed my brakes for both feel and also removing a horrid dead spot at the top of pedal travel.
Also available are high effort pedals , but four pots are almost overkill on a standard 7, so there maybe an underlying issue.
By the looks of things, Ferr already has the Caterham supplied uprated master cylinder. The orange cable tie is the clue!
I changed the standard, AP Racing branded pads for Ferodo DS3000 pads on the front & DS2500 on the rear. That resulted in an eye opening improvement! It was much better, in terms of feel & ultimate stopping power. I can certainly lock the front wheels now. The first time I really hit the brakes hard, I disappeared into a very impressive cloud of tyre smoke!
I have the standard, two pot AP calipers on the front & the standard Sierra type on the rear, but I have a friend with a 620R who has the same set up as you & is very happy with the same combination of Ferodo pads.
I also have the ‘high effort’ brake pedal, which I think is a big improvement on the standard pedal, although some people don’t get on with it. Brake feel is a subjective thing, I think.
I changed the standard, AP Racing branded pads for Ferodo DS3000 pads on the front & DS2500 on the rear. That resulted in an eye opening improvement! It was much better, in terms of feel & ultimate stopping power. I can certainly lock the front wheels now. The first time I really hit the brakes hard, I disappeared into a very impressive cloud of tyre smoke!
I have the standard, two pot AP calipers on the front & the standard Sierra type on the rear, but I have a friend with a 620R who has the same set up as you & is very happy with the same combination of Ferodo pads.
I also have the ‘high effort’ brake pedal, which I think is a big improvement on the standard pedal, although some people don’t get on with it. Brake feel is a subjective thing, I think.
Yeah brakes are so subjective.
I've got DS2500 all round and I've found them excellent on road and trackdays.
I've always treated my 7 brakes different to other cars though. On my RenaultSports I could just stand on the brakes hard and I assume thanks to the servo and ABS, they'd just provide a brilliant amount of braking.
On the 7 I tend to be gentler in the initial application and then pile the pressure on. I don't lock up very often, but I definately have when pushing too hard though.
EDIT: I was going to say, I'm also on the 4-pot fronts and the uprated cylinder.
I've got DS2500 all round and I've found them excellent on road and trackdays.
I've always treated my 7 brakes different to other cars though. On my RenaultSports I could just stand on the brakes hard and I assume thanks to the servo and ABS, they'd just provide a brilliant amount of braking.
On the 7 I tend to be gentler in the initial application and then pile the pressure on. I don't lock up very often, but I definately have when pushing too hard though.
EDIT: I was going to say, I'm also on the 4-pot fronts and the uprated cylinder.
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