[ron_9191]

I have been living with my 2006 Baleno VXi for about 17 years as my primary car and if there are two things I could change on it, one of them would be the brakes and the other would be a gearbox with better ratios by retaining the second and the third gears.

Lets talks about the brakes. The stock brakes are just there because a car needs brakes. I always felt they were inadequate and they still are. It always reminds me of a sustain pedal from a piano. All I am doing is sustaining the speed than stopping the car. And after trying out many other modern cars, I felt the need to stop in time and that mean I needed better brakes to start with.

I have been searching the interweb for options but I now know that I need some amount of expert advice.

My plan is to go for a better set of brakes than the current setup which is mostly discs in the front and drums in the rear. I am planning to go with discs on all the 4. Particularly, move the current discs to the rear and go for bigger discs on the front. The car currently runs a 15 inch alloy and I am planning a future upgrade to a 16 inch. Requesting all the petrolheads here to help with your suggestions.

[sagarpadaki]

Are you able to lock up your wheels at say 60kmph when you apply sufficient force on the brake pedal? If yes you need better tyres and not better brakes.

If you are not able to lock up the wheels at around 60kmph,then look for semi metallic brake pads. They will offer better coefficient of friction which translate into better brakes. It is suggested you go for new rotors or turn your existing rotors if they are thick enough

[ron_9191]

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

Are you able to lock up your wheels at say 60kmph when you apply sufficient force on the brake pedal? If yes you need better tyres and not better brakes.

It sure does stop at 60 kph but for highway speeds it barely helps. There's a bit of vibration from the brakes

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

If you are not able to lock up the wheels at around 60kmph,then look for semi metallic brake pads. They will offer better coefficient of friction which translate into better brakes. It is suggested you go for new rotors or turn your existing rotors if they are thick enough

Do you have any suggestions for the semi metallic brake pads you're referring to?

I checked my rotors and they seem to have long lines and ridges on them and there is unusually more brake dust on the alloys as well. BTW, the rotors are the ones that came from the factory and the pads have been changed a couple of times or may be more.

Thank you for the suggestions.

[Kosfactor]

Replace the rotors and pads, rear drums , wheel cylinders, liners etc inspect \ service the full brake system, hand brake cable etc.

Now if your tyres are in good condition, the brakes should work just like a brand new car.

[balenoed_]

I drive a 19 year old Baleno with close to 2L kms on ODO and have myself driven more than half of those kms.

Trust me, the brakes are the least thing that I would complain about. I have never even thought that it had a problem until seeing this post. And honestly, I never crashed because of a poor brake.

So, are you sure it is the brake assembly that is the problem and planning to do this complete modification? And is it worth to do on such an old car? I’d rather spend it on some cosmetic changes - new paint, skirting, creative head lamps and make the car a stunning one.

[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by ron_9191

It sure does stop at 60 kph but for highway speeds it barely helps. There's a bit of vibration from the brakes



Do you have any suggestions for the semi metallic brake pads you're referring to?

I checked my rotors and they seem to have long lines and ridges on them and there is unusually more brake dust on the alloys as well. BTW, the rotors are the ones that came from the factory and the pads have been changed a couple of times or may be more.

Thank you for the suggestions.

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

Replace the rotors and pads, rear drums , wheel cylinders, liners etc inspect \ service the full brake system, hand brake cable etc.

Now if your tyres are in good condition, the brakes should work just like a brand new car.

Agree with the above list. In addition to this check if the front caliper piston can be pressed back inside easily when the brake reservoir cap is open. If not, the car needs a caliper is jammed and needs to be rebuilt using a rebuild kit.

For front brake pads, I would suggest Ferodo. They have excellent bite
https://boodmo.com/catalog/part-fron...pads-38178244/

For rear brake liners, get any brand. Should not matter.

If tyres are older than 7 years, then replacing them also will give you a good improvement in braking.

[ron_9191]

Originally Posted by balenoed_

I drive a 19 year old Baleno with close to 2L kms on ODO and have myself driven more than half of those kms.

Trust me, the brakes are the least thing that I would complain about. I have never even thought that it had a problem until seeing this post. And honestly, I never crashed because of a poor brake.

