Braking Power

[Hit an Apex]

How can i approve my braking power? Rebuilt calipers all around and im still disappointed! What's the cheapest way to get some serious stopping power? Brake lines? Pads? And how much do they normally run..please share your experiances too..

[genius]

Go nuts and replace the lines with a decent set of braided...and put on some decent Ferodo pads.. If your still liikong for more stopping power you could always have a bit of a falling-out with your bank manager and replace the calipers and rotors with something decent like AP Racing.

[genius]

Please x-cuse the spelling....it's been a long day

[Hit an Apex]

where can i pick up these things your talking about? And how much are they going to cost me?

[genius]

You could try Demon Tweeks in the UK...

[max_75]

or you can try a set of wilwood 4 pot caliper, it's more cheaper than those AP and brembo. You can find some good condition used or new from ebay.com.

[CrowBar]

Are we talking Anti-Lock or not....If not, ATE makes a killer set of carved rotors that will kick large butt.

-CB

[BigSwede]

Well, as long as you're not taking it to the track the stock rotors and calipers will do fine, just use good fluid and really good pads.
I have used Pagid RS 4-2 with good results and I've heard that RS19 is better on all fronts, also Performance friction makes very good pads, the best some say when it comes down to racing.
Hoses is a good idea to replace if they are old, mine had balooned and was blocking the flow, made a huge difference.

[alfafred]

TAROX conversion kit in front 330mm 6 pot calipper, and Tarox SZ brakes rear with a spacer into the calipper...
This is what I have on my Evo..

I have been race driving at Nurburgring / Nordschleife with RSRacing 75 experience and he have a budget setup on brakes, I think the brake discs/calipper are std. but with Teflon brake linings and a spesial setup of pads that can be ordered from him.
These brakes have a great brake performance! wisit his site!

regards
alfafred
www.alfafred.com

[nizam]

If you're just using the car for fast/enthusiastic street driving then the stock calipers are fine. The biggest problems are usually the pads and fluid. Also, due to the age of the car, the flexible brake lines (a rubber composite) may have also deteriorated to a point where they destroy brake feel. To that end, a changeover to stainless steel braided brake lines will help.

However, if you had just rebuilt all components, then the best advice I have for you is to use hot street pads. If you're in the US, I highly recommend Porterfield R4S pads. They have a website here:

http://www.porterfield-brakes.com/

Their pads are not the cheapest, but I do believe in "you get what you pay for". The R4S' that are in my car are used daily, and I don't switch them out on track days. They perform beautifully in both applications with almost no fade to speak of while on tight, brake-intensive tracks (e.g. Laguna Seca or the Willow Springs short track).

Finally, never underestimate the importance of removing brake fluid from your system once a year, or once every two years at the very least. Brake fluid is hydroscopic, meaning it absorbs moisture. The older the fluid, the more water it has. This contributes to brake fluid boiling over during hard runs up and down a twisty mountain road. It also contributes to sponginess in your brake pedal. Neither are desirable!

For some Milano/75 owners here, brake fluid replacement happens every time we go to the track (that is, if we don't want any brake problems!) so our cars generally have new fluid all the time. This is easy to overlook in daily driven street cars but it doesn't diminish the importance in keeping your brake fluid fresh .... you keep the oil fresh in your engine, you should also keep your brake fluid fresh.

If you REALLY want to spend the money, there are many ways to do so and we'll gladly help you spend yer hard earned cash! In the meantime, however, a new set of good brake pads, stainless steel braided lines and fresh fluid (DOT3 or DOT4 is good enough) will definitely improve things.

[Hit an Apex]

Nizam - thanks for the advice, i cant see to find what you're talking about listed for my car though...

Also, i think i will do the lines first - where can i get brake lines, do you reccomend stock lines? aftermarket?

[nizam]

XFT - a local race shop should have tons of Earl's fittings, or copies of them. When I got my set of braided steel hoses, I just went to a race shop with my rubber hoses in hand and told the guy behind the counter to "match it".

About forty bucks later I went home and installed them on my car. Yes, it's that easy. Sometimes you may have to search around for a race shop that has a large stock of fittings because the Alfa ones are not as common (but it's not rare!) They -MAY- have to order it from the warehouse but it only takes a day or so.

Don't forget to change your fluid. Fresh fluid and routine bleeding will keep your pedal solid. As for the pads, just call Porterfield up and ask them what their current price is. They know Milanos and GTV6's and Spiders etc.

[Hit an Apex]

Thanks

I think first ill replace the brake booster hose, alfa mechanic said to do that just in case something is faulty there. Then i will do the brake lines probably with a stock set (no racecar shops in new york, not anywhere near my area), then if it still sucks ill slap on the pads..

[75evo]

Ricer shops also sell the stuff. The fittings on Honda's are metric and they, as you know, have a large aftermarket presence.

[genius]

As you're on the East Coast you could consider giving Demon Tweeks a call about a set of braided hoses...(sorry I can't attach the web address...my PC is on the fritz!) They are on the other side of the ditch in Wrexam, North Wales...

I got my last set of braided hoses there and found them to be really good....shipping (to the other side of the planet) was fast and pretty cheap.