[Happysmiles]

Originally Posted by Epic

The dealer (United Motors, Chennai) had recommended the drilled discs but advised against the Black Brembo Brake Pads as he said they wear out faster than normal. Also, are you an enthusiastic driver as I have been told that the difference is noticed at high speeds and not in city driving. I am confused whether to go for this combination or stick to stock.

Definitely the Brembo combo braking is much better than OEM. In fact, in Pune city traffic it's important to have sharp brakes. Braking happens more often, than acceleration. Go for it, it's a great upgrade.

[avimal]

I am running on brembo disc and pads for last 2 yrs/ 20,000 km on my cedia. These are good but i developed some screeching sound after a year but it went on its own. May be some dust or stone or something. It is very good for now.

[Epic]

Originally Posted by Happysmiles

Definitely the Brembo combo braking is much better than OEM. In fact, in Pune city traffic it's important to have sharp brakes. Braking happens more often, than acceleration. Go for it, it's a great upgrade.

Originally Posted by avimal

I am running on brembo disc and pads for last 2 yrs/ 20,000 km on my cedia. These are good but i developed some screeching sound after a year but it went on its own. May be some dust or stone or something. It is very good for now.

Are you guys talking specifically about the Brembo Drilled Discs and Brembo Brake Pads? Again, are these the Black Pads or Red Pads? I have been told that the Red Pads were better than the Black Pads and that unfortunately the Red Pads have been discontinued. It is the Black Pads that wear out faster.

[avimal]

Originally Posted by Epic

Are you guys talking specifically about the Brembo Drilled Discs and Brembo Brake Pads? Again, are these the Black Pads or Red Pads? I have been told that the Red Pads were better than the Black Pads and that unfortunately the Red Pads have been discontinued. It is the Black Pads that wear out faster.

Sorry i was referring to red ones. I have no idea about black ones.

[Klub Class]

I drive 2009 Fiat Punto MJD. Changed to Brembo pads and rotors at 1,86,500 km. During my recent visit to Fiat Service Centre at ~2,47,000 km I was advised to change the pads, which I did.

I'm little worried about the chipping off observed in the brake pads (labeled 1 and 2 in the pics). Believe it's not normal for Brembo to undergo chipping.





This was a repeat purchase from Amit of Laxmikant Enterprises, Mapusa, Goa. I mailed him a month back seeking his inputs, but haven't heard from him.

PS : My earlier set of Brembo pads (with Fiat OE rotors) lasted roughly 80k km.

[ManasN95]

I recently bought a 2012 Honda City (17500 KMs) and on inspection at the service center, they said that brake pads are only 2mm left.

Started searching and came across this thread. Brembos are cheaper than OEM, and Amit has quoted 3800 for the same - Brembo ceramics. This will be an urgent purchase, hence I wasn't able to study in depth about the difference between ceramics, sintered and any other terms that are associated with disc pads.

I sticking to stock Honda disc plate, just needs skimming, rust removal, and also would be changing the brake oil when I install the new pads (Brembo Ceramic - Red ones).

I hope this is a good decision.

Please advise.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by ManasN95

Iad. Brembos are cheaper than OEM, and Amit has quoted 3800 for the same - Brembo ceramics. This will be an urgent purchase, hence I wasn't able to study in depth about the difference between ceramics, sintered and any other terms that are associated with disc pads.

I sticking to stock Honda disc plate, just needs skimming, rust removal, and also would be changing the brake oil when I install the new pads (Brembo Ceramic - Red ones)

I hope this is a good decision.

Please advise.

Skimming the discs rotors works but you cannot keep on doing it. At some point you will have to change the rotors to ensure you retain your car’s effective braking ability. With each skim, you are taking off a few microns of surface layering. You obviously cant keep on doing that.

Now in Indian conditions there are also lots of small stones and pebbles and other debris which effectively hurt the surface of the rotors over time. This debris also hurts the surface of the brake pads as well - it is very possible for these small stones and other debris to even chip the surface of the brake pads.

Apart from this, the Brake Wear Sensors which come on many modern cars, these are after all just Poly covered wires and jacks. These are also highly prone to damage in our conditions. Often times the brake warning may come on saying the brake pads are due for replacement, but more often than not, it is the sensor itself which is at fault.

