[sagarpadaki]

What are the options for improving the braking of i20 CRDi?I own one with discs on all four wheels.Sometimes i feel the the bite to be not that adequate,especially when brakes are applied frequently like during descending the ghats

[MA5K]

Descending thru the ghats is very taxing on the brakes (if you rely only on them to slow down) and they get heated up way too much, which is when your start feeling the lack of 'bite.'

Always use lower gears (not 1st, second is ideal) to control the speed in your descent.

[Dolphin]

Originally Posted by MA5K

Always use lower gears (not 1st, second is ideal) to control the speed in your descent.

Why not the first? Use the gears as required. If it's a very steep decline, use first gear, no issues. Be safe.

[MA5K]

^ Agreed, first gear is no issue too at lower speeds; should've elaborated not to shift-down to first (abruptly) to control speed.

[16v100bhp]

Originally Posted by MA5K

Descending thru the ghats is very taxing on the brakes (if you rely only on them to slow down) and they get heated up way too much, which is when your start feeling the lack of 'bite.'

Always use lower gears (not 1st, second is ideal) to control the speed in your descent.

But brakes are cheaper than any transmission components

[rangakishen]

Originally Posted by 16v100bhp

But brakes are cheaper than any transmission components

But you are not damaging any transmission components when you use the engine-braking technique (unless done in a wrong way: read putting into too low a gear for the speed). It is very much a safe technique.
And usage of engine braking is not to save the brakes, its for safety. When the brakes get too hot, they dont bite. i.e: You lose braking ability to some extent. That is why engine braking is recommended.

[16v100bhp]

Originally Posted by rangakishen

But you are not damaging any transmission components when you use the engine-braking technique (unless done in a wrong way: read putting into too low a gear for the speed).
It is very much a safe technique.
And usage of engine braking is not to save the brakes, its for safety. When the brakes get too hot, they dont bite. i.e: You lose braking ability to some extent. That is why engine braking is recommended.

If a "safe" downhill descent is what we are discussing, then you are right. If you are coming in hot into a corner and you are "engine braking" -you are wrong.
Also, if you are experiencing brake fade more often, you should check your brakes or think about getting better brakes if available.

[shibujp]

Reading up on articles related to brake pads I came across the fact that brake pads actually have a grading mechanism.

The gradings go from E- H. The grading is indicated by two letters one for the grading indicating braking ability when cold and the other for the grading ability when warm. Here are more details in the link below.

Best Brake Pads article - Part 2 | EBC Brakes

I inspected my Swift pads for these gradings but could not find any. Here is the picture of the pad below. The pads are by a company named TOKICO. More of my travails in this quest for brake improvement to follow.



Drive on,
Shibu.

[Morph]

Originally Posted by shibujp

Reading up on articles related to brake pads I came across the fact that brake pads actually have a grading mechanism.

The gradings go from E- H. The grading is indicated by two letters one for the grading indicating braking ability when cold and the other for the grading ability when warm. Here are more details in the link below.

Best Brake Pads article - Part 2 | EBC Brakes

I inspected my Swift pads for these gradings but could not find any. Here is the picture of the pad below. The pads are by a company named TOKICO. More of my travails in this quest for brake improvement to follow.

Attachment 871597

Drive on,
Shibu.

TOKICO is the trade name for Hitachi.

Your quickest route to upgrading would be EBC (or similar) replacement pads - "Green Stuff" is recommended for cars under 200 BHP. The Swift (Suzuki here) pads are listed at this link :

Suzuki EBC Brakes | EBC Brake Shop

[shibujp]

Originally Posted by Morph

TOKICO is the trade name for Hitachi.

Your quickest route to upgrading would be EBC (or similar) replacement pads - "Green Stuff" is recommended for cars under 200 BHP. The Swift (Suzuki here) pads are listed at this link :

Suzuki EBC Brakes | EBC Brake Shop

That bit about TOKICO was news. I has got a quote for EBC brakes on one of the online shops in the UK. The shipping and brake pad came to around 120 pounds. Looking up the prices here at home. Also not all the sites ship internationally.

Drive on,
Shibu.

[Morph]

How much without shipping ? I could check shipping costs seperately. I am in the UK.

Originally Posted by shibujp

That bit about TOKICO was news. I has got a quote for EBC brakes on one of the online shops in the UK. The shipping and brake pad came to around 120 pounds. Looking up the prices here at home. Also not all the sites ship internationally.

Drive on,
Shibu.

[shibujp]

Originally Posted by Morph

How much without shipping ? I could check shipping costs seperately. I am in the UK.

Without shipping the pads would cost me 43.73 pounds at the site - :: EBC Brakes Direct Limited ::. Shipping to India would be 71 pounds extra. I also anticipate something extra in terms of VAT/customs when it comes into India.

Looking at brake rotor/pad options the same site gave me a quote of 282 pounds for an EBC Turbo Groove + EBC Green stuff pads which is very competitive comparing prices though for a different brand of discs and pads.

Just posting prices for a general idea of what the setup costs. I do not advocate ebcbrakesdirect.com to be the best or the most value for money site. It is just a site I used to get an idea of the costs.

Here is what seems to be a decent review on the subject though the author advocates that pads make the most difference - Brake Discs/Pads Reviews... - FAQ Forum - Peugeot 306 GTi-6 & Rallye Owners Club .

Anyway the search continues.

Drive on,
Shibu.

[shibujp]

Any comparisons between EBC and Hawk brake pads? The opinion seems to be divided with strong promoters for both the brands.

Drive on,
Shibu

[guptavis]

Any idea what is size of brake pads for Alto and NHC ?
I went to the Bosch distributor in chandigarh. he said BOSCH does not make brake pads for any model of Honda City, and also did not have alto brake pads in stock!!

[sam_sant2005]

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

What are the options for improving the braking of i20 CRDi?I own one with discs on all four wheels.Sometimes i feel the the bite to be not that adequate,especially when brakes are applied frequently like during descending the ghats

There are other threads on this in team-bhp, so please go through. Meanwhile, I wanna share my experience of loosing 90% brakes while descending once from Ooty on my Esteem (almost lost my life). Some people say 'engine' braking by lowering gears damage engine. Very true if not slotted into the 'right' gears. So on further research I found a simple solution - Drive down in the same gears as you drive up, SIMPLE !!! Don't use brakes excessively otherwise they would heat up and not just loose bite, they may totally be rendered useless. This is a very serious problem which not many drivers know.