Swapping Back To Standard

[gti_al 1]

Moving back to standard brakes to lose some unsprung weight and open up wheel options. Just wondering whether healthy 1.6 or 1.9 calipers are better, or whether stopping power will be the same. Mine were rubbish before, so i can't really gauge what they should be like

 

I will be using 1.6 hubs and disks to widen up the front end a little. I have 15'' wheels so they should both fit. What would be best?

[timmsy19 3]

Moving back to standard brakes to lose some unsprung weight and open up wheel options. Just wondering whether healthy 1.6 or 1.9 calipers are better, or whether stopping power will be the same. Mine were rubbish before, so i can't really gauge what they should be like

 

I will be using 1.6 hubs and disks to widen up the front end a little. I have 15'' wheels so they should both fit. What would be best?

 

iirc there both about the same for performance. Although the 1.9 parts are better design and shouldnt get the horrible noises when reversing.

 

i'd go with 1.9 calipers

[Tom Fenton 1,582]

If it is unsprung weight you are bothered about then go for the 1600 calipers- far lighter than the 1900 stuff and just as good if working well.

[gti_al 1]

If it is unsprung weight you are bothered about then go for the 1600 calipers- far lighter than the 1900 stuff and just as good if working well.

 

That sounds good then. It is certainly the easiest and cheapest option.

 

This may be a stupid question, but what is the best way to ensure they are working well? I know about seals, but what else is involved in sorting them out?

[Anthony 1,003]

1.9 calipers - "good" 1.6 calipers seem to be like hens teeth frankly in my experience, whereas 1.9 calipers are plentiful and work very well. Yes the 1.9's are a little heavier, but the weight difference between 1.6 and 1.9 is nothing like the difference between say 1.9 and GTi-6.

[gti_al 1]

That sounds sensible, and actually reflects my experiences. I haven't had a lot to do with the 1.6 ones though, so i figured i would ask you guys

 

There are some 1.9 ones available too, so maybe i should use them. What is worth doing while they were out anyway?

 

Do you guys think this is the right move? I have just felt driving my sisters base model around lately that mine feels like crap in the front end. I think this might be a good starting point in rectifying that. I also want some wide 13s, and there is no way the big calipers will allow that...

[weejimmy 1]

if you want 13's then you cant use gti-6 fair enough but i realy doubt that this is the issue with the poor front end feel.

plenty 205s around with gti-6 breaks and good front end feel,

id start with looking at your rubber bushes etc, i usualy find this to be the cuause of the " strange" goings on with the 205 handling. and tyres make a hudge diffrence too.

[gti_al 1]

Everything else in the front end is new. I thought the same thing, but the only drastic improvement i got was from the new top mount rubbers.

 

I thought that it was probably something minor, but seeing what the calipers/disks actually weigh, i'm now wondering. It just doesn't feel right, where the other car i drive really does. With everything in mine new, and everything in it original, i can't help but think something odd is going on. This seems like a decent starting point

[GLPoomobile 958]

The 1.6 calipers that were on my Mi when I got it were great. They were not worn, so none of that reverse clonk that you tend to get. Teamed with Mintex pads and Black Diamond grooved disks, the bite was really good and tey stopped well and straight, in fact the best brakes I've experienced on a 205 yet (I have limited experience though

 

When I took them off I noticed one of them looked pretty new as the dirt came off easily and it was nice and smooth underneath.

 

Can you still get them new from Pug, or can they be reconned anywhere? It's only the sliders wearing that causes the problem, isn't it?

[gti_al 1]

I'm totally confused now... i have been offered my old calipers back free, so firstly, what would it take to get 1.6 ones up to scratch? They never clunked, but they also didn't stop particularly well. I think it was probably a pad issue, but i am far from an expert

 

There are also 1.9 ones available, but i am thinking that wheel clearance will be better with the 1.6 ones.

 

Can someone please make my mind up... Is moving back to standard stuff actually a good idea? I'm not happy with how it feels, and the weight is playing in the back of my mind. I would ideally offset it with lighter wheels to have the best of both worlds, but that is expensive... or ugly if you take the cheap option!

