Normal brake disks V Drilled and Grooved

HashSlinging

Need to replace my front disks on the Altea I'm thinking it might be a good time to upgrade the brakes a bit, thinking of 312mm discs. Is this worthwhile, and does anyone know where could I get OEM brembo disks etc online.

Bluefoam

tossy

What size discs are on it now? what engine? it might not be as simple as just changing the discs.

Some VAG cars have the caliper carrier cast as part of the Hub so if you want to go bigger you need to change the hub to accommodate the bolt on style carrier for 288mm,312mm,344mm discs.

Its a worthwhile mod,the 312mm is a good set up i fitted them to the old golf,drilled and grooved is a little bit of overkill though on a standard car.

Seth Brundle

Are you looking for info on uprating the brakes (in terms of diameter) or on the differences between solid, grooved and drilled discs?

stratos

It may only be of use if you are braking so hard you experience brake fade. The brakes on your car turn Kinetic energy into heat.

Brake fade is actually when the braking system gets so hot the pads skate on a thin layer of brake material so hot, it turns into a liquid or a gas. The pads actually aquaplanes over the disc on a layer of superhot brake material. The grooves allows this gas to seep away and the pads can contact the disc again. The holes make more surface area available for heat to bleed into the air, and for coolig air to circulate around the disc. Bigger discs and calipers allow the brakes to take more heat on and also more surface area to radiate it away.

So if you find your experiencing that horrible sensation of brake fade a lot yes it may be worthwhile. I have experienced it on some older cars during hard driving but I think todays cars with abs etc it not so much of a problem. My two cents worth.

HashSlinging

kbannon wrote: »

Are you looking for info on uprating the brakes (in terms of diameter) or on the differences between solid, grooved and drilled discs?

All the above, currently driving a 2.0TDi have the standard disks on and with a remap planned for next year this might be the most economical time to get them done, want to have very good stopping power.

Anyone planning on upgrading their VRS,GTi brakes??

Bluefoam

Why not just get up rated brake pads? Ferodo green stuff for example.

stratos

Bluefoam wrote: »

Why not just get up rated brake pads? Ferodo green stuff for example.

Yes a good idea I fitted greenstuff pads to a car I had which suffered from bad brake fade. It worked very well I think they may wear out a little quicker. But a simple solution.

JimmyCrackCorn!

How big do you want to go is it for track use or road or both?
What kind of budget?
Is it an altezza as i have no idea wtf an Altea is?


As a general rule avoid drilled disks as they are prone to cracking under heavy use and no one likes shattered break disks.:eek:

galwaytt

JimmyCrackCorn! wrote: »

As a general rule avoid drilled disks as they are prone to cracking under heavy use and no one likes shattered break disks.:eek:

....oh dear. I bet better not take out my Porsche then....what if all the discs exploded....?? :rolleyes:

....indeed, i better write a 'strongly worded letter' to Porsche on the subject. Oh, and Brembo, too.........

tossy

JimmyCrackCorn! wrote: »

How big do you want to go is it for track As a general rule avoid drilled disks as they are prone to cracking under heavy use and no one likes shattered break disks.:eek:

Another popular myth,i'm sure cheaper drilled discs do crack alright but decent ones wont,i have 2 piece (floating) drilled and grooved discs on the Bora with alu centres allowing the disc to expand when heated without stressing the disc.The have got some pretty heavy use inc the Nurburgring and are still in one piece.

You get what you pay for really.

stratos

tossy wrote: »

Another popular myth,i'm sure cheaper drilled discs do crack alright but decent ones wont,i have 2 piece (floating) drilled and grooved discs on the Bora with alu centres allowing the disc to expand when heated without stressing the disc.The have got some pretty heavy use inc the Nurburgring and are still in one piece.

You get what you pay for really.

Now thats some serious brakes.

tossy

stratos wrote: »

Now thats some serious brakes.

You got to be able to stop!

Gary ITR

tossy wrote: »

You got to be able to stop!

Do you really need them on your 1.9tdi though?

tossy

Red DI Onkle with a remap too right!

Neilw

OP this is the kit you need, 345mm discs with twin piston calipers, all genuine vag parts

http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?t=186468

Mr.David

Oh good a thread on brakes!!!

Right, regarding the whole drilled/grooved debate. To be honest, its no better really than non drilled/grooved. As mentioned before, the theory is that when the pad gasses at very high temperatures, the gas has somewhere to escape to as opposed to being temporarily trapped between the pad and disc. However, this is really only applicable on the 'ring etc. 90% of cars with cross drilled discs do so as its cool and looks like it means business.

I develop brakes - its my job. I can categorically tell you that unless I was spec'ing a trackday car or serious (500 bhp+) performance car I would not bother. The downsides are reduced volume & surface area (for the same diameter disc obviously) which reduces the heat capacity - not ideal. Also, it causes lots of NVH (noise, vibration & harshness) problems which is fine on a Caterham but not so acceptable on a Golf for example. Finally, they are a bugger to clean. Part of the Porsche service schedule involves a guy with a rod cleaning out each of the drilled holes in the disc - can you imagine getting Kwik Fit to do that for you?

