the Ikon.. bad brakes

Hatari · 15th March 2004, 02:56

a few friends n relatives own ikon..
awesome to drive..
but the fact that it has bad brakes stays in the back of ure mind..

anyone modified the brakes for better performance ?

Rehaan · 15th March 2004, 04:04

Jeez...yes Hatari,

I do not even consider the ikon as a "drivers car" like most people do because i feel that you cannot push it even close to its full potential with such absolutely crap brakes!!......

...and ive been trying to find out if they have done anything to the brakes in the NXTs....but havent been able to get a satisfactory answer!

anyone know?
cya

Shan2nu · 15th March 2004, 04:29

People don't realise that getting from 100 - 0 is more important than getting from 0 - 100.

I really can't comment on the Ikon as my test drive was very brief and i never got the chance to test it's braking. *Maybe you could fix the Mondeo's brakes on the ikon but be careful, the Mondeo's brakes might be too powerful for a light car like the Ikon.

For deceleration with better control, you can try and practice engine braking along with your normal braking, i always do that and it's helped me so far.

Regards...
Shan2nu

Rehaan · 15th March 2004, 06:26

Shan2nu,

even with engine braking the braking performance is just not satisfactory in the ikon, plus the gearbox isnt so smooth as to make engine breaking fun as it is in some cars.

cya

toyota · 15th March 2004, 10:50

One strange thing is that the 1.3 Lt engine and the 1.6 Petroll engine Ikons have the same brake disc s and pads .
Front :240 mm dia ventilated discs
Rear :180 mm dia. drums

But i am not sure whether i am rt or wrong .....i think you have the option of antilock , why dont you try that .

GTO · 15th March 2004, 12:37

Hatari,

I am in absolute agreement with you. For all about it being a drivers car, the brakes on the Ikon are really pathetic. Butttttttttttttttt this is more a case of rapid brake fade rather than the overall design of the braking system i.e. Initially the brakes are not all that bad and the bite is satisfactory, but once you start driving aggresively the brakes start to fade at an alarming rate. My brother owns a year 2000 Ford Ikon 1.6, and he has crashed the car on the way to his own wedding, coz the car would just refuse to stop!!

The previous gen Esteem also had similar problems (e.g. my own 1996 Esteem), and Maruti has minimized this issue in their newer cars with the addition of ventilated disc brakes. I am not sure if the brakes on the Ikon are already ventilated, but if they arent - that would be a good area for a keen owner to start.

I honestly like the gearshift of the Ikon, and yes...experienced drivers can attempt to work around this problem using engine braking.

A permanent solution to the Ikons braking problem would be to upgrade to better quality pads, whether Indian or imported. I am dead certain this would make the entire difference.

GTO

Rehaan · 15th March 2004, 14:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (toyota @ Mar. 15 2004,09:20)]One strange thing is that the 1.3 Lt engine and the 1.6 Petroll engine Ikons have the same brake disc s and pads .
Front :240 mm dia ventilated discs
Rear *:180 mm dia. drums

But i am not sure whether i am rt or wrong .....i think you have the option of antilock , why dont you try that .

Hey toyota,

This doesnt really appear to be strange in my opinion. Its for the reason of cutting costs, and im sure you could imagine that it would work out cheaper this way rather than having different brake components for the 1.3 & 1.6.

GTO, your bro crashed on the way to his wedding! hahaha.. was he late and in a hurry?

I rely more on engine braking than pedal braking as the cars on which i learnt driving on had the worst brakes!.... i agree with you about the rapid brake fade on the ikon, but even when the brakes are cold they are below par IMO.

cheers
Rehaan

Shan2nu · 15th March 2004, 15:13

Maybe even normal discs need to be kept at a certain temp to function the way they're supposed to.

I personally, never rip the car for the first few kms and try to gradually increase the brake temps by massaging them a bit while cruising.

