[Mk2] [Turbo] Another brake question

[jim]

I'm still unhappy with the brakes on my rev3 turbo.

The story is the car hasn't been used much, so over the last couple of years its had new discs and pads, and also the calipers reconditioned.

I've had a mechanic mate look at it, and he couldn't see any problems, except a bit of glazing, which should clean up once the car is used more regularly.

Well, recently my first baby was born, and now I'm using the car every day. The brakes still feel soft, so I'm thinking about going braided hoses next.

Can anyone tell me if this will make much difference? I believe its still got the original brake pipes at the moment, and with the lack of use, I was guessing that they are probably not at their best any more.

Also, should I be looking for a specific brand of hose, or will any braided hose do? So far I've found them to be available at camskill and gtschris.

[dazzz]

Have you tried the brakes on another rev3 turbo?

[jim]

Have you tried the brakes on another rev3 turbo?

no, I haven't...
But people on here have said in the past that there's no reason they shouldn't be as sharp as a newer car?

[dazzz]

Mine are in perfect working order and my van has much sharper barkes. Can you lock the front wheels if pressed hard?

I'm betting you've been driving a newer car for a while.

[jim]

well a 2003 Seat LEON diesel, so nothing special.

Maybe this needs a poll or something:
Are the standard MK2 brakes (post rev1) crap or not?

[mark239]

http://www.hosesolutions.org.uk/index.p ... 07bdf0e620

Good selection on there

[jim]

Thanks Mark!

So are HEL a good manufacturer for brake pipes? Do braided hoses make much difference?

[dazzz]

It's just the way the car is.

Nice hoses will give you more feel though.

I drove a 911 for a day and was suprised to see how much movement i had to put into the pedal to stop, don't know why i was expecting ultra sharp brakes, they were very nice though once you get used to them.

Try another car.

[Ryan S]

think it would depend on the type of pads as well, my missus rev 3 is like a totally different car to my tubby, i have to press the pedal much harder on my tubby, hers is really light in comparison, i'm not sure what pads are in hers but the ones in my tubby cost 12.50 so i'm guessing they're not the best!!

[bobhatton]

Goodridge are the best brake lines, with a life warranty.

http://www.imoc.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=122772

[Quigonjay]

maybe just need bleeding again/fresh fluid with being stood?

[notroubleclubber]

I used goodridge hoses on my rover 220 turbo with new discs and pads and it made a hell of alot of difference. My brakes on my mr2 tubby seem ok for the mo so until they need doing i wont touch them..but when they do need doing im gonna put braided on them.

[Olly.Dent]

Put some Carbotech pads on then your have amazing brakes.

[jim]

thanks for the replies.

So there seems to be a difference of opinion on the standard brakes. Some have got very good feeling while others not so good.

I think for now I'll see if the brakes feel a bit better after more frequent use, and I'll look at a set of braided hoses. I know I've not changed the hoses since I've had the car (9 years) so I'm guessing they will be well past their best by now, so new hoses will hopefully improve it.

[Quigonjay]

dont forget most new cars have all sorts of electronic gadgetry to help with the braking, on an mr2, well on mine (no abs) you have to do it all yourself so you would naturally expect to have to press the pedal a little harder

[Ryan S]

yeah my missus' rev3 has abs, i think it's just down to the pads, hers feels like a modern car while mine's feels like a binner, my pads where dirt cheap though, i think hers are better ones:)

[jim]

So when you say about electronric gadgetry, is the just the ABS or do they do anthing else noawadays?

My rev3 already has ABS, which is all my comparison car (2003 Seat Leon) has. To be fair, the Leon is only really a MK4 golf in a new shell, so its only a 1997 design.

Now I've driven the car a bit more, the discs don't looks glazed, and the brakes are a little better, but still poor. Any recomendations for pads, or is the word still that the toyota OEM ones are good for the job?

[cantfindausername]

One thing I found with the MR was that because the car doesn't nose dive under braking like my daily driver I thought the brakes weren't as good, but watching the speedo drop is the good way to see how it compares, rather than how it feels. Also, you might be braking from higher speed with the MR compared to the Leon.

[toxo]

Most modern cars that have ABS have brakeforce distribution which was an option on the MR2. Also there were later changes to the brakes on MR2s, rev5's got ABS as standard and they changed the brake circuit layout to make it more efficient.

The brakes are rubbish on my rev3 non-ABS too. I'm fitting a new master cylinder next weekend because I think mine has leaky seals. I have been slowly eliminating components, I now have freshly recon'd Brakes International rear calipers, new rear sliders, carriers and bolts, new rear pads & discs, braided hoses.

[jim]

Hi Toxo, could you tell any difference as the new components were fitted? Please post how things go with the new master cylinder, as after braided hoses, thats the last thing for me to change!