Brakes, Brakes, and more Brakes

[Fish Eagle]

Yep, that's right. And if you smell burning or see some smoke that's also OK.

[sav]

+1

[Fish Eagle]

Guess what brakes I got on my baby?

[sav]

Vari Racing? :p

[FT_86_SM_GP]

So I have been procrastinating the fitment of brake pads for a few weeks, because of:

-Time constraints
-Living in a complex - No decent lighting at night / No decent space to get down and dirty on your car.

And decided to go to a brake fitment shop and get it done professionally for now, and also watch the process, so I will have an idea in the future if I need to change pads/discs myself.

I came across "Battery & Brake Pit Stop" on Facebook,
(Strangely enough, Facebook marketing through 'suggested posts/ads' is effective in this day and age...)

I messaged these guys for a quote and they got back to me in seconds, and quoted the following:

1) Fitment of brake pads R150 per set
2) Skimming of brake discs R200 per disc

3) Fitment of any Powerbrake discs or pads....Free fitment if you buy it from them at the PB Website price.


Location:
4 Samuel Evans Rd, crn Aerodrome Rd
Aeroton
JHB

(Not too bad drive, a kilometer or so away from an offramp - Easy to find)

Contact:
Johan vd Walt
086 722 7365

www.batteryandbrake.co.za

Arrived there this morning (Open Saturday from 7:30am to 12pm)

The workshop was not packed, or super busy.

Johan checked the discs, and advised not to skim, as they were in good condition, I appreciate his honesty, he could have easily made an extra R800 skimming all 4 discs as that was my intention.

The team took under 10mins to change my pads, with 3 people working on my car at the same time, to change all 4 pads, and monitor brake fluid.

What I really appreciated is that when they worked on my car, you could see they treated it with care, from putting it on the ramp, handling tyres, removing old brake pads, you could see that these guys are not your usual SuperQuick who are rushing for time and don't care.



Here are some pics at the workshop:



Interestingly enough, my stock discs where also in 'good' / 'reasonable' condition.

NB. I also incorporated cool down laps after every two hot laps. Also had Motul RBF660 brake fluid while using stock discs and pads.

I tried to figure out why I felt braking power was poor after two track events, Johan reckons it could be that my brake fluid is a little old, as it is dark in colour, but I flushed and filled brake fluid 2 months ago? Is it possible that could happen after two track events with mild braking?

Alternatively, (Which is probably the case) - It was a psychological

Here are pics of the stock pads that was removed:

3 years
30,000km
2 track events










NB. I am in no way affiliated to 'Battery & Brake Pit Stop', I am cheerleading for them because they delivered seamless, quality, honest service, and that needs to be recognized in a country like ours.

[sav]

Cool. always nice hearing about good service. Your old pads looks almost brand new.

The RB660 fluid is a dark amber colour when new. Easily mistaken for very old fluid.

[sav]

Originally Posted by Fish Eagle

Fitted new PB discs today, R2700 delivered Nelspruit.
My previous PB discs lasted 16 track days

I've recently done 4 track days on stock discs as a stopgap and to see how they shape up after using PB.
For day 1 & 2 they were fine, day 3 they were OK'ish, but by day 4 they were shuddering badly...

Why not upgrade to PB 294mm? All you need is the bracket from the High spec calipers.

[Fish Eagle]

Wow, your pads still look brand new, and your discs look great too.
My new pads look worse than that by the time I get to the track before even going onto it - ha-ha!!

Nice to hear about good and caring service. That's so rare nowdays.

[Fish Eagle]

Originally Posted by sav

Why not upgrade to PB 294mm? All you need is the bracket from the High spec calipers.

Dunno. I'll probably stay as I am, or go the whole hog with a BBK. Not likely to go for something in-between.

More likely I'll stay as I am because I'm getting gentler on brakes as I build experience. Maybe that's something to do with avoiding the ABS (which I consciously do nowdays) and modulating braking better.

I also find that I'm trail-braking very hard into the tighter and slower corners which I think takes some strain off the brakes because I'm not braking at 100% while turning in, and I'm using the car sliding sideways to scrub off speed too. Probably still costs the same - just more in tyres and less in brakes - LOL.

Anyway, for now I've got brand new PB discs, and almost new Endless pads so I'm a happy chappie and looking forward to 30 Sept at Red Star when I'm determined to break through under the 2m20 barrier.

[Alang]

This is what your pads will look like when you need to change them.

[86 South Africa]

Originally Posted by Ryan86

Yes I got the slotted rotors with endless pads. No squeaks and work extremely well from cold to high temps.

Where did you get them and how much?
Looking at options for mine, and big brakes kits are just insanely priced.

Does it really make a big difference?

[LostSalad]

Originally Posted by 86 South Africa

Where did you get them and how much?
Looking at options for mine, and big brakes kits are just insanely priced.

Does it really make a big difference?

Fsck yes. Most important upgrade you can do by far. I don't know if I'd risk heading to Zwartkops on the OEM brake system; it just won't survive and consequently I might not either o.O

I agree that BBKs are shit expensive. Another thing that I found out recently is that the PowerBrake kit does not clear the stock wheels, so you will need spacers or aftermarket wheels. I'm still figuring out what spacer solution is the least effort while remaining safe. I still want to get a quote from Vari.

A lot of guys have had success with PowerBrake. Check out their website and pop them a mail - they're good at helping you figure out what's appropriate for your needs.

[86 South Africa]

Originally Posted by LostSalad

Fsck yes. Most important upgrade you can do by far. I don't know if I'd risk heading to Zwartkops on the OEM brake system; it just won't survive and consequently I might not either o.O

I agree that BBKs are shit expensive. Another thing that I found out recently is that the PowerBrake kit does not clear the stock wheels, so you will need spacers or aftermarket wheels. I'm still figuring out what spacer solution is the least effort while remaining safe. I still want to get a quote from Vari.

A lot of guys have had success with PowerBrake. Check out their website and pop them a mail - they're good at helping you figure out what's appropriate for your needs.

Thanks - I've seen 1 or 2 options and definitely keen - just want to make sure I get the best option/value for money, because I don't have the cash for the BBK.

I saw a nice option from RMS which had matching pads and new rotors (and braided hoses I think) for around R5000 which is decent... just want to make sure it's going to make a decent difference.

I'm also going to supercharge it at some point, so those extra brakes will help

[LostSalad]

I'm checking the PowerBrake website for prices - Discs + Pads + Hoses will set you back ~6k. What pads are you getting from RMS? Don't forget fluids... you will need about 1l to do the whole system, and if you're not sure about what you're doing, you might need a bit more "just in case".

I see they have a new disc that's slightly cheaper though - "high carbon" iron alloy. Any ideas about what this is and the benefits / drawbacks?