Brake thoughts?

Going to treat the 'ol girl' to a brake overhaul before the December inspection.

New callipers/discs/pads/pins/anti rattle/shoes/cables/flexible pipes/pressure bleed the whole shooting match.

I don't intend to be doing this again in a couple of years time, pads OK but the rest no, I will be using new callipers and not reconditioned versions, pads will be something like Mintex/Brembo but not some Mickey Mouse no name.

The only thing I cannot decide on is the discs, this may have been done before but newer brands are about and it takes awhile to get them into the market place and evaluated.

I find the brakes generally ok, and it is only when I start to press on that I find they can heat up, the long coastal bypasses are a little enticing to say the least but, never had them fade badly enough to worry but would like to keep the pedal feel. I don't want screeching brakes every time i touch the pedal with pads made of concrete so, in a nutshell, as nice a brake as stock but for want of a better words 'a little more resilient'.

I do less off road racing and rambla 'rain runs' (think of your car as a kayak in very fast moving mud), and more struggle up the side of a mountain and pitch and camp. My ex Discovery was setup for competition with the all singing all dancing vented/drilled discs which worked great but used to get blocked and took quite awhile to dry out, during this time the discs used to get a good grinding as stone slowly exited the holes. So as that is no longer going to be an issue I am thinking slotted/drilled discs again?

Seen Piranha, Emtec, Zero sixty (cough) and the Rough Trax black version with the Mintex pads kit, they would win hands down if it was all about cosmetics IMO.

So who has bought and driven on what, which brand worked great under all conditions (it gets hot here), and what about those that screech, squealed, buckled and p*ssed you off?

The only thing happening here with typical brakes is they come in boxes and are delivered as 'made in china BUT inspected in Europe', yeh go figure.

Now, no fighting just good honest feedback on the brand/s and your personal opinions after driving on them. If you feel you made a cock up on something that cost parts of your anatomy and simply want to PM me go ahead, I wont 'grass' you up

TIA

Regards

Dave

Let's get the most boring response over and done with first, shall we?

I went for Mr. T, discs, caliper overhaul (2 new Pistons each side and new seals and gaskets) Mr T pads, and I recon my brakes are as reliable and effective as most can be.

I've had overheat before, but I put that down to the weather and the driving conditions at the time (plus the fair chance that the calipers may have been binding for some time) but never since the replacements.

Can't speak for anything else, 'cos I've never tried anything else. Chris J has fitted slotted discs IIRC, he's happy with them according to his grey ghost thread.

Some posts have said just replacing the hoses with braided hoses shows a big improvement...

I have DBA front discs on my 80, and for me they are better than the standard discs, still have standard rear discs.
With all the roundabouts in Milton Keynes I used to suffer horrible brake fade on standard discs but I don't with the DBA's.
I am on my third set of pads on them and very happy with the performance as for price mine were a tad more expensive than standard discs but that was due to import costs.
Linky in the first DBA.

I got the DBA and agree they are top notch. Mine now stops very well.
Stu

@Clive, I think the stock system is pretty good.....oh alright the hand brake leave a little to be desired but generally ok, bigger wheels and tyres will contribute to overheating Clive.

@Julian and Stumog, are you still importing DBA pads or using something UK based?

regards

Dave

I use Mintex MDB1695 brake pads on the front, or the nearest equivalent.

Dave I've got a 1995 24valve. I've just bought 4 Toyota discs and 2 sets of pads for £290. All genuine and from the dealer direct.

I've put EBC discs and 'Yellow Stuff' pads on the front after pulling some terribly squealy Ferodo pads from the OE discs.

I have to say it stops very well, but then it did with the OE pads and discs unless in low range when you do have to stand on them to hold against the auto trans.

I have nothing against the OE equipment Frank and as I have never driven a new 80, so cannot comment on the brakes when new. I could do as you have done and find the brakes adequate, but as always our driving styles/environment may differ. I am looking for that little extra that I miss on my modified Discovery, that feeling of great breaking power way beyond what you would expect to need.

My and every other one I have driven has never had that 'confidence' feeling, damn it can stop if I stand on the pedal but as heat builds and the gap from one stop to the next decreases (less cooling/recovery time) the confident feel starts to become a little lacking.

Just looking for that little extra that an aftermarket 'might' offer.

regards

Dave

StarCruiser said:

I've put EBC discs and 'Yellow Stuff' pads on the front after pulling some terribly squealy Ferodo pads from the OE discs.

I have to say it stops very well, but then it did with the OE pads and discs unless in low range when you do have to stand on them to hold against the auto trans.

Click to expand...

I have heard good things about EBC Startcruiser.

I know most of the advantage should come from the front brakes (assuming the load valve is set correctly), and I think this is where most people see the gains. I have also posed this question elsewhere and one thing is consistent, it is that many wax lyrical about how great the brakes are now the 150,000 mile/15 year old system has been upgraded with an aftermarket setup, the 'listen how fast my car goes now I have fitted the louder exhaust' statement.