[kyepan 291]

cant talk, on holiday.

 

lol, that was my susie. being funny.

 

anyhow, check the definitive weights thread as that will give you the exact weights, so you can make up your own mind about the relative advantages.

 

I've had 1.6 halfrauds pads that were awful, and mintex m1144 that were rather good both in terms of stopping power and how they lasted over the course of a decent blat, then gone to a monster 307hdi setup, and like you i did notice the difference in weight.

 

getting braided hoses will help keep the pedal feel solid, that i would definitely recommend.

 

I took the option of getting lighter wheels to offset the extra weight, it has worked wonders.

[shalmaneser 26]

I had knackered 1.6 calis, the problem is that the pins that the caliper slides on to centre itself every time you use the brakes tends to wear away, this lead to a combination (for me) of pulling in random directions when the brakes were used and some unpleasant noises.

 

changing to 1.9 calis with goodridge hoses stopped all of this, they now stop the car nice and straight, although they haven't really got enough power to lock the front wheels in the dry they're still bloody good i think.

 

I was using greenstuff on the 1.6 calis (i know, but they were better than the halfords pads that were on there when i bought the car!) and grooved and drilled disc.

 

I kept the discs but used whatever pads were on the 1.9 calis when i bought them - I think they are just s*itty generic pads, but the 1.9 brakes have a lot more bite than the 1.6s even though the 1.6 calis had 'better' pads. I suspect looking at the design that the 1.9 calis are significantly stiffer 'out of the box' whereas the 1.6s are a bit bendy even before the slider bushes start wearing away,

 

IMHO the 1.6 calliper is a crap design and the advantages of the 1.9 calliper significantly outweigh the small weight penalty.

 

Re. your funny handling though, i know its obvious but have you had the tracking properly checked?

[Miles 331 1 Cars]

I'd go with the 1.6 ones all day long, Lighter and work well. A pair of recon ones are cheapish along with a new pad retaining pack and you can;t go wrong, The amount of people that race Stk car's over here with them on is huge

[gti_al 1]

I'd go with the 1.6 ones all day long, Lighter and work well. A pair of recon ones are cheapish along with a new pad retaining pack and you can;t go wrong, The amount of people that race Stk car's over here with them on is huge

 

Thanks - this is the kind of advice i'm after. I don't mind having them sorted if the end result will be as good. What should i be getting done to them though? What is actually involved in reconditioning?

[gti_al 1]

I'd go with the 1.6 ones all day long, Lighter and work well. A pair of recon ones are cheapish along with a new pad retaining pack and you can;t go wrong, The amount of people that race Stk car's over here with them on is huge

 

I've sourced all the bits to get my old calipers sorted and back on. Just wondering if anyone has a picture of a 1.6 pad? I've asked a few people about getting pads in for me, but as i don't want standard ones, i need to source them through brakes people... who often haven't had anything to do with 205s. Nothing is kept on the shelf for them either, and i was hoping i could email a pic to help

 

I can source ferodo stuff through a distributer here, so i was going to start off with either the excels or premiers, then upgrade if i like the way the car behaves. A part number could be useful if anyone has one...?

 

If they don't do the job i'll fit some 1.9 calipers, but i want to start with these

[gti_al 1]

I've got the standard calipers back on now, and i'm pretty happy with how they are working. I fitted decent pads, and stripped them back and cleaned everything up as one of the pistons was basically siezed. It was a fairly easy job though, and they are moving much better now. I would definately suggest doing that before upgrading calipers, as there was a fair bit of rubbish in there. Also, the sliders had been greased recently before i pulled them off, but it seems like they could probably use checking occasionally.

 

Things feel better anyway. They aren't as powerful as the other brakes, but feel much nicer, and don't lock the second you jump on them. They will lock the fronts though, albeit much more progressively

 

The car feels better too, and the steering in particular is much nicer and lighter. It was worth doing anyway, and i'm hoping things will improve further as they bed in