Regards...
Shan2nu

toyota · 15th March 2004, 15:42

In Ikon the front Brakes are ventilated discs .

normally_crazy · 15th March 2004, 15:48

hey guys,

i have a ikon and the brakes were crap. when i first ripped the car i just couldnt come to a stop , thank god i was on the vashi road that time and managed to halt. After that i immediately took the car to the dealer and told him the problems , took the service engineer for a test drive and scared the life out of him.

they gave the car back with the brakes beautifully adjusted. though the problem reoccured later i got it fixed during the servicing. till today i have that 1 st experience at the back of my mind if i really let rip.

cheers

toyota · 18th March 2004, 08:28

If you have a very good mechanic , you can try. making grooves in the disc surface . This will give a extra grip . But the pads life will be reduced !

Revvmaster · 19th March 2004, 02:13

Hey hatari. The only thing you could do is fit better quality pads as GTO mentioned. O/wise try and see if the old Honda City's discs+pads can be fitted on the Ikon. Do check the dimensions before getting it fitted.

Frankly, Indian companies have a bad habit of cost-cutting. Even Hyundai has used the same brake setup for its 2.7V6 which is 30 bhp up on the 2.0. And in a car costing 16 lakhs, thats scary. The only thing to feel a lil secure in it is that it has ABS. But then again, how many Indians know to brake correctly using ABS?

Revv

Sam · 28th March 2004, 16:36

I have the same problem with this whole braking thing, i do drive with engine braking but in dire straights when a kid runs in the road and u doing 100km/h u are going to screetch the mother out of those tires. And with no ABS i cant even control the car. I asked if an ABS sytem could be fitted to the Ikon, but the service dealer said no. Well with ABS at least i have steering control. I drive my Ikon hard and after a half hour of driving and cutting thru traffic the brakes are hot and dont catch that well, i did a setting of the brakes but it didnt help. I feel fitting discs to the rear may help the situation a bit.

GTO · 28th March 2004, 16:48

Well, Ford has desperately cut costs in obvious areas of the Ikon. Beside the previous year interiors, the brakes are one significant area.

GTO

anshumanbishnoi · 30th March 2004, 01:56

ikon s brakes are fine but feel is lacking
to get better feel and confidence try 195/55r14 tyres ull be satisfied with brakes,

15th March 2004, 02:56	#1
Hatari Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Calcutta Posts: 1,872 Thanked: 874 Times	a few friends n relatives own ikon.. awesome to drive.. but the fact that it has bad brakes stays in the back of ure mind.. anyone modified the brakes for better performance ?
	() Thanks

15th March 2004, 04:04	#2
Rehaan Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 24,046 Thanked: 34,080 Times	Jeez...yes Hatari, I do not even consider the ikon as a "drivers car" like most people do because i feel that you cannot push it even close to its full potential with such absolutely crap brakes!!...... ...and ive been trying to find out if they have done anything to the brakes in the NXTs....but havent been able to get a satisfactory answer! anyone know? cya
	() Thanks

15th March 2004, 04:29	#3
Shan2nu Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Hubli - Karnata Posts: 5,533 Thanked: 125 Times View My Garage	People don't realise that getting from 100 - 0 is more important than getting from 0 - 100. I really can't comment on the Ikon as my test drive was very brief and i never got the chance to test it's braking. *Maybe you could fix the Mondeo's brakes on the ikon but be careful, the Mondeo's brakes might be too powerful for a light car like the Ikon. For deceleration with better control, you can try and practice engine braking along with your normal braking, i always do that and it's helped me so far. Regards... Shan2nu
	() Thanks

15th March 2004, 06:26	#4
Rehaan Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 24,046 Thanked: 34,080 Times	Shan2nu, even with engine braking the braking performance is just not satisfactory in the ikon, plus the gearbox isnt so smooth as to make engine breaking fun as it is in some cars. cya
	() Thanks

15th March 2004, 10:50	#5
toyota BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: bangalore Posts: 148 Thanked: 3 Times	One strange thing is that the 1.3 Lt engine and the 1.6 Petroll engine Ikons have the same brake disc s and pads . Front :240 mm dia ventilated discs Rear :180 mm dia. drums But i am not sure whether i am rt or wrong .....i think you have the option of antilock , why dont you try that .
	() Thanks

