brakes or tyres???

[fordman_01]

hey all, i was driving my S1 falcon the other night and almost took my front bumper off as the car in front (mate) decided to suddenly stop. i was a fair way away before i hit the brakes but the car still did not slow down enough to nearly cause an accident. the problem is in the wet and dry as the car will just take a while to stop. the question is do u's think its the brakes (pretty sure it is) or my sh!t tyres (austyre and talon on 20s). the car doesnt lock up and slide it just takes a while to stop. i was thinking of getting slotted and drilled rotors and some new brakes pads also.

what u guys think please help, i dont want to be losing my front bumper while driving lol

thanks neil

[InfernoSR]

If it doesnt slide, it sounds like the brakes arent fully engaging and/or are wet... upgrade brakes first IMO.

[Peuty]

Yep, do yourself a favor and upgrade the dodgy S1 brake package.

[genebaby]

If it doesn't slide, your tyres are working ok and you need better brakes. Once you've done this you may find your tyres can't keep up.

[JC]

First place to start is to rekit your existing callipers. Sounds to me like they aren't grabbing enough. A new calliper kit is around $25 per calliper, and basically just includes all the rubber seals etc, but part of fitting them is pulling the callipers apart and thoroughly cleaning them so that the piston can slide better within the calliper. I'm betting yours are as rusty as anything, due to broken/perished rubber seals, and in the dry, this might be OK as the pad is engaging enough with the disk for friction to have more of an effect than when it's wet.

[fordman_01]

ok yep will do, ill upgrade the brakes soonish then, so all i need are 4 x slotted and drilled rotors, 4 brakes pads and maybe new calipers?. im goin to bleed the brakes on the weekend too.

[genebaby]

Bleed them after you've rebuilt them with the caliper kit, you will have to do it then anyway.

[fordman_01]

Originally Posted by genebaby

Bleed them after you've rebuilt them with the caliper kit, you will have to do it then anyway.

i was gonna bleed them first to see if it makes em better cos i think theirs air in the hoses becuase the brake pedal is all spongy

[blackers10]

you dont need drilled rotors
slotted are plenty for street cars
and only heard storys of cross drilled rotors cracking
ive had the DBA items on mine since i purchased it and she pulls up well
combined with some Bendix Advance Pads which have low dust and are able to stop my 20s while traveling down hill fine.. even on a barge of a AU1 Fairlane haha

look around the forum for info on the AU1 -> AU2/BA brake upgrade
it isnt much more expensive than getting new rotors but is apparently a HELL of alot better than the AU1s even with slotted rotors and good pads

have fun mate

[rob_liss_lms10]

might be an idea to flush the old brake fluid out as well, especially if you are going to take the time to bleed. Am told by brake specialist that the fluid should be replaced every 1 to 2 years.

[RUKIDN]

I knew there was a thread floating around.. weird i swore it was a sticky : anyways this is about BA/F to AU brake conversions..
May help you out

http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthread.php?t=89164

[RG]

Originally Posted by fordman_01

ok yep will do, ill upgrade the brakes soonish then, so all i need are 4 x slotted and drilled rotors, 4 brakes pads and maybe new calipers?. im goin to bleed the brakes on the weekend too.

For the money you'll spend on that I'd be more inclined to upgrade to the AUII or even BA calipers and rotors. Even with standard rotors and pads they will pull up better than any mods you do to the AUI brakes.

[SirHenry]

/shrug I dunno I had this problem when I bought the AU, still got the original s1 kit fitted with Lucas pads, for the money that you fork out for the more expensive options these things have literally saved my life quite a few times.

[GK]

Originally Posted by Russell

For the money you'll spend on that I'd be more inclined to upgrade to the AUII or even BA calipers and rotors. Even with standard rotors and pads they will pull up better than any mods you do to the AUI brakes.

I'm with Russell.

I spent money on slotted rotors and Bendix Advance pads, but still found the brake performance on my S1 wagon wanting.

I bit the bullet mid last year and upgraded to S2 items and have been most happy with the results.

