brake upgrade?

[M19 ROO]

hello as mentioned in my other thread (newbie section) i just bought a defender, all seems fine so far only thing i have slight issues with is the brakes.. the fronts are solid disks as with the rears ( would have thought they'd be vented) and performance wise they are not really that good,

curious if theres an upgrade available from a hiher spec 90 like the td5 or such,, and im thinking more of a straight swap calipers disks and pads...

any help would be great regards Ric  :D

[AbyssDJ]

if you've got naff brakes, check all the consumables such as pads etc. if its got disk brakes all around it should be fine... put it this way, our 110 has drum rear brakes and it doesnt stop that bad at all really, so you shouldnt have ANY problem with a disk braked 90

[M19 ROO]

understand what your sayin, and i am a ford mechanic by trade so lookin at whats on wont be a problem on the ramp, just curious tho if there is an upgrade available for like i said heigher spec.

i know i can change disks and pads all round but the option of say 4 pots and vented disks on the front would be somethin id rather do then just fit new standerd,

[AbyssDJ]

in not sure what can be changed to be honest... i think 130's have vented front disks but dont quote me on that

[Eeyore]

Later 90 / 110s had vented front disks but to be honest they won't add a lot to the stopping power.

cheers
 8)
Eeyore

[Porny]

i know i can change disks and pads all round but the option of say 4 pots and vented disks on the front would be somethin id rather do then just fit new standerd,

The front calliper on any Defender is already a four pot calliper

Depending on the age of the 90", 96 ish model year Defender 90's onwards already have the larger type front calliper... which is the biggest fitted to any standard Defender.

Vented front callipers were on option fitted to quite a few later model 110's (most 130's) and some later 90's (but not all).  They also apeared on some 300Tdi Discoverys.

One option is to fit a vented calliper conversion kit.  But, even on the set up you've got now, your 90 should stop well.

Have you checked that none of the pistons are siezed in the callipers??
When was the fluid last changed?
Have you bled your brakes?

Would be worth while fitting a set of braided brake lines (the cheapest place is www.llama4x4.co.uk) - these will also help improve the feel of your brake pedal.

Also, make sure your using decent pads and discs... not some cheap Britpart ones!!

Later 90 / 110s had vented front disks but to be honest they won't add a lot to the stopping power.

Yes and no  

In regards to ultimate braking force, they won't make that much difference... but will reduce brake fade (so in theory the braking perfomance will degrade slower)

Ian

[smo]

Off topic, but isnt that "Trug's" old 90?

As for 90 TD5 brakes, trust me, they are really not worth the upgrade!!

[Eeyore]

Yes and no  

In regards to ultimate braking force, they won't make that much difference... but will reduce brake fade (so in theory the braking perfomance will degrade slower)

Nah, trust me on this, we've got solids on the front of the racer and we've never had 'em fade.  

.....yet, anyway!  :shock:

 :lol:

cheers
 8)
Eeyore

[M19 ROO]

Off topic, but isnt that "Trug's" old 90?

As for 90 TD5 brakes, trust me, they are really not worth the upgrade!!

apparently so mate yeah...

cheers for all the replys and the help, looks like my first route then will be to check over whats there now. and since your all sayinthat the brakes are fine and good thre must be a reson mine arnt, low pads or as said siezed piston,,,

cheers again  :P

[Henry Webster]

Nah, trust me on this, we've got solids on the front of the racer and we've never had 'em fade.  

.....yet, anyway!  :shock:

I've got solids on the Discovery racer too and never experienced fade despite regular braking from nearly 100 mph on some fast stages.

I do, however use 110 calipers which are larger 4 pot chaps and EBC greenstuff pads - although I have found that genuine LR ones will take alot of abuse and work well too.

Regards

H

[M19 ROO]

out of interest do you know if the disco calipers and disks are a direct swap? no modding needed to get them to fit?

[Eeyore]

out of interest do you know if the disco calipers and disks are a direct swap? no modding needed to get them to fit?

I think they are, but I'd have to ask why? Certainly Defender 110 calipers are somewhat larger.

cheers
 8)
Eeyore

[M19 ROO]

just curious really,, lol thanks

[Henry Webster]

I think that virtually all of the RR/Discovery/90/110 calipers are interchangeable.  But the 110 ones are the answer if you want more braking power.

H

[Litch]

The standard setup will work fine when correctly set up.

Mine had been ok since I bought the vehicle but a couple of years ago I gave the whole system an overhaul (rebuilt the calipers, new discs/pads, pipes etc) and the braking was first rate. Check what you have got is working ok before you go set about changing things.

Now to contradict myself, I recenetly fitted a vented disc conversion to the front (no real reason, just fancied it) and as already stated, it doesn't make any difference to the initial braking performance (which I wasn't expecting it to) but it can't do any harm.

[extreme90]

i was thinking that myself td90
as for the brakes, when i drove her i thought they wernt bad
altho mine were alot sharper on my 90...that is until they were full o mud  :lol:
danny

[Range Rover Blues]

So you recon the 110 callipers are the ones to go for then, are these the same as V8 CSW had? because apparently Bearmach sell them as an upgrade.

Do the 130 have bigger brakes again?

[dreadnought110]

:D I had mine converted to vented on the front It is simple basicaly you just add a spacer between the caliper to make it wider for the vented disc to fit .been like it for 3 years+ no problem  8)  8)

[Eeyore]

So you recon the 110 callipers are the ones to go for then, are these the same as V8 CSW had? because apparently Bearmach sell them as an upgrade.

Do the 130 have bigger brakes again?

To answer your questions,

Yes, I beleive so and,

To the best of knowldege they were the same as 110, but I'm happy to be proven wrong on that!  

cheers
 8)
Eeyore

[Henry Webster]

So you recon the 110 callipers are the ones to go for then, are these the same as V8 CSW had? because apparently Bearmach sell them as an upgrade.

Do the 130 have bigger brakes again?

To answer your questions,

Yes, I beleive so and,

To the best of knowldege they were the same as 110, but I'm happy to be proven wrong on that!  

cheers
 8)
Eeyore

Agreed, the only thing is that there might be vented and non vented options with 110/130, not sure, but as I say I have not yet needed vented.  Might do when I take it Tarmac rallying, but it is fine on the gravel!

H