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Brakes - Shocking In The Wet


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#41 LazyDonkey

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Posted 24 August 2012 - 07:20 AM

Took VX to work today. It lives outside and hasn't moved for 7 days. it's been pissing it down and the roads were damp and cold. 3k miles ago i replaced the discs (Pikey pattern part discs from camskill £25 a corner), refurbed the fronts calipers, fitted 1155s and OEM bridgies. Then 1k ago i put on brand new rear calipers. So the car has done 84k but braking wise it's mechanically spot on. I've done one day at knockhill in July and a sprint at Kames a few weeks ago. Couple of light application of the brakes coming out of my estate (no issues), few junctions (again no problems) and then 3 miles on the motorway following by a big stop from 80mph down a slip road. No issues at all, great bite and immediate stopping power. So......IMHO anyone having braking issues on 1155s either has something sub-optimal in the brakes somewhere or the pads need a thorough pasting. One thing i have noticed is that they work really well after a trackday or hard run and then as the weeks and months pass they slowly get worse until you give them a thorough kicking again.

#42 jonnyboy

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Posted 24 August 2012 - 08:30 AM

My experience of them was that they just needed heat in them to work which is fine but not when you forget and don't have brakes at the first junction you come to!

#43 LazyDonkey

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Posted 24 August 2012 - 10:44 AM

As i said - mine dont need heat and they did a stop from 30mph at a junction from cold.

#44 slindborg

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Posted 24 August 2012 - 11:09 AM

What Donkey said! When he says 'worse' I dont think he means 'deadly' like the rest of you think :lol:

#45 Duncan VXR

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Posted 24 August 2012 - 02:17 PM

Def check the system as stated, pad / disc / caliper / line condition / fluid etc. Even running a very aggressive pad setup I only noticed it from the very 1st stab of pedal going out a steep street out my old place to get the they dont work feel lol Every other time had no issues even in the snow Granted they were not as sharp as when upto temp but never a danger when moving anything like 1155's and below should be working all the time imo VX brakes are great and only thing that can make them feel a bit weak at times is lack of big servo setup like on new cars but nothing wrong with their function DG

#46 tangerine_sedge

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Posted 24 August 2012 - 03:01 PM

I used to have similar problems when braking on the motorway in the wet. I replaced the discs and pads (to 1155's) and have had no such problems since. I suggest you check the pads...

#47 LazyDonkey

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Posted 24 August 2012 - 03:23 PM

What Donkey said!

When he says 'worse' I dont think he means 'deadly' like the rest of you think :lol:


lol - no i dont mean deadly i just mean they dont spit you through the windscreen when you breath on them :D I find they work best when they are so shiny and clean that they squeal / whine at low speeds on light applications. If they arent doing that then you need to use them more and get them nice and clean.

Edited by LazyDonkey, 24 August 2012 - 03:28 PM.


#48 NDT

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Posted 06 September 2012 - 09:31 AM

Noticed a couple of times in heavy rain recently - slowing from motorway speeds the brakes on my VXT are shockingly bad.
It's not hard pedal or anything like that - pedal feels normal, just hardly any braking effect.
I've never felt anything like it on a modern car (including a S1 Elise).

Surely they can't have been like this from the factory?
Is there an easy fix? Grooved discs?

Nick


Just wanted to point out - for the avoidance of doubt - that when I mentioned motorway speeds, I meant sensible motorway speeds in the wet, on a motorway.
Anyway, will order new discs and see how it goes - thanks for all the input.

#49 simsy

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Posted 07 September 2012 - 10:09 AM

Wet steel disks (in the rain) sometimes make for poor braking...... The laws of physics are amazing. Later (E90) BMW ( and others) have a subtle brake software that puts the brake pads onto the steel disks (you do not notice) when its raining, to help reduce this. Wipers (wiper system) tell car its raining.... New brakes will help, but it will still be there from time to time... watch out.

#50 philcalder

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Posted 13 September 2012 - 09:40 AM

The brakes on my VX were exactly the same. Most dangerous on a wet motorway, and second dangerous after washing the car. I made the switch to vented discs which helped a tiny bit, but i still considered the brakes dangerous in wet conditions. I always used to dab on the brakes to get some heat in them when driving in the wet. I never got to the bottom of the issue before i sold it. I'm putting it down to a sh*t design, I've never owned a car with brakes as poor as them!




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