VZ brake upgrade questions

[Cod]

Amongst my other posts(tho a couple never appeared after submitting) i've got a question regarding the stock brakes on a 2005 VZ exec.

The car I bought has done 97000kms and I noticed that the brakes are very lacking in performance, more so than any other stock vehicle ive ever driven, even after new pads and rotor skim it didnt improve much. The mechanic checked the fluid and said it was fine, i'm not sure if he was inexperienced about the performance of the vehicle but he said it feels about right. To pull the car up even just moderate braking it freaks me out because i have to just keep pressing firmer on the pedal to get her to stop, i'm worried it'll lock up on me or just not cut it in an emergency.
I really should try and get my ass into another VZ to do a comparison but i dont know anyone who owns one so i'm unsure what is "normal" for the car.

Anyway from reading other posts some are suggesting slotted rotors for an upgrade, any ideas on a decent brand that isn't too expensive? Also what type pads will be suitable, i want something that won't wear super fast and not generate much dust leaving ugly dark brown stains all over the front wheels, i think it's got a lot to do with the primary compound in the pad you choose as ive had some in the past are clean where as a different brand could be very messy(on my other cars). In saying all that I'd like reasonably priced brake pads as well.

Last question, do you typically just upgrade the front brakes and leave the rear stock discs?

[calay]

they suck unless you have good pads and rotors. i had the same prob with my vz calais, had the discs machines and that did nothing, put new pads on and that did nothing, but put new rda slotted rotors on today and they seem a lot better - if nothing else than having more disc to squeeze! there's a good upgrade you can do to get VE v8 front brakes for only $895, which is what i'll be doing next.
and yes the rears are apparently pretty big so they're not upgraded with the kit

[Kal123]

As mentioned in this thread, check GSL Rally out.

Change Front Disc Rotter & Pad

He has some of the best prices of RDA Rotors and some very good QFM High Performance Pads.

[mainpath]

hey dude,

If your in Sydney, feel free to try mine out.

I'm telling you it's equally as shit house.

When i posted about this I was flamed by a member stating that, "my car was unroad worthy and a danger to others" fact is breaking in these cars is f'ing shit!

I've actually been in a slip up and gently hit a ute because of them, fluid, pads, rotors all fine. However, I have read once of a persons VZ breaks failing when coming down a hill.

I'm getting mine properly checked out on friday so i'll tell you what I come back with.

I too have heard that upgrading the rotors and some kick ass good pads will help out a lot.
However I believe that this is a flaw in these cars which holden must have "accidentally" over looked, because the breaking quality in it is just substandard.

Amongst my other posts(tho a couple never appeared after submitting) i've got a question regarding the stock brakes on a 2005 VZ exec.

The car I bought has done 97000kms and I noticed that the brakes are very lacking in performance, more so than any other stock vehicle ive ever driven, even after new pads and rotor skim it didnt improve much. The mechanic checked the fluid and said it was fine, i'm not sure if he was inexperienced about the performance of the vehicle but he said it feels about right. To pull the car up even just moderate braking it freaks me out because i have to just keep pressing firmer on the pedal to get her to stop, i'm worried it'll lock up on me or just not cut it in an emergency.
I really should try and get my ass into another VZ to do a comparison but i dont know anyone who owns one so i'm unsure what is "normal" for the car.

Anyway from reading other posts some are suggesting slotted rotors for an upgrade, any ideas on a decent brand that isn't too expensive? Also what type pads will be suitable, i want something that won't wear super fast and not generate much dust leaving ugly dark brown stains all over the front wheels, i think it's got a lot to do with the primary compound in the pad you choose as ive had some in the past are clean where as a different brand could be very messy(on my other cars). In saying all that I'd like reasonably priced brake pads as well.

Last question, do you typically just upgrade the front brakes and leave the rear stock discs?

[calay]

i had a VE omega for a night a while back and their brakes are HEAPS better

[wikky]

Cod, you stated that the mechanic 'checked the fluid and said it was fine.' The level may be ok but how old is the fluid? Brakes fluid is hygroscopic (not hydroscopic as commonly thought) which means it attracts and absorbs moisture from the air, thus greatly reducing its effectiveness. Also check the condition of your brake lines as the rubber does perish over time.
Just a few thoughts.

[Cod]

Yeah he said the fluid looked fine so i'm assuming he checked for moisture/air. I'll check out GSL rally but after shipping costs the rotors might be cheaper for me to source locally in Perth somewhere.
When I get them fitted i'll ask the mechanic to flush the brake fluid and replace as well, just in case and i'll also get the rears skimmed with new pads even tho they don't need replacing.

So Kal123 you recommend RDA over other rotors? there's several brands to choose from that all look decent.

[Kal123]

The 2 most popular brands would be RDA and DBA, both very similar. I read alot of info that pointed towards RDA being the better of the 2. And I'm very pleased with them.

Ohh and shipping is extremely cheap through GSL, your only looking at about $20 all up.

