Improving your car's brakes: Options and costs

Rtech · 13th May 2007, 13:42

RS front bumper and wheels does not an RS make! And I'm really not trying to make a pseudo RS either, but when a great deal on great wheels comes your way, you don't turn it back! And yes, I want better brakes. Whether I source them from an RS or not is yet to be seen.

P.s. Go play on your shut up thread and leave this thread for the serious stuff please.

tsk1979 · 13th May 2007, 14:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rtech

Yup, I have RS wheels, so the bigger brakes will not be a problem. Currently checking out some options online vs getting the OE RS brakes here. Knowing Skoda prices, it would probably be more economical to get Brembo's or EBC discs!

Skoda prices are very high if you buy from dealership. Parts which cost 50K+ in the dealership can be had for <20K in open market. I am not talking about different brand but same brand and make. For example the genuine Bosch alternator costs 1/3 of dealership price if you buy from outside.
So hunt for OE parts, outside of dealerships.

EVO6 · 14th May 2007, 00:53

Rtech,
Sorry for the late reply.. Cudnt log onto the net for 2 dayss...
To answer some of your questions.

Cross Drilling and Slotting of Standard rotors is a complete no no..
Reasons:
1) The vented cross-sectional design of a drilled rotor is complete different from that of a solid rotor.. so by during cross drilling a solid rotor, you might end up drilling any one of the flanges of the cooling vents, which will end up weakening the rotor
2) The material composition of Solid Rotors differs from that of a high performance cross drilled and slotted rotor. Also the vent design for cooling is different.

Upgrading:
1) RS front rotors are 288X25 and not 312x25... 312 come on the Audi TT and thats reason why I had no problems changing to TAROX cross drilled and Slotted rotors.
People who have upgraded to 312 in the RS had to change the caliper mount also.
2) You can go for the complete upgrade kit from TAROX either a 288 or a 312 coz anywhich way for both you will have to change the caliper mount.
3) Costing of Rotors is as follows
a. Zimmermann Rotors 288mm front – Rs.18000/-
b. Zimmermann Rotors uprated to 312mm - Rs.30000/-
c. Tarox Rotors front set - Rs.33500/-
d. Tarox Rotors uprated to 312mm - Rs.46000/-
e. Pagid pads front - Rs.9800/-
f. Tarox brake pads - Rs.12850/-

I dont have the costing for the complete kit which will include the bigger size Caliper mounts.
4) 10 pot TAROX brake Kit is a whopping Rs. 1,85,000/-

Best if that you contact/PM Peter aka Turboindia for any bolt on solutions for VAG cars..
He will also be in a better position to advice you about the rear braking system.
Hope the information was helpful..
Cheersssss

GTO · 14th May 2007, 12:31

Also consider that upgrading brakes is not a one-time cost. Replacing pads / maintainence on upgraded brakes will cost more than the same on regular brakes.

paras211 · 14th May 2007, 12:52

how much of a difference do pads make ? brembo pads cost around 12000

Jaggu · 14th May 2007, 13:53

OE RS brakes seems the best fit for the tight budget and that too if something can be sourced from people who have replaced them for bigger set ups.

Rtech · 14th May 2007, 18:37

Done some further research into this. Spoke to Evo and Pete, both of whom have good experience with VAG.

The problems with the RS brakes is that I would need a lot more than just the rotors. I would need to change the spindle and associated parts to those of the RS if I want to fit them. Would also need the change the calipers. All this would make it an extremely costly option and simply put, the costs would simply outweigh the benefits.

So, I am now looking at a direct bolt on rotor (280mm) along with better brake pads. Reading on the Skoda and other VAG forums and it seems that Tarox do have quite a following. Seems their stuff is clearly good! Ofcourse, they also have easy access to the VAG parts bin there, and at reasonable prices, so inter-model conversions are the best value out there.