So, are you sure it is the brake assembly that is the problem and planning to do this complete modification? And is it worth to do on such an old car? I’d rather spend it on some cosmetic changes - new paint, skirting, creative head lamps and make the car a stunning one.

I have driven a 2008 Honda City and that felt way better in the braking performance. In the 2006 Baleno that I own, I have never been confident with the brakes right from the start.

I have driven the car completely stock for these many years and I am actually thinking about another car preferably a used Innova Crysta 2.4/2.8 Z Automatic for my highway runs and keep the Baleno with a bit of mods.

The mods I had in mind were a change in the intake and exhaust system, stiffer suspension, better brakes (and this is when I thought I check here)

What I have noticed throughout the years while driving in highway speeds and particularly when you really need the brakes, it just feels vague when I apply the brakes and then at some point it somehow stops. The feedback is almost zero. Thankfully, I have never got into a situation where I had to literally stand on the brakes yet. But who doesn't like better anchors? Hence I thought a proper upgrade would be a good option considering the fact I am going to keep the car for a lifetime.

I am not a fan of skirts or body kits for the Baleno. However, I would love to give it better headlamps preferably as you mentioned, creative ones. I would prefer to have a total sleeper than a stunner considering the fact the remaining hair on my head and my car have the same colour... silky silver

Where can I mod the headlamps for the good old Baleno in Bangalore? And how much would it cost approximately?

[ron_9191]

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

Agree with the above list. In addition to this check if the front caliper piston can be pressed back inside easily when the brake reservoir cap is open. If not, the car needs a caliper is jammed and needs to be rebuilt using a rebuild kit.

For front brake pads, I would suggest Ferodo. They have excellent bite
https://boodmo.com/catalog/part-fron...pads-38178244/

For rear brake liners, get any brand. Should not matter.

If tyres are older than 7 years, then replacing them also will give you a good improvement in braking.

Thank you for your suggestions. Will surely consider it. They tyres still have a good amount of life left and they are about 5 years old now. They are Continental MaxContact MC5's 15 inchers. The grip those offer is phenomenal . The tread hasn't worn off and get anywhere near the TWI indicator and I dont find any cracks on the rubber like you see on a tyre which is sparingly used but old.

[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by ron_9191

Thank you for your suggestions. Will surely consider it. They tyres still have a good amount of life left and they are about 5 years old now. They are Continental MaxContact MC5's 15 inchers. The grip those offer is phenomenal . The tread hasn't worn off and get anywhere near the TWI indicator and I dont find any cracks on the rubber like you see on a tyre which is sparingly used but old.

OK. You are good with the tyres.

One more aspect to check is the condition of the brake hoses. If they are cracked or if the brake fluid is not flowing out smoothly then replace them as well.

[ron_9191]

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

OK. You are good with the tyres.

One more aspect to check is the condition of the brake hoses. If they are cracked or if the brake fluid is not flowing out smoothly then replace them as well.

I think I got work to do considering the initial suggestions from everyone who helped.

Before I wrote this I did a visual inspection and here's what my car's like. It is a 2006 model bought in December 2006, registered in 2007 and has about 110000 on the odometer.

The rotors are what it came from the factory and they got big fat lines on them. Maybe one of the reasons I have vibrations in highways speeds when I apply the brakes. I checked the entire service history and except for cleaning the brakes in the rear, there has been no mention of a change of brake shoes in the back. So if I am right with my assumption, the brake shoes might be as sharp as a razor blade now, and I am sure they are worn out. They definitely need to go.

The hoses look OK to me but I am planning to take it to my mechanic and pull the entire thing down and see what we can do.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by ron_9191

I have been living with my 2006 Baleno VXi for about 17 years as my primary car and if there are two things I could change on it, one of them would be the brakes and the other would be a gearbox with better ratios by retaining the second and the third gears.