[Fishman88]

Or you could get urself a set of braidied brake lines with some racing brake fluid good pads and a set of slotted rotor. Get it flushed out and will brake heaps better!! mine did heaps with this setup

[Fishman88]

Or you could visit the harrop site they have a entry level brake kit looks goood if ya willing to pay that extra

[Cod]

Bought a pair of RDA slotted rotors from GSL rally and they arrived the same day, getting them fitted tomorrow.
My mechanic said that RDA brake pads are terrible, the rotors he said aren't too bad but seem to still be made out of a cheaper alloy. I hope they last well for me and do a decent job. I might go DBA or something next time.

[JBDrifter]

My brakes are stock and work very well. Car is "04 Calais and done close to 140k km's now. Brakes do feel very spongy, but if I ever do have to stop very quickly the car comes to an immediate stop with my foot planted.

Having said that though I don't have to worry about them locking up since I have ABS... but as of yet I have not had to slam my foot on the brakes that hard anyway, in a year of driving it. I was testing them out the other day though because I had the rotors machined a couple of weeks ago (they were warped causing steering wheel shakes when I braked) and it definitely pulls up 100% when enough pressure is applied on the pedal.
Although it's a little spongy I don't like a touchy brake pedal, so it suits me just fine. Might not be good for others.

[Cod]

Just had mine done, new bendix front and rear pads(the decent ones). Rear skimmed and the new RDA rotors on front, brake fluid flush as well. It's definitely performing better than before but i have to take it easy on them until they bed in. The mechanic told me his experience with slotted RDA rotors were that they will make a pulsing thudding when under firm braking pressure, it has to do with the way they cut the slot on the disc or something. I'm not experiencing that yet but still haven't come down heavy on them. RDA's i now know are popular because of their cheaper price, you're looking at nearly double for DBA's i believe. Still in saying all that the RDA's seem to be doing a good job so far.

I think the VZ will always be a bit squishy on the brake pedal, maybe a brake booster upgrade could be possible on them. Apart from that its new larger calipers from an SS or HSV.

[gslrallysport]

the rotors he said aren't too bad but seem to still be made out of a cheaper alloy.

The mechanic told me his experience with slotted RDA rotors were that they will make a pulsing thudding when under firm braking pressure, it has to do with the way they cut the slot on the disc or something

I think your mechanic is just anti-RDA because he can't make any decent profit in selling them to you like he probably can with DBA... I know a very high number of race and rally competitors on RDA slotted, and the truth is, DBA have more issues with quality and cracking in their entry level rotors than RDA do. I've got RDA slotted on my VZ (and have had to over 12 months), and I've got no idea what he's talking about with regards to a pulsing. All slotted rotors will make noise, but there's no way that a slotted rotor can cause any sort of pulsing through the pedal if the rotor face is still flat...

I think the VZ will always be a bit squishy on the brake pedal, maybe a brake booster upgrade could be possible on them. Apart from that its new larger calipers from an SS or HSV.

SS have the same caliper, and HSV have bigger calipers, which is exactly what you don't want. To get rid of that squishy feeling you need to go to a caliper with smaller pistons, like the VE calipers, which are available as a bolt on kit for all Commodores.

[andyman]

gsl do you sell the brackets seperate to the upgrade kit, i alsready have the rotors and calipers,


interesting to note that the v6 brakes, not sure about the v8 but the rear brakes are infact bigger than the fronts on the ve's

[gslrallysport]

gsl do you sell the brackets seperate to the upgrade kit, i alsready have the rotors and calipers

The VE caliper brackets? I'll give RDA a bell on Monday and find out!

interesting to note that the v6 brakes, not sure about the v8 but the rear brakes are infact bigger than the fronts on the ve's

That's becoming more and more common these days. A larger rear rotors (with a smaller pad) is alot easier to modulate the braking with (which is important with the rear being the unloaded end of the car under brakes), and has mainly been brought about by advances in ABS, EBD, stability control etc....

[andyman]

The VE caliper brackets? I'll give RDA a bell on Monday and find out!

actually ill need rotors too, i can see using rotors with oversized stud holes and a machined hub a lil dodgy...


so yeah rotors and caliper mounts

[gslrallysport]

I suspected not, but did ask about the brakcet. Only sold as complete kits, no individual parts...

V8 VE Front Rotors:
Std $105 each
Slotted $285 for the pair
Gold Dimpled $430 for the pair

[09eddievz]

fornt castor bushes also b part of ya brake problem, hold foot on brake hard then try going forward n back wile r a mate watches if the body (car) moves back n forth, if so bushes stuffd common prob will affect braking and cause clunk noise

[Cod]

fornt castor bushes also b part of ya brake problem, hold foot on brake hard then try going forward n back wile r a mate watches if the body (car) moves back n forth, if so bushes stuffd common prob will affect braking and cause clunk noise

I just put up this post Shifting thud movement below car. Sounds like what you're talking about but I just had those front bushes replaced with a castor kit, plus the thudding im getting is towards the rear of the car.

[gslrallysport]

fornt castor bushes also b part of ya brake problem, hold foot on brake hard then try going forward n back wile r a mate watches if the body (car) moves back n forth, if so bushes stuffd common prob will affect braking and cause clunk noise

QUOTED FOR TRUTH!

Yes Commodores have major issues with front radius rod (caster) bushes!

[exquisit]

what is included in the ve ss upgrade kit?

calipers, adaptor, pads and rotors
lines?

also hows the piston size compared to a vz?
need to change master cylinder?

cheers