Still looking around at whats out there and will update once I figure things out.

ajmat · 14th May 2007, 19:50

Sell it and buy a good used RS - might be cheaper?

Rtech · 15th May 2007, 10:16

ROTFLMAO! Ajmat, what you say might actually be true! But then I'd be thinking of which brakes to put on the RS! So back in the same boat!

v1p3r · 15th May 2007, 16:35

RS brakes pretty well, actually. So you're good to go.

Torqueguru · 21st February 2008, 01:42

Any idea if brembo brake kits are available for Cedia?

Psycho · 28th April 2008, 13:25

Just a quick update EBC brake pads are now available in India for the following cars:

Ultimax Replacement Pads
__________________________
Esteem Front
Gypsy Front
M800
OHC 1.5
Skoda
Mitsubishi Lancer CE Front

Green Pads
__________________________

Zen
Esteem
Alto
Gypsy Front
Civic
Accent/Getz
Elantra Front
Skoda RS Front & Rear
Superb Front & Rear
Mitsubishi Lancer

DOT 4 Brake Fuild

v1p3r · 28th April 2008, 15:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Torqueguru

Any idea if brembo brake kits are available for Cedia?

Not the big brake kits, but I'm working on a custom combo for a couple of cars, and the Cedia is among them.

n_aditya · 28th April 2008, 15:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by Psycho

Just a quick update EBC brake pads are now available in India for the following cars:

Keshav, I'm interested in the brake pads for my esteem. Couple of Q's :

1. What is the cost and can it be fitted without any mod's to the existing brake setup? How would this compare to the stock pads in terms of life of the pad's, braking efficiency etc.

2. What about the rear brakes? Anything available for rear brakes? Wouldnt the brake bias change since the front wheels brake better? How can this be compensated?

razor4077 · 28th April 2008, 17:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by n_aditya

1. What is the cost and can it be fitted without any mod's to the existing brake setup? How would this compare to the stock pads in terms of life of the pad's, braking efficiency etc.

I have the EBC Greenstuff pads fitted on my Lancer. They cost around 9k for Lancers, dunno about Esteems.
Great stopping power, haven't seen any appreciable brake dust. Running them in doesn't take too long either.
They are miles ahead of the stock Lancer brakes in terms of braking efficiency, but I believe the life is a tad less.
Overall, highly recommended.

Quote:

2. What about the rear brakes? Anything available for rear brakes? Wouldnt the brake bias change since the front wheels brake better? How can this be compensated?

From my experience, brake bias should not be an issue. Haven't experienced any such problems.

13th May 2007, 13:42	#31
Rtech Team-BHP Support Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 5,770 Thanked: 359 Times View My Garage	RS front bumper and wheels does not an RS make! And I'm really not trying to make a pseudo RS either, but when a great deal on great wheels comes your way, you don't turn it back! And yes, I want better brakes. Whether I source them from an RS or not is yet to be seen. P.s. Go play on your shut up thread and leave this thread for the serious stuff please. Last edited by Rtech : 13th May 2007 at 13:58.
	() Thanks

14th May 2007, 00:53	#33
EVO6 BHPian Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Pune Posts: 488 Thanked: 11 Times	Rtech, Sorry for the late reply.. Cudnt log onto the net for 2 dayss... To answer some of your questions. Cross Drilling and Slotting of Standard rotors is a complete no no.. Reasons: 1) The vented cross-sectional design of a drilled rotor is complete different from that of a solid rotor.. so by during cross drilling a solid rotor, you might end up drilling any one of the flanges of the cooling vents, which will end up weakening the rotor 2) The material composition of Solid Rotors differs from that of a high performance cross drilled and slotted rotor. Also the vent design for cooling is different. Upgrading: 1) RS front rotors are 288X25 and not 312x25... 312 come on the Audi TT and thats reason why I had no problems changing to TAROX cross drilled and Slotted rotors. People who have upgraded to 312 in the RS had to change the caliper mount also. 2) You can go for the complete upgrade kit from TAROX either a 288 or a 312 coz anywhich way for both you will have to change the caliper mount. 3) Costing of Rotors is as follows a. Zimmermann Rotors 288mm front – Rs.18000/- b. Zimmermann Rotors uprated to 312mm - Rs.30000/- c. Tarox Rotors front set - Rs.33500/- d. Tarox Rotors uprated to 312mm - Rs.46000/- e. Pagid pads front - Rs.9800/- f. Tarox brake pads - Rs.12850/- I dont have the costing for the complete kit which will include the bigger size Caliper mounts. 4) 10 pot TAROX brake Kit is a whopping Rs. 1,85,000/- Best if that you contact/PM Peter aka Turboindia for any bolt on solutions for VAG cars.. He will also be in a better position to advice you about the rear braking system. Hope the information was helpful.. Cheersssss Last edited by EVO6 : 14th May 2007 at 00:56.
	() Thanks

