Stainless brake upgrades, and green stuff pads

mrtask

Well-Known Member
I remember talk of upgrading standard callipers with stainless bits. I can't remember the specifics. Was it stainless pistons all round, stainless sleeves just at the back? Can anybody enlighten me?
Also, what is the consensus on green stuff pads? Worth the extra expense over standard, when used with plain, non-vented, un-grooved front discs? I've bought some EBC front discs, and of course in the accompanying bumpf they recommend using their own green stuff pads, but these cost a fair bit more than the normal variety.
 
I have used green and red stuff on solid plain discs in the past. They are OK, bit better over stock, BUT - boy do they make a lot of dust.
Got to be expected when you go for a performance pad to some extent.
See my trials with Mintex M1144, they don't make quite as much dust, and bit well from cold, but really pull up when warm.
Rear brake pads
Post # 14 for numbers on fronts, Came from Merlin Motorsport IIRC.
The custom made rears I had made by Questmead in M1144 worked so well I had to fit an adjustable proportioning valve :rolleyes:
 
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I remember talk of upgrading standard callipers with stainless bits. I can't remember the specifics. Was it stainless pistons all round, stainless sleeves just at the back? Can anybody enlighten me?.
The state of the cylinder bores is what matters most I guess. I sleeved my booster and rear calipers. Haven’t changed pistons yet but have some coming for the fronts. Then there’s braided hoses.
 
I was under the impression that the green stuff pads needed grooves to work well as they gassed, so wouldn't be much better than standard on a smooth disc, but a lot better on a grooved one.

I had some Rossini discs with green stuff pads, and TBH they drove me mad as they were very noisy.
 
Interesting about the rears, can I ask what is your experience now with the fronts? I see they sell for pretty cheap!
The fronts do work well, I have 245 section tyres and the wheels lock in the dry no problem. There is no squeal, and moderate dust. The brakes do work well from cold, but when warm are better. They have a good feel.

Just upgrading the fronts on a road car would suffice ( if your rears were working 100% )

If you had a Fosseway conversion like Richard on the front then M1144 rear pads would possibly balance nicely.
 
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I have used green and red stuff on solid plain discs in the past. They are OK, bit better over stock, BUT - boy do they make a lot of dust.

Odd you should say that as EBC Greenstuff pads are according to the webside 'mid dust level' pads specifically to reduce dust. I have used them is all sorts of vehicles in the past and never had any brake dust issues. Quite the opposite really! It says this about Redstuff:

'Utilising a ‘low dust’ compound, the Redstuff pad is most popular for vehicles that need to be kept clean with minimal requirement'.

As for stopping power, they are better I think than standard, although I am not sure what I really mean by 'standard' but P6 brakes need a lot of pressing compared to modern cars anyway so the benefit is minimal.
 
Yes their claim on low dust has always made me laugh. As I said earlier though you can expect more dust from a performance pad, what is a tolerable amount over stock depends on the user.
I think we are all spoilt by having daily driver cars that stop on a dime and when we get in an old car we think the brakes are crap, when really they are not, they just work differently, and there is only so much you can do with stock equipment.
You can boost up the braking, yeah great, but when you ask a skinny tyre that is utilising a crap compound to deliver all this braking effort to the pavement it all goes out the window.
 
Quote "The state of the cylinder bores is what matters most I guess "
True only for the rears, as they have normal cups that seal on the bores. NOT true for the fronts, as the pistons seal on the Oring type caliper seals. The bores should be clean, but their surface quality is irrelevant.
 
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