20 replies to this topic

[pezley]

So I have had my VX for a month or so and have noticed that my breaking distance is far far worse than my previous car. It was serviced and MOT'd just before Christmas so I should be led to believe they are OK but I have concerns they are not. One thing I do when driving is always leave a stupid amount of distance between me and the car in front yet a stupid amount seems to now not be enough. I put my foot on the breaks the other day and whilst I could feel the car slowing down it certainly had no urgency to it. Any tips as to what to look for on the discs/pads to see if they are worn ?

[Pidgeon]

Do a search on here. You will have cheap pads, change them and all will be cured. Perhaps discs and fluid could do with a change, it isn't expensive, but it's pads that matter.

[fezzasus]

They're very good, but take some time to get used to when coming from an overly brake assisted car. They don't have initial bite like modern cars intended to be sporty, but should be very progressive once the pedal is applied. Keep in mind that infrequently used brakes tend to glaze, making them very ineffective.

[-Dab-of-Oppo-]

They're very good, but take some time to get used to when coming from an overly brake assisted car.

:



You actually have to press the brake pedal in the VX which is the way it should be. The car is more focused and has feel and progressiveness. What car are you comparing it to? Many modern cars designed to be ok to drive by grannies with arthritic ankles will have you diving towards the windscreen if you so much as sneeze on the pedal. This much like a turbo kick gives you a false sense of power. It can seem like you are having to abuse the brakes a bit on the VX to really get the car to pull up swiftly but if everything is in good order this should not really be the case. The brakes should be more than adequate in standard form and pretty damn good with uprated pads etc.

[pezley]

It might just be my comparison, I came from a 2002 hyundai coupe 2l. It's not that I'm not pressing the pedal, in one instance i pushed down as far as possible and the car slowed rather than stopped with a halt. Granted, it has been wet/icy etc lately so it could just be my transition from old car to VX with the added poor conditions making it seem drastically worse. Thanks for the responses

[D3YMO]

Do a search on here. You will have cheap pads, change them and all will be cured. Perhaps discs and fluid could do with a change, it isn't expensive, but it's pads that matter.

I bought some new discs and pads - standard OEM discs are fine for normal road/light track use, retail around £15 a corner on eBay so not expensive...and you cant go wrong with mintex 1144 pads, again not majorly expensive

You may want to upgrade to braided lines too as a lot do, and as above change the fluid

Transformed my car for very little money

Do a search on here. You will have cheap pads, change them and all will be cured. Perhaps discs and fluid could do with a change, it isn't expensive, but it's pads that matter.

I bought some new discs and pads - standard OEM discs are fine for normal road/light track use, retail around £15 a corner on eBay so not expensive...and you cant go wrong with mintex 1144 pads, again not majorly expensive

You may want to upgrade to braided lines too as a lot do, and as above change the fluid (depending on if you track it. every 6-12 months)

Transformed my car for very little money

Edited by D3YMO, 28 January 2013 - 10:19 AM.

[LY_Scott]

No, it shouldn't be that bad. How does the pedal feel with the engine off?

[siztenboots]

How much pedal effort is required , and how much pedal travel is dead. The service schedule only mentions brake fluid every 3-4 years something daft like that, when yearly would be best.

[VX Boyd]

My brakes tend to be very bad in the wet. I'll always do some heavy braking when I haven't got anyone around me to clear any water off of them and they seem to fine after that.

[christhegasman]

Is the servo working ? Or has the old servo pipe collapsed which is Common have a search

[TheRealVXed]

Press harder. The VX is much closer to the feel of an unassisted pedal than you think....

[Bumblebee]

Now that I've changed to pagid rs14 I find you only have to dab on the peddle,they've got a great initial bite as well as great stopping power all round!

Edited by Bumblebee, 28 January 2013 - 01:57 PM.

[FLD]

Check the known ones first before hemorraging cash out on it. Servo hose is common, check for fouled up calipers too. A good service may be required. These cars are getting on and bits like this get neglected unfortunately. Once you know the system is in good order then start looking at pads etc.

[Wolfstone]

I'd had an advisory at the last MoT that the pads were getting low and over the last year I'd noticed that my braking efficiency was getting worse. So on Saturday afternoon some of the Northants Pit Crew descended on my place and we changed the front pads and discs and the rear pads, putting on Mintex 1144s (old pads were 1144 as well), and new OEM drilled discs that I got for a steal from a dealer clearing out old stock. The old front discs were quite badly scored and although the pads weren't as low as I thought they might have been, the front pads were clearly past their useable lifespan. We changed the front pads and discs in 50 minutes and the rears in about an hour and a half. And we're novices at this. So it really is a job you can do yourself. Took the car out to bed the pads in and the difference is quite amazing. I didn't change the fluid as that had been changed at the last service, 4 months ago (1500 miles). And I'm running DoT 4 fluid and standard brake lines. The pads all round cost £110 delivered and perfectly acceptable plain discs can be had for about £15 to £20 per corner. If you're really very uncomfortable with your brakes then chance the pads and discs is my advice.

[Jon A]

With respect, we're talking about something as safety critical as brakes. If you don't know where to start looking then the answer should be 'take it to a specialist' rather than 'do a search' Apologies if that came across rude, it wasn't intended but sometimes a specialist or experienced eye is the place to go.

[VXTyrant]

With respect, we're talking about something as safety critical as brakes. If you don't know where to start looking then the answer should be 'take it to a specialist' rather than 'do a search'

Apologies if that came across rude, it wasn't intended but sometimes a specialist or experienced eye is the place to go.

This. Or if there are any local members to you ask them to have a look (possibly take to an empty at park and have a go of one another's to test the difference). If its as bad as you say then it'll be pretty obvious to someone that's used VX's for a while!

[Gedi]

This is worth a read http://www.vx220.org...ow-makes-sense/

[Lou_m]

I find mine with the cl5+ pads tries to put me through the windscreen when I drive it for the first time in a while.

[Wolfstone]

Where are you located Pezley?

[Stuart Taylor]

I recently bought this package for mine - no complaints and seen like pretty decent value... http://camskill.co.u...VX220_SPEEDSTER