So, they have their place but if it were me upgrading brakes on a road car with modest (?) amounts of power I would plump for solid discs. If on the other had it was a stripped out 911 GT3 for track use I'd look at cross-drilled discs.

gofaster_s13

Mr.David wrote: »

So, they have their place but if it were me upgrading brakes on a road car with modest (?) amounts of power I would plump for solid discs. If on the other had it was a stripped out 911 GT3 for track use I'd look at cross-drilled discs.

Solid discs:eek: manufacturers don't even fit solid discs on the front of small hatchbacks any more they would be a serious downgrade in technology and braking performance on 90% of modern cars.

Mr.David

gofaster_s13 wrote: »

Solid discs:eek: manufacturers don't even fit solid discs on the front of small hatchbacks any more they would be a serious downgrade in technology and braking performance on 90% of modern cars.

Sorry I wasnt clear - I mean solid in terms of the rubbing surface i.e. not grooved or drilled. Certainly wasnt suggesting solid as in non-vented discs!!:P

tossy

Mr David you obviously know your stuff,but what you point out isn't often the case,alot comes down to the pad you are using with the 2 piece discs.

i did a lot of reading up before upgrading my brakes and harshness,noise,dirt etc were all things i was expecting but i have to say on my set up with a fast road pad i have experienced none of the above,in fact on the dirt issue my factory 1 piece vented discs on the rear of the car create more of it when washing my car the rear wheels are always far more dirty than the front.

When you apply the brakes the car stops in a no nonsense fashion with,no vibration or harshness,noise is non existent even after pushing them hard for a few consecutive corners the won't squeal.

I think waiting for 500bhp+ or a track car is being a bit too "hesitant" in my opinion there is plenty of precedent for a decent brake set up on a moderately powerful road car,off track my brakes have already proved their worth in real world conditions.

Just my two cents worth.

Mr.David

Hi tossy, dont get me wrong - I'm all for brake upgrades!

Two piece discs are good - a clear advantage over single piece. It prevents/reduces the coning effect at high temperatures as the disc is less restrained than the solid single piece. Is it the Brembo ones you have with the bobbins? They are good, but expensive.

And I agree that pad choice is v important.

tossy

Mr.David wrote: »

Hi tossy, dont get me wrong - I'm all for brake upgrades!

Two piece discs are good - a clear advantage over single piece. It prevents/reduces the coning effect at high temperatures as the disc is less restrained than the solid single piece. Is it the Brembo ones you have with the bobbins? They are good, but expensive.

And I agree that pad choice is v important.

I have ECS tuning (US tuning house specializing in Audi/VW/BMW) 2 piece 332mm Discs paired with the 4 pot Brembo mono block calipers from the Boxster.

Here it is just after fitting..

gillo_100

JimmyCrackCorn! wrote: »

Is it an altezza as i have no idea wtf an Altea is?

Altea is a seat hatchback, comes in a 2.0 sport. Although I think you might be right guessing its a Altezza

Bluefoam

I have to bring this thread back to earth. The OP is talking about an altea, its a people wagon, it does not handle well, even with a suspension upgrade. It could never be considered a performance car and a brake upgrade sounds like a waste of money. If the OP wants to improve his breaking he should a)replace or upgrade the pads b)stop driving it fast c)buy a car that is supposed to be driven...


No offence OP, but I've driven a couple of MPVs recently and they are not drivers cars...

HashSlinging

I'll be going for the 312mm disks, without the grooves and holes, have been in contact with a dealer in belfast who's doing a deal on a cupra set.

HashSlinging

tossy wrote: »

I have ECS tuning (US tuning house specializing in Audi/VW/BMW) 2 piece 332mm Discs paired with the 4 pot Brembo mono block calipers from the Boxster.

Here it is just after fitting..

Serious set of brakes there.!

HashSlinging

Bluefoam wrote: »

I have to bring this thread back to earth. The OP is talking about an altea, its a people wagon, it does not handle well, even with a suspension upgrade. It could never be considered a performance car and a brake upgrade sounds like a waste of money. If the OP wants to improve his breaking he should a)replace or upgrade the pads b)stop driving it fast c)buy a car that is supposed to be driven...


No offence OP, but I've driven a couple of MPVs recently and they are not drivers cars...

How the hell would you know what MY car drive's like! have you ever driven a SEAT full stop.. I bet I've driven a couple of cars from the same class of car you have and hated them.. sweeping generalisation

What do you drive again ?

Bluefoam

HashSlinging wrote: »

I'll be going for the 312mm disks, without the grooves and holes, have been in contact with a dealer in belfast who's doing a deal on a cupra set.

Ha ha :pac::pac::pac: FFS

HashSlinging

Bluefoam wrote: »

Ha ha :pac::pac::pac: FFS

? Grow up

Cuddlesworth

Fight outside in the yard after school everybody!!!

HashSlinging

Cheers for the helpful advice guys, I'm at the very early stages of doing some handy performance upgrades on my car.