need your advice on breaks for my car

[anonymousmoose]

Hi all. I've got a question. My car shakes on breaking. My machanic suggests i upgrade the breaks because the caprice uses the same breaks as a commodore but the waight is too much. i need to upgrade the front discs etc.

What type do you all suggest? I dont need anything fancy just something that can handle the cars waight. I dont drive sports etc.

Sorry for the typos etc, posted this via my iphone

[Sabbath']

If you've got the brakes on that were meant for the car then i dont see why you're going to need to spend extra $$ on upgrading them. If the car's shaking then it's likely to be runout in the rotors, which may be able to be machined out

[ari666]

i suggest you give your car a break at least every 5 minutes... lol.

holden do loads of tests for all of their components before they release them into the market, IMO the best BR-A-K-E-S are genuine. they are designed for your car, by the guys that designed your car. everyone else on here will be all like: "nah man, you need 400mm race brakes with carbon fibre rotors and hardened steel pads" or some other blah.

the vibration will be from stuffed rotors. over time (especially with ABS) they will wear. when they get thin, they will heat and cool differently and often warp. like an old vinyl record. regular checking/changing of brake pads and machining rotors will stop it happening.

but yeah personally, i have never seen the point to brake upgrades, unless you plan on running 1/4 miles or driving recklessly. (still got drum on the impala and they are staying )

[sleepa]

i suggest you give your car a break at least every 5 minutes... lol.

You beat me to it, But I was gonna say after every 2 hours or driving

[2005vzute]

if it shakes under braking it will be warped discs..you can put genuines back on, but torque your wheels up with a torque wrench, don't ride your brakes down a hill in the wet and avoid puddles when the rotors could be hot...if you want something with that bit more quality use DBA (disc brakes of australia)..my dads vy always had warped brakes..he went through 2 sets of genuine rotors and then i got him cheap DBA's..it's been a year now with his and my mums normal driving and they haven't failed yet...DBA discs are only like 100 bux at repco, have a look around though.

[rydogz]

I second the DBAs, it's your rotors mate.

[2005vzute]

yeeeeepp..DBA's are worth it if your only replacing your genuines for higher quality and not looking for top of the range high performance or appeal

[sleepa]

Used to work at repco and the DBA's are a good basic upgrade, you can even get the slotted and drilled rotors for not much more, just as good as bigger brakes. Plus they have less chance of warping.

[anonymousmoose]

If the car's shaking then it's likely to be runout in the rotors, which may be able to be machined out

I've had them machined three times already. My machaince and other machanices told me that when the WK capirce was created, it used same breaks tested on the VY commodore. The commodore has a lot less weight then the caprice hence the extra wear. The breaks are fine for a few months after they get machined. The mechanics suggested an upgrade. Are they just after my money or do they make a good point?

[Sabbath']

I've had them machined three times already. My machaince and other machanices told me that when the WK capirce was created, it used same breaks tested on the VY commodore. The commodore has a lot less weight then the caprice hence the extra wear. The breaks are fine for a few months after they get machined. The mechanics suggested an upgrade. Are they just after my money or do they make a good point?

100kg difference between the models at most. Not really going to be an issue i dont think. Plus, they wouldnt release a car onto the market with inefficient brakes for the weight of the car. At most, buy some new replacement rotors of factory spec.

[_R_J_K_]

The mechanics suggested an upgrade. Are they just after my money or do they make a good point?

Try taking it to a brake specialist and see what they say. Is there any reason that you've had them machined three times already (that sounds like quite a few), or was it just because of this shaking?

[Tree cutter]

If your rotors have been machined three times already then they will be illegal anyway because they will be below the minimum thickness allowable. Each time a rotor is machined it becomes more prone to warping because it is thinner. Get some new RDA or DBA rotors because they are made from better material than the factory rotors, so they wont wear or warp as easily as the factory rotors.

[2005vzute]

DBA's are lookin good mate:P, hey sleepa, the fella i used to know at repco over here said that the slotted or cross drilled can get hairline fractures in them easily with the DBA's...is that true?

i have a feeling they have ****ed up with VY brakes somewhere..every VY i have worked on or know someone that has one always has rotor problems...my dad skitzed it at holden once because you can complain all you like, but they won't do a thing about it..it may aswell be a wear and tear item just like tyres haha

[anonymousmoose]

Try taking it to a brake specialist and see what they say. Is there any reason that you've had them machined three times already (that sounds like quite a few), or was it just because of this shaking?

No, just because of the shake really.

[anonymousmoose]

If your rotors have been machined three times already then they will be illegal anyway because they will be below the minimum thickness allowable. Each time a rotor is machined it becomes more prone to warping because it is thinner. Get some new RDA or DBA rotors because they are made from better material than the factory rotors, so they wont wear or warp as easily as the factory rotors.

It may only have been twice... but maybe 3 times. The mechanic checked to make sure there is enough rotor left. I do remember him saying something about each time he machines them they get thinner.

