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Brake Pads, What are you using ?


Boydie

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It's that time again, major brake service.

This time I'll need to replace the front discs as well as brake pads all round and a complete two year flush of fluid but I was just wondering what make and standard of pads you guys were using, what results you have had and other handy comments.  

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I think the last lot were Mintex from JGS, the D2 brakes always inspire confidence, even if the trailer brakes are slow to respond. Def.  go with the fluid change, its important. I made a wander lead with a switch out of bell wire to activate the abs pump it just makes life so easy.

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I dont mind bedding in, I'm quite used to it even so from what you have said I'll go for the Mintex.  

I have a little electronic tester for moisture content in the brake fluid, it tells me I'm very close to having to change and the front discs have been machined to their limit so as I said, this brake service will be the biggie, front and rear pads, rear discs skimmed, new front discs and replace the fluid. I use Castrol DOT4 and I buy it in a 4 litre container.  I have a little PVC adaptor I made up so I can connect the bottle direct to the master cylinder and then just pump away on the front lawn, I can explain away the faded patches of grass at a later date :D

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I have Mintex on my 109 (Discovery brake system) and they're good, but the EBC green pads (and their grooved vented discs) transformed my RRC's braking.  In fairness, rebuilding the calipers probably helped a lot, but the green stuff pads really work well.  Bedding in wasn't much of an effort at all.  It seems a minority perspective to like them, though - I can't remember whether it was on this forum or another that almost everyone complained about them crumbling.  Mine are in still very good order after over 15k.

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Mine are Mintex today because they were cheap and easy to get hold of.  However, the previous Disco had EBC Greenstuff (on the front at least) and they seemed more effective, but at the cost of being very dusty.  They were also on slotted/grooved discs which I don't have on the current Disco.  That probably accounts for some of the dust?

Anyway, I'd buy Greenstuff next time I think.

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I'll avoid the drilled and slotted discs thanks, - even the standard ventilated front wheel discs have a horrid habit of filling up with crud and dust on our outback roads and in any case the need for really hard braking isn't an issue.  Yeppers, Hobbit,  I've got a new set of DBA front discs, they even look as if they have been balanced :D.  

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I'm a massive fan of DBA stuff  - although it failed miserably to sell to Land Rover owners over here as they won't pay for quality. I had a set on the front of my 11 and will, when need arises put a set on the Disco. Oddly enough my Disco actually stops very well with standard discs and Mintex. I've rebuild the callipers on the rear recently - Britpart pistons and Genuine seals. The Britpart seals are carp but the pistons are very good. Unlike Bearmach who supply free rust. Sadly SS ones are no longer available. I may send my spare set of callipers to Big Red next time. Two reasons, they look nice and there is a decent warrantee

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No-one is making stainless pistons anymore?  I'm surprised.  The Zeus pistons I put in my 109 and RRC are brilliant.  I never did understand why people would buy replacement calipers rather than rebuild the old ones with a stainless kit - the new calipers would only last a few years, but stainless pistons will last the life of the vehicle, and the caliper bores seldom pose a problem.

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15 hours ago, Red90 said:

I wonder what their quality is like.  Hard to totally screw up such a simple part, I'd like to think.  The Zeus pistons were polished so they looked chromed - the Zues guys said wit wasn't necessary, but just something they chose to do.  I see that these Britpart pistons aren't similarly polished.  I wonder if that has any effect at all on their longevity or that of the seals.

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Several years ago I tried to get stainless steel pistons, I eventually accepted that they were made from unobtainium and even then as rare as rocking horse poo so I did the next best thing, I took a spare set that weren't scratched or scored down to my local metal platers and had them hard chromed and polished.  I'd guestimate that they cost me less than I would have spent on a S/S set (fronts and rears) and are just as good if not better being a harder surface than stainless. 

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I'd guess that comes down to the preparation of the pistons before plating and the thickness and hardness of the chrome.  Did yours come in a small blue bag by any chance ? :blush:  I do recall that my original pistons were pitted to buggery and the "chrome" was a dull grey and not what I would consider to be "hard".   

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18 hours ago, Boydie said:

I'd guess that comes down to the preparation of the pistons before plating and the thickness and hardness of the chrome.  Did yours come in a small blue bag by any chance ? :blush:  I do recall that my original pistons were pitted to buggery and the "chrome" was a dull grey and not what I would consider to be "hard".   

I'm looking at the state that original pistons end up in on Land Rovers after just a couple of years of road use - my wife's 90 needed new pistons at 4 years and 35,000 miles never having gone off tarmac.

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7 hours ago, Snagger said:

I'm looking at the state that original pistons end up in on Land Rovers after just a couple of years of road use - my wife's 90 needed new pistons at 4 years and 35,000 miles never having gone off tarmac.

Regardless of the road/track whenever I get home within a few days I get the pressure cleaner out, drive the Disco up on four ramps and get under and clean all the underside of the car and inside the chassis beams.  I'm dumbstruck at some of the photos I've seen on the site of really rusty and corroded suspensions and brake systems, CV joints etc. that look as if they have been sitting in cow poo for months. As for your ladies car and brake piston corrosion, well I'd be looking at the 4 years/winters of road salt that we dont have in Australia.  

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22 hours ago, Boydie said:

You're right ---  only I couldn't source anyone who supplied stainless steel pistons in Australia. 

That is what mail order is for.  I live in Canada and can't source ANY parts for a Land Rover in this country.  Australia is a parts paradise in comparison.

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On 10/6/2016 at 7:43 AM, Blanco said:

I think the last lot were Mintex from JGS, the D2 brakes always inspire confidence, even if the trailer brakes are slow to respond. Def.  go with the fluid change, its important. I made a wander lead with a switch out of bell wire to activate the abs pump it just makes life so easy.

Sorry for the O/T question...can you show us what you're connecting to on the ABS  pump to make it chooch and bleed through the system?  

I was under the misapprehension one needed a Nanocom or similar?

 

On topic, Mintex stuff seems fairly, uh, mint.

 

Matt

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I'm unable to help there, one of the first things I did when I got my Disco was to remove the ABS unit, the second theng was the airbags.  

ABS is fine on bitumen roads, totally useless on loose gravel tracks if a Kangaroo or Emu bounces in front of you as the brakes refuse to lock up. Air bags are fine though, I simply had to make a choice, airbags or passenger side grab handle and Julies choice was the grab handle. 

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21 hours ago, Red90 said:

That is what mail order is for.  I live in Canada and can't source ANY parts for a Land Rover in this country.  Australia is a parts paradise in comparison.

You would think, but not always so. As I said, getting a good used set of pistons prepped and hard chrome plated and mirror polished was a far cheaper option.  

Incidentally a new genuine - not Britpart - front brake caliper is AUD$285.00 to get a scored caliper bored out and stainless steel liners pressed in and then honed back to standard piston diameter is AUD$235.00.  Regardless of price wouldn't you rather have stainless steel cylinders ?   

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