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BRAKE UPGRADE TIME - WE
HAVE OPINIONS !
What we
recommend:
Well actually what we
really recommend is you follow this link:
HI-SPEC BRAKES to go straight to our online shop and buy a set of
the amazing Hi-Spec front brakes. Really though, I expect you want to know
why ! Read on then ...
Ah, Ford Capri brakes,
(well all the older Ford brakes actually) everybody complains about them
and everybody has an idea about what works to improve them. Well let me
tell you first off, they are nowhere near as bad as the reputation
suggests. Actually, that assumes they are in good order, and don't have
the usual old age problems of seizing pistons, leaky seals, warped and
scored discs and more. Lets face it though, they are based on 1960's
components and the world has moved on. So, if you're not restoring to
original specs, what you really want to hear, is how to make them much
better, just like your other modern car.
We've been playing with
old Fords' brakes, and in particular the Capri's, and let me tell you it is
a minefield of bigger discs, princess calipers, Volvo calipers, 4-pot
calipers, Granada calipers, 1 pot floaters, aluminium this and that,
vented, drilled, grooved and who knows what else discs, fast road or race
pads, brackets, rear disc conversions, bigger master cylinders, different
servos and a million and one problems and incompatibility issues. Well, we
can cut right through that little lot and tell you what we've found really
does make your car stop, is easy to fit, won't leave you feeling you need
to change something else to get it to work right, looks good, won't fall
apart if used all day every day and won't set your bank manager after you
with a lynch mob. I'll tell you why, and I'll even show you a photo shot
on how to fit the things.
If you've got a
manufacturer in mind, or a supplier or particular setup in mind, we've
almost certainly tried it, fitted it, fixed it when it's gone wrong, or
diagnosed issues with it. We are intimate with brakes here, and from this
huge mountain of hardware, time and again it boils down to the fact that
we prefer Hi-Spec brake kits. What we have also found is that of all the
components you can change it is the size of the front discs that have the
most effect - bigger is better ! If you have 15" wheels use this by buying
much bigger diameter discs in your kit. Moreover, we simply like the
front upgrade kit on it's own. We find this works perfectly with your
standard back brakes and the standard master cylinders and servos
(although of these we'd plump for the 2.8i ones every time). 'What,
no rear disc conversion?' I hear you shout. No, no, no we say. The fact of
the matter is, that weight transfer during braking means that the back can
only do so much (say 20%) of the work before they skid and lock. The
fronts on the other hand can handle a doubling of force before that
happens (at least in the dry). So throw you money at the fronts. In fact,
Ford fitted a limiter to the back brakes themselves, on the 2.8i, as they
felt they were already close to being over-powerful. Why upgrade them
then. Next I hear cries for bigger bore master cylinders and fitment of
2.0 servos that this requires. This is only ever needed if you do fit rear
discs. So if you follow our advice about rear discs, then you won't need
to monkey around with servos and master cylinders. If you want the best
servo and master cylinder that will fit properly then use what Ford did on
the newest and fastest models - use the 2.8i stuff. Also note that the 2.0
servo is not as powerful as the 2.8i one, so upgrading to a big bore
master cylinder that requires one means downgrading the servo. Other
problems we find with rear discs (and I think we've fitted 5 different
brands altogether and they all suffer with one or more of these problems),
are groaning noises, seriously crap handbrakes, axle oil leaking past
wheel bearings where bracketry causes the bearing to not butt into the
axle case fully, excessive pedal travel (hence need for bigger master
cylinder) and wheels hitting arches, due to extra track width of outboard
discs, awkward handbrake cable routing (touching suspension parts).
If you can accept that
all you really need to do is upgrade the front brakes (and I urge you to
believe this) then you might ask why we go for the Hi-Spec kits and not
for any of the others. Well don't get me wrong, there are plenty of others
out there that work, but Hi-Spec we believe tick all the boxes, where
others might miss one or two. Here's what you get in the 285mm kit for use with
15" wheels (we have kits for 13" wheels too, but the bigger 15" kits work
best - there is no substitute for size!).
The Kit -
what's in it?
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So, just how easy are
these blighters to fit then? Well, we'll assume you can work on your car
and have a few tools, and maybe a little common sense. If not, don't fear,
you can always book it in with us. We'd want just 2 hours labour to this
job. First up is to remove the old calipers, then the hub with the old
disc. If you've got backing plates on your brakes, then take 'em off, they
are not used with vented discs (2.8i didn't have any). Should look like
picture 1. |
1 |
Next up flip your hubs
over, bend the lock tabs back on the 4 bolts, undo the bolts and remove
the old discs - rubber mallet if you need to hit anything. You should be
left with something like picture number 2.
The next bit is
extremely important and must not be overlooked. Get ALL the dirt and rust
of the old hubs' disc mounting faces - use sandpaper or wire brush on a
grinder. Any debris left can make the new discs run as if they are warped
- do it and do it again - pic 3. |
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Final check to make on
disc and caliper is the clearance between the outside edge of the disc and
the inside of the caliper, see pic 9. It usually is quite tight or even
touching. Fear not, the kit includes a spacer washer to go between the
caliper and the mounting bracket, see pic 10. Install these if needed,
tighten up and be sure everything rotates smoothly with no tight spots or
contacts. |
10 |
Now you can slide the
pads into place, noting that they come pre-fitted with anti squeal pads
and a break-in treatment on the faces. Pin and lock pin fitting should be
pretty obvious and there are anti-rattle springs included. Picture 11
shows that lot fitted correctly. Give it all another rotation check -
should be fine if you got all the spacers in the right places. You should
now be looking at something like picture 12. |
