some none jargony advice for new female owner/member
Moderator: martauto
A really interesting forum to go along with my really lovely black '86 2.0i. My question is about what I should request a garage to supply/ fit to improve the braking characteristics. It doesn't seem to stop very well compared to newer cars I have driven (yes I know - go figure) It has just passed MOT and stops in a straight line and I don't think its because I'm a girl and can't hit the pedal hard enough, Its just not very confidence boosting and I would like to know what to request is done to improve things (braided hoses? new grooved discs? racing pads?) I guess my budget is about £300/400 if I had to put a price. It seems like you guys are the best source of knowledge in the UK for what is my new P&J and a really characterful and fun car to drive. (my E30 is well maintained, low mileage and really tight in all other areas) Thank you in advance, Cassi (21, Bath)
Welcome! 
Firstly check that the calipers are functioning / sliding correctly and rectify if not.
Then you could try going for good quality plain discs, plus something like EBC Redstuff pads and some fresh fluid.
I like to have braided brake hoses but it is hard to tell much of a difference in my opinion.
That lot should be well within budget.
Big brake kits are available but the costs go up a lot, and you may need bigger wheels too.
You are lucky to live in Bath, a place close to my heart!
Firstly check that the calipers are functioning / sliding correctly and rectify if not.
Then you could try going for good quality plain discs, plus something like EBC Redstuff pads and some fresh fluid.
I like to have braided brake hoses but it is hard to tell much of a difference in my opinion.
That lot should be well within budget.
Big brake kits are available but the costs go up a lot, and you may need bigger wheels too.
You are lucky to live in Bath, a place close to my heart!
Jeremy Clarkson wrote:...but it drives the front wheels. Theee wrooong wheels!
da4x4turbo wrote:I raced a vivaro on the motorway once in a 318is.... and lost!!!
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tailoutcharlie
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im not really an expert, but ive been told pagid fast roads pads improve things quite a bit and dont need to be heated up at all.
new fluid and hoses would prob work wonders considering the age of the system.
welcome to the forum btw
oh and
show us what you got
new fluid and hoses would prob work wonders considering the age of the system.
welcome to the forum btw
oh and
show us what you got
Chris
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Gwynleym10
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Hello!
Your '86 320! may well come with solid rather than vented (looks like two discs put together) front discs. This is a worthwhile conversion and you can get all the parts from a 325i.
Be aware that e30's are not over servoed (the ability to pull the car to a sharp stop with your little toe!). You do have to put a fair amount of pressure on the pedal to get good result - but not any more than any human could! You will find that they will build confidence with practise.
Your '86 320! may well come with solid rather than vented (looks like two discs put together) front discs. This is a worthwhile conversion and you can get all the parts from a 325i.
Be aware that e30's are not over servoed (the ability to pull the car to a sharp stop with your little toe!). You do have to put a fair amount of pressure on the pedal to get good result - but not any more than any human could! You will find that they will build confidence with practise.
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rebelcruiser
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welcome to the zone.
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Rosc0PColtrane
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Newer cars have abs too. As Gwyn said, it could be down to not being used to them. I used to lock my cabby up for a past time after getting out of a 'modern' (53 plate) Arsetra.
Just make sure your brakes are tip top. Going down the 325i route would be cost effective.
Just make sure your brakes are tip top. Going down the 325i route would be cost effective.
Hi ya, newbie myself so welcome to you too.
Best place to start is to change the brake fluid. Its often overlooked as being that important but over the years it absorbs water and becomes a bit spongy. Buy some new stuff, DOT 4 is advised (thats the grade of brake fluid) and a haynes manuel then you can do it yourself on the cheap. Any more advise needed just ask
Best place to start is to change the brake fluid. Its often overlooked as being that important but over the years it absorbs water and becomes a bit spongy. Buy some new stuff, DOT 4 is advised (thats the grade of brake fluid) and a haynes manuel then you can do it yourself on the cheap. Any more advise needed just ask
id go for oe discs and pads, ive not found anything better and bm spend millions developing the best compound pads etc so i dont mess with other so called "race" pads, i had ebc red stuff pads and tarox disc setup on a previous car and im not slating them but they caused me to crash twice due to not enough heat in pads, i think its wise to stick with the experts when brakes are involved 
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BadDave
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Fluid of choice would be ATE Super BlueDan318-is wrote:Fluid too guys all the above are useless without some decent dot 4 or dot 5.1 fluid.