I'll talk to him about the DBA's. How much should I be looking at purchase price? It is cheaper if I buy them myself and then ask the mechanic to fit them? I'm also going to get Barbagello Tyres (bought my Continentals from there) to do a wheel alignment and balance (overdue for one)... maybe I should get a quote there to get it all done at the same place. I dont use Barbagello as my mechanic, only for tyres.

[Cheap6]

This:

StopTech : Balanced Brake Upgrades

is as good an explanation as any that I have seen as to the cause of brake shudder. New discs, properly bedded in, will solve the problem.

It won't hurt to torque the wheel nuts up an ensure that the hub to disc contact surface is clean but they're unlikely to be the cause of the shudder.

You might want to change the pads also as some types can be worse wrt pick up than others but I wouldn't regard it as essential. Just a light scuff up with garnet paper and the new discs should do.

Cross drilled discs in particular can get some surface cracking but usually only if you get heat into them really quickly from cold. What happens is the surface of the disc expands with heat against the cold interior of the disc and yields (permanently deforms) in compression. When the disc cools down again the surface is stresed in tension and because there is less material and the holes in the disc act as stress raisers you can get cracking around the holes. You have to be trying some to generate a sufficient temperature gradient to get any significant amount of cracking in a street car and it can be avoided by not jumping on the brakes hard until they've gone through a few mild stops to get some heat through the whole disc.

[sleepa]

I have heard of a few slotted and cross drilled rotors getting hairline cracks in them, but not many if relation to how many are sold, I think it has more to do with what was said above. As they are thinner they would have a tendency to crack easier then standard brakes, but they also let out heat a lot quicker than stock rotors, So you have to drive pretty hard, I have never made any brakes glow or crack. I suspect that your brake fluid would start to break down before the rotor cracked anyway.

[Ace_VP]

another cause of warped rotors is heavy acceleration then heavy braking in traffic which warms the rotors up then when you stop at lights with hot rotors and hold the brakes on it forms hot spots on the rotors which warps them.

Agee with the advice to go with the DBA rotors. I would maybe look at trying a brake specialist to as oppose to your mechanic, he might be a great mechanic but you will get the best advice from someone who specialises in the field of brakes. Having said that your mechanic might be a wizz when it comes to brakes. Just a suggestion

[ari666]

It may only have been twice... but maybe 3 times.

each time the rotors are machined they ar thinner and more likely to warp, two or three times is being a bit silly. once is probably enough.

dont do cross drilled or slotted, they are just a stupid way to wear your pads faster and completely useless for day to day driving. only time you need extra cooling like that is on a track or towing a MASSIVE load. same with pads, dont get cheap-an-nasty pads or harder 'race' pads, they will just wear you rotors more rapidly.

stock replacement DBA's are pretty good.

[anonymousmoose]

Got a quote for stock DBA breaks for $450. That includes a break fluid flush that was also picked up at attention last service. Just the breaks and labour would set me back $400 (front only).

[*uwishn*]

defiantly find a new mechanic, machine the disc or replace them,his out to grab your money like most are.

[ari666]

Got a quote for stock DBA breaks for $450. That includes a break fluid flush that was also picked up at attention last service. Just the breaks and labour would set me back $400 (front only).

i know everyone on forums says this but: changing the front pads/rotors is realllly easy. as long as you have:

a jack and chassis stands
wheel brace
ratchet set
brake piston compressor (you can make this from a piece of steel and a bolt+nut)

the wheel comes off (5 bolts), the calaiper comes off (2 bolts) the rotor slides off (no bolts) unclip the old pads, loosen the lid of the brake master cylinder and wrap as many rags as you can around it-in case fluid comes out, compress the brake piston, clip the new pads in (apply the grease to the back of it, dont get it on the pad) slide the rotor back on, fit the caliper (2 bolts), fit the wheel (5 bolts) get in the car and depress the brake 2 or 3 times. then repeat on the next wheel.

i would never pay a mechanic to do that ^^ your looking at an hours job, for which the mechanic wants 400 bucks???

[Tsunamix]

I would go for an upgrade. Factory rotors are comparatively poor material, so they warp quite easily.

I disagree with peoples sentiments about whether upgrades are ncessary - I personally think the faster and more reliably you stop the better, so I went with vented rotors myself. Next time I will go with the oversize crossdrilled VE commodore rotors from GSL. Acceleration is fun, but stopping faster will save lives (and money).

[Freshjivin]

Just wondering, Who is your mechanic who thinks that the stock brakes aren't good enough? I've spoken to a few people with the same car who have had no problems at all, although one did have to replace a rotor but even then they replaced it with the stock rotor so just wondering why you would need to "upgrade" iflike others have mentioned that Holden obviously test there cars thouroughly, so maybe your mechanic is just trying to get you to buy the more expensive product?

[strgas]

anyone thought to check the run out of the front hubs ???