I would not pour in too much money on brakes on a car of this age. Agree the brakes are bad, especially at shedding highway speed. They don't like being slammed too often either as those tiny rotors heat up fast. They are okay for city use. I have not owned a Baleno. I did drive one a fair bit and the inability to stop was quite apparent. More so, when you a drive a Baleno and then jump into a car like the Fiat Linea T Jet. This is one heavy car and the brakes are first class. The inability to stop is further compromised due to lack of ABS. The car is ultra light. You lock up early and you're just sliding on the road. This is with the stock Suzuki brakes.

I'd just swap with new stock rotors, pads and check for brake pressure, air in the lines. If brake pressure is low, then braking effectiveness is compromised.

Sorting the gearbox is far more complicated. Again, I'd not head down this road unless you can do something like a swap to a Swift gearbox. This is easier said than done.

Its an old car and its not going to be perfect in this day and age. This problem reminds of the weak brakes on my old Ford Ikon 1.6 Clxi. There was nothing I could do to improve them. I changed my driving style and adapted.

[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

I would not pour in too much money on brakes on a car of this age. Agree the brakes are bad, especially at shedding highway speed. They don't like being slammed too often either as those tiny rotors heat up fast. They are okay for city use.
........

I'd just swap with new stock rotors, pads and check for brake pressure, air in the lines. If brake pressure is low, then braking effectiveness is compromised.

.

This is more than sufficient to make the brakes as good as new. Brakes are one area where there should not be any compromise. Whether the car is 1 year old or 10 years old.

[ron_9191]

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

This is more than sufficient to make the brakes as good as new. Brakes are one area where there should not be any compromise. Whether the car is 1 year old or 10 years old.

Couldn't agree with you more about that. The car's got endlessly tall gears and can go beyond what you see on the speedometer if it gets a road long to do so. But without proper brakes, that is simply pointless.

From the initial inspection, the rotors are worn are worn for sure and my mechanic says he needs to find if he can get a set of new ones before he could remove it as procuring original spares for this particular car is becoming a bit challenging.

Hopefully that will win my confidence in dropping the anchor whenever I need it. Honestly, this is one of those do it all cars. I know there are better ones in the market but somehow, everything is mechanical and there are absolutely no mile long screens and sensors and what not to distract me from the joy of driving it, every single for the last 16+ years.

[keroo1099]

Originally Posted by ron_9191

Honestly, this is one of those do it all cars. I know there are better ones in the market but somehow, everything is mechanical and there are absolutely no mile long screens and sensors and what not to distract me from the joy of driving it, every single for the last 16+ years.

If you have a contact in Malaysia you can look at getting a set of Bendix pads for the front. I had them on my Baleno and the bite and feel were much better than stock pads and were half the cost. Will try and locate the part number and post. The other easy mod is getting steel braided lines for the front but won't be cheap.

On the gearbox, you should be able to swap ratios from a G13B Swift into the Baleno housing, but you will end up with a close ratio box unless you can salvage the final drive from the Baleno

FYI: I still think the Baleno was a better handler than the T-Jet I now have. Still miss it

[ron_9191]

Originally Posted by keroo1099

If you have a contact in Malaysia you can look at getting a set of Bendix pads for the front. I had them on my Baleno and the bite and feel were much better than stock pads and were half the cost. Will try and locate the part number and post. The other easy mod is getting steel braided lines for the front but won't be cheap.

This is a great suggestion. Thanks a lot for suggesting it and helping me out @keroo!

Originally Posted by keroo1099

On the gearbox, you should be able to swap ratios from a G13B Swift into the Baleno housing, but you will end up with a close ratio box unless you can salvage the final drive from the Baleno

I was fortunate enough to drive a Baleno with this actually done on it, minus the final drive. The car was something else compared to the stock gearbox. But I love the 2nd and the 3rd gear of the stock gearbox. I really can't describe how, it hits differently than any modern cars.

Originally Posted by keroo1099

FYI: I still think the Baleno was a better handler than the T-Jet I now have. Still miss it

When I bought the Baleno, I really thought to myself... alright I will use it for a few years and upgrade to a Skoda Octavia VRS or something better. But being one of the most unpopular cars and being a Suzuki, this car gives a very unique experience on the highway. It handles really well for the car it is. Sometimes surprising people in much more expensive cars as well as me and making me think how on earth did it do that