I may well get all I need from a brand new stock system, but if I find I don't then I will be disappointed. One thing I found when using the cross drilled/slotted discs was the mud drying in the holes, as it became hot it would turn to dust bring out small stones giving Starcruiser's 'Ferodo effect'. So the conclusion now is no cross drilled discs, dimpled/slotted/OE are the options now.

The cross drilled versions many have said the 80 is too heavy for them and they crack but, this is IMO is a quality issue and nothing to do with weight, Many HGV's I drove had cross drilled and vented discs and never had any fail/crack although they did eat pads though.

regards

Dave

I got my discs from rufftracks they only had 2 sets at the price I paid......

I have looked at Rough Trax but could only find the discs for the front? Have sent them an email.........

A1 autos offering have the rear discs marked as for J7 and not our J8, emails them and they say they are the same despite there site saying differently, I queried again and got told thy have 'checked with their competition' and they should be the same but just in case I should measure mine.

First DBA site I came across was in Belgium and although my Flemish is crap but my French better than my Spanish I would give them a look in, complete waste of time, I looked at the site for about 2 minutes with images jumping in from everywhere, text that appeared/disappeared in flashes and it left me thinking I had consumed 5 litres of coffee with a high yield caffeine content!!!

Eventually found a Spanish registered site and they too only showed front end DBA discs, this goes back to my thinking that 'most' owner upgrade the front only, I have contacted DBA (HO Australia) to ask for the correct combo and price, as it is the weekend I will have to wait a couple of days for a reply.

If I am going to do this properly I want to do all four wheels, my preference is to use a 'package' that has been found to work, much like purchasing a spring/shock combo for front and rear that has been tested.

regards

Dave

I'm sure you're going about this the right way Dave, good luck with the research. BTW, what year is your truck?

Mine's a bit of a rare breed I think, it's a '95 with the usual bigger front discs, but it's drum brakes only on the rear.

Because the drums are big, I don't have the faff that the UK style rear disc / drum handbrake has, and the system works well on the driving brakes.

I don't wish for the UK set up at all, TBH.

I wouldn't mind discs on the rear, chances are the braking may improve, but I'd want to go for a caliper style handbrake, if I did.

Thanks Clive, I am a bit OCD with repairs/upgrades on my 80 though, much to the disgust of my long suffering wallet!

Mine is a December 94. IIRC this is not long before the later 24 valve and later dashboard came along?

I prefer the 24 valve engine as it seems to rev much more sweetly than the 12 valve but, I prefer the earlier dashboard and as I don't drive with the bonnet open it is not too much of a cross to bear.

How much of an improvement the rear disc is over the drums I am unsure, but the handbrake has long been the weakness of the overall system IME, the larger rear drum brakes yours has always seen the handbrake perform not only with a stronger hold but also with more consistent operation.

Euro 4x4 IIRC offer a disc brake system for the propshaft, this is similar to the LR Discovery, I doubt I could use it here but, I was thinking if a rear disc set up could be fitted without the handbrake internals, might mean an extra beer 'token' at your inspection time but worth it?

regards

Dave

Dave This might help
My front Rotors are DBA 784SL and DBA 784SR
I was going to put DBA 786 on the rear but to be honest rear brakes do not do the level of work that fronts do and so (IMO) do not need to be as high performance as the front so I kept Thirsty standard, especially the brakes were so improved with just replacing the front discs and the brake fade was eliminated.

Hope that helps in some way.

Thanks for that Julian, at least it shows there are discs available all round. I am a little confused by their offering of front brake pads for 319mm discs, and yet thought 'our' maximum fronts were 311, I wonder if there is a larger disc option?

I hope the Spanish site gets back to me so I can see what price they can offer without incurring the outrageous shipping charges that the OZ shipping companies impose.

No thoughts from anyone on the 'zero sixty' offerings from the UK?

regards

Dave

DBA on the front and Roughtrax on the rear. Braided hoses also from RT but crucially Milner pads on the front. You can all throw things and say what you like but unless you have ACTUALLY tried a set of their new pads then you don't know do you. I think they are by far the best pads I have had on an 80. My GS stops better than many things I have driven, not just 80's. Zero fade on the Morocco trip on any of the long descents on or off road. Very very pleased with the set up. Braided hoses arrived for the green on on Friday. Discs will remain standard but Milner pads will be going in. I have tried OEM and EBC and nothing stopped me like these.

Do those Milner pads have a part number Chris, or are they just what Milner supply for 80's?

Just their standard listing as far as I know Chas.

http://www.milneroffroad.com/toyota...ort/hdj80-brakes-0/hdj80-brake-pads-front-4-0

Chris said:

Just their standard listing as far as I know Chas.

http://www.milneroffroad.com/toyota...ort/hdj80-brakes-0/hdj80-brake-pads-front-4-0

Click to expand...

Thanks Chris, mine will need changing fairly soon so a set to be ordered I think.