About £15-£20 per litre but well worth it IMO
Make sure the calipers are in tip top condition/new disks/pads with some fresh(new)Dot 4 or 5.1 brake fluid
And if still feeling flush/undr budget some shiny Goodridge brake hoses
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Yaninnya
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Welcome on board, Cassi!
The 325i brakes route is very cost efective. You can use original pads or some good aftermarket like Ferodo DS 2500. With Ferodo the pedal shoud feel more sensitive. Even if you will not upgrade the breaks you must replace the brake fluid. It shoud be done each two years. And I don't think that someone done it in your car in last ten years.
Jan
P.S. You have very nice name - Cassandra.
The 325i brakes route is very cost efective. You can use original pads or some good aftermarket like Ferodo DS 2500. With Ferodo the pedal shoud feel more sensitive. Even if you will not upgrade the breaks you must replace the brake fluid. It shoud be done each two years. And I don't think that someone done it in your car in last ten years.
Jan
P.S. You have very nice name - Cassandra.
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bigmattpowell
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Welcome! If it's a saloon 320i you probably wont even have discs at the back. Get the brake setup from a 325i or any touring(same setup) as mentioned above, which will be solid discs for the back and vented discs for the front (and calipers to go with them). Reconditioned or new calipers maybe and decent pads and fluid. The brake hoses corroding is a common MOT failure so maybe get them replaced anyway for peace of mind if not upgraded.
The Spice Must Flow
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orangecurry
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welcome to the 'zone.
Just to summarise the excellent advice above:
you don't want grooved discs and racing pads, unless you are going racing. They do NOT improve ordinary braking; the idea of racing upgrades is to dissipate heat and dust caused by constant hard braking, which does not happen in ordinary driving.
What is probably the problem with your brakes is that they are old; the discs are 'worn' with lipped edges (you can feel this easily by touching the edge of the disc WHEN COLD) with grooves in the body of the disc. This means that when the pad touches the disc, there is less contact area between the two, and so are less effective. The previous owner might have put cheap pads on as well. The fluid will probably need replacing, and as said replacing the flexible hoses is a good idea.
**edit
replacing the flexible hoses can improve braking as the flexible hoses can bulge/expand (more so as they age and crack) when the brake fluid is pressurised around the braking system when you put your foot on the brake pedal - if a pipe bulges, less force is being passed to the brake caliper, and so less braking power. You can either replace with OE (which will bulge less as they are new) or with pipes which have a braided metal flexible sleeve over the top, which prevents bulging - Goodridge make sets of these hoses; you need one hose per brake, and sometimes one or two other pipes which are elsewhere on the car, and a set will cost 30-60 GBP, plus fitting.
Without seeing the car(!) I would suggest
1) replace fluid
2) if discs are worn, replace with OE and OE pads at the same time.
this is a cheap first step, and will immediately improve braking.
After that, the best effective upgrade would be to 325 brakes as the boys have said above, but do the simple steps first
Good luck.
Just to summarise the excellent advice above:
you don't want grooved discs and racing pads, unless you are going racing. They do NOT improve ordinary braking; the idea of racing upgrades is to dissipate heat and dust caused by constant hard braking, which does not happen in ordinary driving.
What is probably the problem with your brakes is that they are old; the discs are 'worn' with lipped edges (you can feel this easily by touching the edge of the disc WHEN COLD) with grooves in the body of the disc. This means that when the pad touches the disc, there is less contact area between the two, and so are less effective. The previous owner might have put cheap pads on as well. The fluid will probably need replacing, and as said replacing the flexible hoses is a good idea.
**edit
replacing the flexible hoses can improve braking as the flexible hoses can bulge/expand (more so as they age and crack) when the brake fluid is pressurised around the braking system when you put your foot on the brake pedal - if a pipe bulges, less force is being passed to the brake caliper, and so less braking power. You can either replace with OE (which will bulge less as they are new) or with pipes which have a braided metal flexible sleeve over the top, which prevents bulging - Goodridge make sets of these hoses; you need one hose per brake, and sometimes one or two other pipes which are elsewhere on the car, and a set will cost 30-60 GBP, plus fitting.
Without seeing the car(!) I would suggest
1) replace fluid
2) if discs are worn, replace with OE and OE pads at the same time.
this is a cheap first step, and will immediately improve braking.
After that, the best effective upgrade would be to 325 brakes as the boys have said above, but do the simple steps first
Good luck.