15th March 2004, 12:37	#6
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 70,546 Thanked: 300,789 Times View My Garage	Hatari, I am in absolute agreement with you. For all about it being a drivers car, the brakes on the Ikon are really pathetic. Butttttttttttttttt this is more a case of rapid brake fade rather than the overall design of the braking system i.e. Initially the brakes are not all that bad and the bite is satisfactory, but once you start driving aggresively the brakes start to fade at an alarming rate. My brother owns a year 2000 Ford Ikon 1.6, and he has crashed the car on the way to his own wedding, coz the car would just refuse to stop!! The previous gen Esteem also had similar problems (e.g. my own 1996 Esteem), and Maruti has minimized this issue in their newer cars with the addition of ventilated disc brakes. I am not sure if the brakes on the Ikon are already ventilated, but if they arent - that would be a good area for a keen owner to start. I honestly like the gearshift of the Ikon, and yes...experienced drivers can attempt to work around this problem using engine braking. A permanent solution to the Ikons braking problem would be to upgrade to better quality pads, whether Indian or imported. I am dead certain this would make the entire difference. GTO
	() Thanks

15th March 2004, 15:13	#8
Shan2nu Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Hubli - Karnata Posts: 5,533 Thanked: 125 Times View My Garage	Maybe even normal discs need to be kept at a certain temp to function the way they're supposed to. I personally, never rip the car for the first few kms and try to gradually increase the brake temps by massaging them a bit while cruising. Regards... Shan2nu
	() Thanks

15th March 2004, 15:42	#9
toyota BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: bangalore Posts: 148 Thanked: 3 Times	In Ikon the front Brakes are ventilated discs .
	() Thanks

15th March 2004, 15:48	#10
normally_crazy Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 4,369 Thanked: 528 Times View My Garage	hey guys, i have a ikon and the brakes were crap. when i first ripped the car i just couldnt come to a stop , thank god i was on the vashi road that time and managed to halt. After that i immediately took the car to the dealer and told him the problems , took the service engineer for a test drive and scared the life out of him. they gave the car back with the brakes beautifully adjusted. though the problem reoccured later i got it fixed during the servicing. till today i have that 1 st experience at the back of my mind if i really let rip. cheers
	() Thanks

18th March 2004, 08:28	#11
toyota BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: bangalore Posts: 148 Thanked: 3 Times	If you have a very good mechanic , you can try. making grooves in the disc surface . This will give a extra grip . But the pads life will be reduced !
	() Thanks

19th March 2004, 02:13	#12
Revvmaster Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 1,190 Thanked: 95 Times	Hey hatari. The only thing you could do is fit better quality pads as GTO mentioned. O/wise try and see if the old Honda City's discs+pads can be fitted on the Ikon. Do check the dimensions before getting it fitted. Frankly, Indian companies have a bad habit of cost-cutting. Even Hyundai has used the same brake setup for its 2.7V6 which is 30 bhp up on the 2.0. And in a car costing 16 lakhs, thats scary. The only thing to feel a lil secure in it is that it has ABS. But then again, how many Indians know to brake correctly using ABS? Revv
	() Thanks

28th March 2004, 16:36	#13
Sam BHPian Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 114 Thanked: 3 Times	I have the same problem with this whole braking thing, i do drive with engine braking but in dire straights when a kid runs in the road and u doing 100km/h u are going to screetch the mother out of those tires. And with no ABS i cant even control the car. I asked if an ABS sytem could be fitted to the Ikon, but the service dealer said no. Well with ABS at least i have steering control. I drive my Ikon hard and after a half hour of driving and cutting thru traffic the brakes are hot and dont catch that well, i did a setting of the brakes but it didnt help. I feel fitting discs to the rear may help the situation a bit.
	() Thanks

28th March 2004, 16:48	#14
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 70,546 Thanked: 300,789 Times View My Garage	Well, Ford has desperately cut costs in obvious areas of the Ikon. Beside the previous year interiors, the brakes are one significant area. GTO
	() Thanks

30th March 2004, 01:56	#15
anshumanbishnoi Newbie Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: india Posts: 5 Thanked: 0 Times	ikon s brakes are fine but feel is lacking to get better feel and confidence try 195/55r14 tyres ull be satisfied with brakes,
	() Thanks