Better braking that doesnt cost the earth?

[BlackIce]

Just bought a nice little 1.4 Tigra for the missus, but the brakes are absolute bobbins, basically, you put your foot through the floor to get any action and have to judge traffic well in advance.


Is there any way to improve them without spending hundreds on fancy calipers and discs?

[Nemesis]

I'd start by changing the fluid and making sure they are bled up properly. Then make sure the calipers are responding properly (ie not stuck!) and the discs pads are in reasonable nick.

I'm guessing here, but I wouldn't be surprised if four stud Calibra 16v / Cav GSi brakes bolted straight on. You might get them for £40 for the lot.

[Tathan]

Yeah, it's just a Corsa underneath, so it'll have the plop corsa brakes. Stick some ATEs on.

[cambridge]

it should already have ATE's on there..... just "small" ones, not the traditional 256*24mm types.

Mintex 1144 pads are ace! but not the cheapest of things to fit lol

[Tathan]

yeah, i meant the 256 ones

Are they still doing 1144s? I thought they had renamed and reshuffled them now, although i have been smoking a lot of crack recently.

[BlackIce]

What kind of guide price can I expect to pay for these mintex pads?

[Tathan]

£60? **** knows really, I normally get my eyeballs clawed out for 4pot sizes.

[cambridge]

contact questmead for a price...

[Tathan]

Looking on Tweeks site, they have something called Mintex EXTREME!, which sounds suspiciously chav. About £45.

Knew they'd changed the names, apparently people can't get their heads around numbers and codes, we need to patronise them a bit.


DS2500 are good pads too, although they're probably called PowerStopMAXGFORCE7Choonz now.

[Gaz86]

i had ate on my corsa when it was a 1.4 and it stopped like it had hit a brick wall, of course all that went out of the window when the xe went in lmao

[Steve!]

Cheapest easy way to get GOOD brakes for little money.

DoT 5.1 fluid
Braided Hoses

Please take NOTE

[Tathan]

I think pattern pads on 230mm brakes won't be helping.

[MSG]

Just bought a nice little 1.4 Tigra for the missus, but the brakes are absolute bobbins, basically, you put your foot through the floor to get any action and have to judge traffic well in advance.


Is there any way to improve them without spending hundreds on fancy calipers and discs?

If your pedal is reaching all the way near the floor to get any braking effect it could be as Nemesis said air in the system, contaminated brake fluid, seized calipers, and also worth checking that your servo is operating properly and the vaccum hose is not leaking or disconnected., obviously a badly running engine would indiacte vaccum leak, which effects the brake efficiency, check all that before spending money on upgradinmg brakes

[Tathan]

regardless of the above factors, the smaller ATEs are Dan Gerarse, and for the sake of £30 down the scrappie and an hour's work...

[BigDave1979]

I've put EBC grooved discs and green pads on my Tigra which do the trick nicely. Was considering Astra 16v discs and calipers but they are the same diameter anyway. Still quite a bit of travel in the pedal though, but I've not adjusted up the rears properly yet so I'll see what happens tomorrow.

[GazTaylor]

dude.. i'd investigate why the brakes are crap before spending money.

the brakes on the tigra 1.4 we've got are not bad

[Astramodder]

My missus used tto have a Tigra and even after fully beeding it still needed a runway to stop. Trie uprating the discs to ones from the 1.8 Corsa SRi (dunno the type - bought from motor factor) and it made a huge improvement

[BlackIce]

Thanks for your help people, will definately investigate before spending any cash.

[BigDave1979]

Just adjusted up the rear shoes properly and the pedal travel is now greatly reduced on mine and braking feels much more positive.