Remember though, if you go S2-BA upgrades, you need at least 16 inch rims.

If you want to bleed the brakes first, give that a go, as it's only an hour or so of your time and not much money for fluid. If that's no good, don't give up lots of dough for not much more in S1 brake performance; go for the S2+ upgrade.

All the best with it.

GK

[fordman_01]

thanks for ur help so far ppl, i would swap my series 1 brakes to series 2 brakes but i probably wouldnt have a clue on how to do it lol, i know their are threads on how to do this but still i wouldnt be gain enough to attempt it. so as long as the slotted rotors and new pads will stop my 20's wayyyyyyyyy better then it is now ill be happy i guess. but yeh i would love to upgrade to the series 2 ones or b series some day.

[FGII-XR6]

upgrade to S2 front brakes they make a huge difference

[JC]

Originally Posted by fordman_01

thanks for ur help so far ppl, i would swap my series 1 brakes to series 2 brakes but i probably wouldnt have a clue on how to do it lol, i know their are threads on how to do this but still i wouldnt be gain enough to attempt it. so as long as the slotted rotors and new pads will stop my 20's wayyyyyyyyy better then it is now ill be happy i guess. but yeh i would love to upgrade to the series 2 ones or b series some day.

Yep, slotteds and good pads will pull the series 1 up waaayyyy better - actually, you don't notice it really under normal braking - just on repeated brake applications, so through some twisty stuff, or down a largish hill/mountain etc. But upgrade to series 2 will pull it up waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyy better - and this you notice all the time - less pedal effort for good braking, and more braking applications before any sign of fading. Of course, if you go upgrade to series 2/3 or BA AND slotted rotors, you have a pretty good package for a track day, as well as day to day driving.

[fordman_01]

Originally Posted by JC

Yep, slotteds and good pads will pull the series 1 up waaayyyy better - actually, you don't notice it really under normal braking - just on repeated brake applications, so through some twisty stuff, or down a largish hill/mountain etc. But upgrade to series 2 will pull it up waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyy better - and this you notice all the time - less pedal effort for good braking, and more braking applications before any sign of fading. Of course, if you go upgrade to series 2/3 or BA AND slotted rotors, you have a pretty good package for a track day, as well as day to day driving.

ok thnaks for that mate, i guess ill be getting some RDA slotted rotors and some QFM HPX performance pads for the time being lol. ooooo i only need to do the front ones right? think so...

[fordman_01]

well went intoday and order some RDA slotted rotors and some new performance brake pads cant remember the brand tho QFM or sumthin like that ill have a look later. so yeh me car better stop much faster and better than usual.

[sanjay]

im waiting for a few more niggles to arise with my car before i drive to the mechanic to get new slotted rotors in the front...but it really does seem that theyre worth doing.

[GK]

Originally Posted by fordman_01

ok thnaks for that mate, i guess ill be getting some RDA slotted rotors and some QFM HPX performance pads for the time being lol. ooooo i only need to do the front ones right? think so...

Before you actually fit the pads, check what their operating temperature is. Some of the high performance stuff isn't good for everyday driving as they take time to heat up. Up North it shouldn't be too much of a problem, but I'd talk with the place you got them about your needs etc, before fitting.

If you're just driving round or the Mrs is, you wouldn't want yourself or her caught short at the bottom of your street on the first or second brake application.

Just a few thoughts.

GK

[fordman_01]

Originally Posted by GK

Before you actually fit the pads, check what their operating temperature is. Some of the high performance stuff isn't good for everyday driving as they take time to heat up. Up North it shouldn't be too much of a problem, but I'd talk with the place you got them about your needs etc, before fitting.

If you're just driving round or the Mrs is, you wouldn't want yourself or her caught short at the bottom of your street on the first or second brake application.

Just a few thoughts.

GK

lol dont have a mrs, im 17 haha. yeh the guy said its fine for everyday driving and its just a performance pad that is designed for everyday road use...with really little brake dust emmited which is good for my chrome rims i guess.