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l series brake upgrade
Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 9:20 pm
by gazcull
i'm sure this has been asked a million times, but i find the standard brake setup on my l series very poor, i've checked it over and i'm pretty sure its all ok, so the question is, can i upgrade the brakes without spending a fortune? a friend said vented discs and expensive brake pads will improve things and someone else has said the rear hubs can be changed for discs pretty cheaply, i really don't wanna spend more than 300 to 400 hundred bucks, thanks for all suggestions
Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 10:00 pm
by Alex
Yes beaf up the rears to discs. Can be expensive and hard to find.
I used ferodo sports pads in the front with my turbo motor and they worked really well. They were about $140
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Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 11:01 pm
by steptoe
It does not hurt to do above, and with drums - a machine and correctly fitted shoes and new wheel cylinders should work a treat. Cripes even an annual brake bleed with nw fluid helps (note to self)
I improved brakes on one old beast just by replacing every flexible hose, also came with fluid bleed.
Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 11:44 pm
by gazcull
did you use vented discs??
Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 11:47 pm
by gazcull
i did notice that the rear hubs were a little scored, i think a machine maybe worth a try, and i like the idea of new flexi lines, the car has seen some action and they are probably the originals
Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2012 12:01 am
by Wagonman
Some Slotted front discs/decent pads would be worth the money imo.. L series get pretty bad brake fade when slowing from slightly higher speeds and this would help and is in ur price range..
Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2012 8:03 am
by Alex
I didn't use slotted discs. I think they're a waste of money and only useful if you're doing heaps of heavy braking without giving the brakes time to cool off (ie track racing) slotted discs also tend to wear down pads pretty quickly.
If it were me I'd just get new discs for the front with really good pads and just get the rears refreshed. The rears probably only do 20% of the braking anyway.
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Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2012 12:49 pm
by steptoe
+1 for me again, and please don't expect an improvement on brake hoses - just what I got myself with just a bleed to go with it. Rockauto in the US has some / had some bargains on hoses - get 'em in a week
Posted: Wed May 09, 2012 9:36 pm
by RSR 555
Definitely check the adjustment on the rear drums and make sure they are the correct size shoes to match. This can make a HUGE difference.
Your front discs are already ventilated but I would highly recommend vented and slotted rotors for the front. The wiping effect from the slots also allows extra cooling. I would not recommend cross drilled though.
On the budget you have said, I would suggest a good set of DBA Gold rotors and Bendix Ulitmate pads for the fronts and again, just make sure all is correct on the rear.
If you could afford it later, I would suggest you upgarde the backs to discs.