Discs and pads.

[Trotsky]

Incredibly, I think anyway, I have never had to change discs or pads on my car in the 5 or so years and 40K plus miles I have owned it, anyway, I have bought myself a full set of replacement discs and Mintex 1144 pads, I have no idea what pads are in but they have never felt Brilliant and why I seem not to use em much anyway, standard brake set up etc is there a idiots guide anywhere to doing the Job, removing discs and pads and refitting? any special tools reqd? special techniques? thanks all. oh, 1995 s3 HPC de dion by the way.

 

[Domus]

here

[Trotsky]

Cheers Peter , but that link doesnt work.

 

[Jonathan Kay]

Brake maintenance from Alcester Racing 7s, with pictures

 

Recent discussion of bleeding

 

If you have the type of calipers that require the pistons to be wound back there's a special tool that makes it easy, although there are advocates of angle grinder wrenches and long-nosed pliers.

 

Jonathan

[Domus]

Strange, works for me. Takes you to the GTKY7 pages on the Lotus 7 Club website

here

 

Drop down box on Members' Area

 

Edited by - Domus on 10 May 2014 21:45:58

[Trotsky]

Thanks Domus and Jonathan, just the ticket. my next obsticle is to get the correct rear pads sent out here To France, just opened the box and they sent me 2 sets of fronts just my blooming luck, perfect weather, perfect roads and time to play and the cars out of action! oh well I'll have to go for a thrash in the 2cv instead. 😬 Thanks again,

[Guest]

Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't I read somewhere recently that one of the better brake setups is to use mintex pads and the front and standard pads at the rear? Something along the lines of altering the brake bias more to the front of the car as it's a bit too strong and the back end with standard pads all about. If true then maybe get some normal rears sent out?

 

Tom

[Z3MCJez]

That's right. Mintex 1144 all round will be overbraked at the rear.

 

Jez

[Trotsky]

Good point, I had read that somewhere too, now I think about it. I shall order some standard pads from CC and get SWMBO to bung em in her hand luggage next week. thanks for the heads up.

[Tim Broyd]

Piston wind back? I've always used a piece of wood (across the piston) and a G-clamp. The larger the car, the larger the piece of wood and G-clamp, etc... It's never failed me yet

[7 wonders of the world]

 

That's fine for a conventional single pot floating caliper without integral parking brake, however caliper with parking brake require the piston to be screwed and pushed at the same time, the screw portion is the parking brake actuation.

 

You can't just push these back hence the use of a wind back tool homemade or otherwise

 

 

[CharlesElliott]

If you go with even more agressive pads at the front, then you can get away with 1144 at the rear.

[Z3MCJez]

Charles - That of course is true. And if you get even more aggressive 1144s at the rear are inadequate. But my pads don't work when cold and I wouldn't advocate too aggressive a set up for a road car.

 

Jez

[ECR]

Interestingly, on the early Vauxhall race cars, competitors weren't allowed mods to the braking system so took to cutting the friction pads down at the rear to overcome the rearward brake bias

[Trotsky]

I'm going for new discs all round and mintex 1144 on the front, standard blue dot from CC on rears. was going to do myself but my local french mechanic seems a decent sort .so im going to pop along in one of the 2cv's to introduce myself when I've got all the bits together. hes got a lovely DS 20 pallas tucked away at the back of his garage.

 

[Stationary M25 Traveller]

Aren't blue dot the uprated rears for use in conjunction with 4-pot fronts.

[Roadsport06]

I have standard callipers with 1144 up front and blue spot rear as per Richard Price's recommendation. It keeps the bias towards the front so rears don't lock up first whilst giving the rears more braking.