156 front discs

[Peter Beard]

Hi

Is it just me or are original Alfa front discs crap??? I had to have them replaced at 40 k, now at 75k the Alfa factory replacements are warped.

If I am right, can someone recommend good aftermarket discs available in Australia?

Thanks

[Erik]

I don't think that front discs are an issue on the Alfa fora, except related to upgrades.
The warping is caused by overheated discs, either due to very hard braking or, more likely, sticking brake pads.
My 156 is on it's 2nd. set of front discs, first changed by PO at 78k km, 2nd still fine at 176k km.
Erik

[Peter K]

They shold be fine.. Which pads are you using Peter? An overly agressive pad could potentially warp the stock discs or cause premature wear as they are not designed with sports pads in mind. If you are using Sports pads, a pair of heat treated discs would probably be a better match.

[Peter Beard]

Thanks Peter, I am using stock standard pads, and the thing is it's a Selespeed and I use engine braking as much as possible. More research required, thanks again.

[Peter Beard]

Thanks Eric, good to hear that its not a common experience

[TorW]

If you have alloy wheels on the 156, it could be wise to tighten the wheel nuts with a torque wrench to avoid warping.

The aluminium alloy in modern wheels is rock hard and does not budge until it melts or breaks. The steel in the brake disc is softer than the wheel, and when everything heats up, something's got to give. If the wheel nuts are tightened with varying torque they will warp the disc temporarily until the disc cools and settles back. Repeat this 500 times and even the best steel discs will suffer.

Brake discs get extremely hot even if you drive and brake normally. Try braking as hard as you can from 50 km/h / 30 mph with cold brakes, then touch the discs with your hand. They're too hot to touch.

Now, imagine the kind of temperatures you'll have when doing prolonged or hesitant braking on the motorway at twice the speed ...

[Peter Beard]

Thanks for the tips Tor