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MG MGF Technical - Brake Upgrades - Which ones to go for?

Appologies if this has been done to death, but I am shall we say a tad confused and some advice would be appreciated.

Brake upgrade is now a definate, thanks to those who have offered help on fitting, but now the choice of what to fit. So much choice to spend your money on where do you start. As I see it there are 3 options open to me

1) EBC Turbo grooved and EBC green stuff Pads £100.15 inc VAT and delivery. Spareshq

2) MS Big Brake Kit + Greens £269 inc VAT + Delivery

3) B&G Big Brake Kit (EBC) £375 + Delivery.

Have searched archives and found a multitude of ideas comments etc, but fundamentally for road use is it worth going more than the number one.

At the end of the day I'll probably go no further, in terms of power enhancement, than adding a sports exhaust to the K&N already fitted. In which case I can get MGR in Basingstoke to fit the disks and pads them for £75 (I've actually found them very good, never had a problems with them. Service Manager is always keen to talk about how they can upgrade my car and very K&N etc friendly with regards to warranty),whilst I'm at work. Less time under car, not much more than they were going to charge me for standards and more time out in the sun!

Anyway, comments and opinions gratefully received

David


Hi David,
I dont recall if You have a VVC or 1.8i with original rims. This is essential in the choise for brakes as the big brake kits will only work on VVC rims OR similare size. This due to the fact that there are bolt on extensions for the calipers and unfortunatly there isn“t enough space inside the original 1.8i wheels.. If possible go for the big brake kit + Green stuff. IMO really worth the money ! Also an upgrade on the rear pads will be fine , especially if there is no ABS. As You mentioned - there is lots about it in the archive.....

Regards , Carl.
Carl

Very good point Carl.

David, there are no comparative tests looking at the set ups you've described above. This maybe something that I'll look into at some point in the future.

Until a definitive comment can be made, I'll make the following observations:
1. Using a larger disc rotor with a standard caliper means that there is a significant mismatch of the components. Basically the disc cannot be inserted the required distance into the caliper and as a result, the pads overlap the edges of the discs. Result: the operating pad surface area is significantly reduced - and this may seriously negate any advantage you sought with the larger discs in the first place.
2. A well set up system with uprated pads will work very well indeed - an ad hoc comparison of my car - Mintex 1177/ Roversport grooved discs versus EBC green + Hector's big disc conversion eloquently demonstrated - my brakes were significantly better.

IMO your money is better invested in the EBC discs + pads (or you could go for Mintex 1144 or even 1177 should you so wish) - they'll perform very well out of the box. With the saving, you could then replace the brake pipes with decent braided types and fit the servo stabiliser bracket. This will pay dividends in terms of pedal feel.

Hope this helps - and you are welcome to try my brakes next time we see each other (Goodwood?)
Rob Bell

Carl/Rob

Thanks for your comments. The car is a 2000 VVC with K&N so 16 inch rims.

I understand the benefits of a big brake kit, but without going the whole hog and changing calipers etc I'm not so sure. Reading through the technical I am getting the impression that a well set up replacement grooved, drilled etc and pads could be the best value for money.

Anyway I'm sure others will have their personal opinions which I'm going to be interested to read.

Cheers guys

DJ
D R Johnston

I have the roversport grooved disks, Mintex 1144 pads, and B&G braided hoses and am continualy impressed with their performance. the purring on hard braking takes a little getting used to, but the car will stop in what feels like half the distance it used to.
Kingsley


Rob, I am wondering why nobody has done the needed correction to the pads on the big brake kit ! It is really so easy, take a good file and take down the metal seating part of the "Green Stuff" or whatever pads a few millimeters and they will cover the disc - even leaving a small rust rim at the edge... No adverse effect on braking or uneven wear of the pads noticed despite a lot of slalom events, trackdays etc.

Regards , Carl.
Carl

This thread was discussed between 19/05/2002 and 20/05/2002

MG MGF Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG MGF Technical BBS is active now.