14th May 2007, 12:31	#34
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 70,546 Thanked: 300,762 Times View My Garage	Also consider that upgrading brakes is not a one-time cost. Replacing pads / maintainence on upgraded brakes will cost more than the same on regular brakes.
	() Thanks

14th May 2007, 12:52	#35
paras211 BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: mumbai Posts: 646 Thanked: 108 Times View My Garage	how much of a difference do pads make ? brembo pads cost around 12000
	() Thanks

14th May 2007, 13:53	#36
Jaggu Team-BHP Support Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 20,215 Thanked: 15,907 Times	OE RS brakes seems the best fit for the tight budget and that too if something can be sourced from people who have replaced them for bigger set ups.
	() Thanks

14th May 2007, 18:37	#37
Rtech Team-BHP Support Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 5,770 Thanked: 359 Times View My Garage	Done some further research into this. Spoke to Evo and Pete, both of whom have good experience with VAG. The problems with the RS brakes is that I would need a lot more than just the rotors. I would need to change the spindle and associated parts to those of the RS if I want to fit them. Would also need the change the calipers. All this would make it an extremely costly option and simply put, the costs would simply outweigh the benefits. So, I am now looking at a direct bolt on rotor (280mm) along with better brake pads. Reading on the Skoda and other VAG forums and it seems that Tarox do have quite a following. Seems their stuff is clearly good! Ofcourse, they also have easy access to the VAG parts bin there, and at reasonable prices, so inter-model conversions are the best value out there. Still looking around at whats out there and will update once I figure things out.
	() Thanks

14th May 2007, 19:50	#38
ajmat Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 14,865 Thanked: 27,978 Times View My Garage	Sell it and buy a good used RS - might be cheaper?
	() Thanks

15th May 2007, 10:16	#39
Rtech Team-BHP Support Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 5,770 Thanked: 359 Times View My Garage	ROTFLMAO! Ajmat, what you say might actually be true! But then I'd be thinking of which brakes to put on the RS! So back in the same boat!
	() Thanks

15th May 2007, 16:35	#40
v1p3r Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: BLR / DXB / LON Posts: 5,334 Thanked: 6,896 Times View My Garage	RS brakes pretty well, actually. So you're good to go.
	() Thanks

21st February 2008, 01:42	#41
Torqueguru BHPian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Seattle Posts: 277 Thanked: 165 Times View My Garage	Any idea if brembo brake kits are available for Cedia?
	() Thanks

28th April 2008, 13:25	#42
Psycho Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,043 Thanked: 110 Times View My Garage	Just a quick update EBC brake pads are now available in India for the following cars: Ultimax Replacement Pads __________________________ Esteem Front Gypsy Front M800 OHC 1.5 Skoda Mitsubishi Lancer CE Front Green Pads __________________________ Zen Esteem Alto Gypsy Front Civic Accent/Getz Elantra Front Skoda RS Front & Rear Superb Front & Rear Mitsubishi Lancer DOT 4 Brake Fuild
	() Thanks