Zt 190 brake upgrade

[bl52krz]

Not sure, but do you not have to have bigger wheels also? Don’t know why I say that, but think I read it on here somewhere. Rick?

[Rick-sta]

Originally Posted by trikey

Lol, I find it difficult to drive one of our other ones after being in mine with the 190 calipers on, the braking on the standard brakes feels awful in comparison.

Same here mate. Especially when I drive my dad's 75 as that's an auto so doesn't have engine braking.

Originally Posted by bl52krz

Not sure, but do you not have to have bigger wheels also? Don’t know why I say that, but think I read it on here somewhere. Rick?

Yes that is correct. All the 18inch wheels fit over the 190 calipers, some of the 17 inch ones do too but can't remember which ones. I think the serpents fit with small spacers. as the OP has a ZT diesel I would assume it already has 18 inch wheels fitted

[clf]

Originally Posted by trikey

Lol, I find it difficult to drive one of our other ones after being in mine with the 190 calipers on, the braking on the standard brakes feels awful in comparison.

I thought the standard brakes were more than adequate, except for a serious lack of feel under heavy, prolonged braking - fine to start with, but feel disappeared whilst still slowing at a decent rate. I put this down to either dodgy pads, or the fluid.

Once I changed to the 190 discs up, that feel is maintained throughout braking. However, my discs are MTec grooved, refurbed calipers, and new Mintex pads (I do not know what were on before, but there was plenty of meat on them and the fluid was around four years old and had noticeably deteriorated by the end).

After flushing/changing my mother's fluid on her car, which had previously had scary sharp brakes (MK2 Clio), I noticed that sharpness and feel return. It made me think, that most doing the 190 upgrade, will have to do at least a bleed, which will add to the benefit of the 190, along with likely all new pads and discs, so braking performance will be massively improved.

I would be curious to know how much better a fluid change and decent pads improved standard brakes (I am not changing them all back lol).

[clf]

Originally Posted by bl52krz

Not sure, but do you not have to have bigger wheels also? Don’t know why I say that, but think I read it on here somewhere. Rick?

I had forgotten about that lol.

Originally Posted by Rick-sta

Same here mate. Especially when I drive my dad's 75 as that's an auto so doesn't have engine braking.

The lack of engine braking made me wary at first, but snow mode helps, as does (I read on here recently and tried it), selecting 3 or 4 rather than D, but it will still be less than a manual (2 is supposed to be even more pronounced but that is unusable for most journeys).

Next time you are in it, in D and when you have gone to fifth, then lock up, try touching the brake lightly, I found that knocks it out of lock up and if you do not touch the accelerator, engine braking becomes apparent - but it still is not as able as a manual for engine braking.

[rikk]

Thanks for all the replies, very useful info.. it seems i do need to replace or recondition my front calipers asap as the nearside is sticking. So i'm currently undecided whether to upgrade , or recondition the existing calipers - I found a kit on ebay for £30 to do both sides, but there is the cost of the labour to recondition them.

So am tempted to the 190 upgrade especially as i've seen a seller on ebay selling a new pair of 190 calipers for £60. Though there is the cost of new discs and pads too ..

If i could get some of the caliper carriers though I am tempted to fit all new upgraded brakes as the overall cost may not be that much more.

So if anyone knows where i can get a hold of the "caliper carriers" please let me know :-) thanks.

[rikk]

I've had the front brakes replaced with new 190 calipers, discs and pads (i managed to find a set of the carriers) , definitely an improvement, most importantly the calipers are no longer sticking, but certainly seems to stop better than before too :-)

[Mike Trident]

You will notice a large improvement in braking just by making sure your standard set up is working as it should, changing fluid every couple of years etc .

Remember! If you can slam on the brakes and get the Abs to Kick in, you don't need more friction. If your standard brakes can lock the wheels, that's all you need.

[clf]

Originally Posted by Mike Trident

If you can slam on the brakes and get the Abs to Kick in, you don't need more friction. If your standard brakes can lock the wheels, that's all you need.

Surely it is just before the brakes lock that is most significant? Ie slowing more efficiently and quickly.

I noticed a massive improvement on slowing down at a particular roundabout. But as you say fluid could be enough to have rectified this issue (brakes becoming vague, even though they still appeared to slow the car). This is where I think some of the improvement (me included) when the 190 set up is implemented.

Sent from my SM-A600FN using Tapatalk

[Rick-sta]

Originally Posted by clf

Surely it is just before the brakes lock that is most significant? Ie slowing more efficiently and quickly.

I noticed a massive improvement on slowing down at a particular roundabout. But as you say fluid could be enough to have rectified this issue (brakes becoming vague, even though they still appeared to slow the car). This is where I think some of the improvement (me included) when the 190 set up is implemented.

Sent from my SM-A600FN using Tapatalk

Yes exactly that. The whole point of the 190 brake upgrade is so you can slow down quicker before the need to use ABS in emergency brake situations there probably isn't much difference. In normal braking there is a big difference.

I first had the 190 brake upgrade done on my typhoon and straight away noticed a big change in braking. My 190 SE had them already and these two cars definitely feel better braking than redfive and my dad's 75 which are on standard brakes. The standard brakes are on these two are perfectly fine and completely up to the task, but the 190 brakes better.

[clf]

Originally Posted by Rick-sta

Yes exactly that. The whole point of the 190 brake upgrade is so you can slow down quicker before the need to use ABS in emergency brake situations there probably isn't much difference. In normal braking there is a big difference.

I first had the 190 brake upgrade done on my typhoon and straight away noticed a big change in braking. My 190 SE had them already and these two cars definitely feel better braking than redfive and my dad's 75 which are on standard brakes. The standard brakes are on these two are perfectly fine and completely up to the task, but the 190 brakes better.

from that I am reading that red five has standard brakes (non 190). When was the last time the brake fluid was flushed through and changed? If it was in your ownership, did you notice much of an improvement with a fluid change?

I changed to 190 for two reasons. A serious reduction in feel when braking hard even though they still braked as well as before. After doing it, I flushed and replaced the fluid in my mother's clio, after which the difference was as marked as the standard to 190 set up.

Second reason was, more surface area means better braking benefit, which is always a good thing.

I justified it though because of that loss of feel, but I think that would have improved immensely with a fluid change. The 190 set up though will be better at braking, how much better I really do not know, and I think most who have done it, will have done it with a full fluid change too. So that benefit will be exaggerated and make the standard setup appear inadequate by an 'unfair' comparison.

It is more of a curiosity rather than disagreeing that a 190 set up is better (if I had realised this thought and had time to, before changing them, I would have experimented with it).