Ceramic brakes are high performance brakes for track oriented cars and race days and all. They are able to dissipate heat better and they are also inherently likely to get worn out faster than conventional brake pads. They aren’t really meant for the day to day nonsense we face in the daily potholed roads of our towns and cities.

For your information, I purchased an 8 year old Cooper S which is effectively a Hot Hatch car. I serviced it within a month of purchase. And I noted that the rotors needed skimming which I did. But next time around I will be changing them to new ones.

In my case the Brake Wear Sensors (rear ones) popped off in Feb so I changed them. In late May the Front ones popped off. So I m changing them shortly.
But irritatingly, the fault reads as Brake Pads Replacement needed, so you end up buying brake pads also and storing them, because the existing ones are perfectly fine and you only needed to change the Sensor!

Ref the Performance Brake pads. I also wanted to import BREMBO or similar. In fact there are lots and lots of Ceramic Brake Kits and milled/ drilled/ vented/ perforated Rotors and uprated callipers and coloured calliper covers etc available for the Mini Cooper if one looks online. All of these look lovely and from a heat dissipation / performance perspective may be worth considering.

Much of this is from abroad, especially in the US. But I was given straight advice by my Garage owner that all of these for normal daily use was a waste of time. At best I might drive my car fast on a highway. Never in the city. And I am not a “Track Day” kind of person.

Saying this, I may still bring in a set of 4 Drilled Disc Rotors for the Cooper S when the time comes to change them out. But I haven’t decided yet.

[ManasN95]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Skimming the discs rotors works but you cannot keep on doing it. At some point you will have to change the rotors to ensure you retain your car’s effective braking ability. With each skim, you are taking off a few microns of surface layering. You obviously cant keep on doing that

Thank You Sir for the information.

What would you suggest for me then? Stick to OEM brake pads? And if I'm not wrong, are you also suggesting to physically remove and inspect the pads?

I'm facing a little juddering and grinding sounds from the brakes.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by ManasN95

Thank You Sir for the information.

What would you suggest for me then? Stick to OEM brake pads? And if I'm not wrong, are you also suggesting to physically remove and inspect the pads?

I'm facing a little juddering and grinding sounds from the brakes.

Yes. have your brakes disassembled once. Remove the callipers and brake pads to inspect them thoroughly. And of course check your rotors for those deep “scoring” marks, you can feel the ridges with your fingers.
Once removed get the brakes thoroughly cleaned / replaced. Also the callipers to remove brake dust etc. And the disc rotors will require a thorough going skimming before reinstallation.
It is actually surprising how good your brakes feel after the car has had a thorough wash and clean just by regularly cleaning off the brake dust you will see your braking to be consistent and the brakes will also last longer.

[shankar.balan]

Here is some more jazz about the brakes.

My Cooper S is now 8 years old and in its life its never had the disc rotors changed. They were skimmed once in their lives and that was in December 2019. But frankly the rotors are scored and whatever one may do on the lathe, it is not worth skimming them twice or thrice and all. It is a powerful little car. It needs its proper stopping power too.

OEM BMW Cooper JCW Sports upgrade brake discs are available via the BMW dealer. These are drilled and slotted. The size is perfect even though these are an upgrade. 294x22mm as per stock standard. (Front) The front ones cost 15000 each. The rear are the plain ones and cost about 5200 each so that is fine. So we are talking about 40K. And the front ones have to come from Germany and will take 40 working days give or take. The rear ones will arrive in 10-12 days I believe because they are plain stock standard.

Of course I already have the BMW Cooper OEM Brake Pads and the Wear Sensor in stock.

Else, I can order them off a site I use called Mini Mania in the US. There are plenty options available but I like the same drilled and slotted type from an aftermarket company called StopTech. Size is correct 294mmx22mm. Here the front ones cost 110 USD each and the rear ones 80 USD each. Shipping costs about 160 USD by FedEx International Priority which will get them here in a week or so. So effectively this will cost more or less the same. The gain really is the time.

The OEM Cooper Brake Pads and Wear Sensor will be used here also.

So what I am considering is as follows;

Buy the StopTech Front Rotors from the US and get them shipped in to India in a week or 10 days.

Buy the rear stock disc Rotors from BMW India and get them home in 12 -15 days.

This way, get the best of both worlds and save time too.

[shankar.balan]

Quick Update.

Upon consultation with two automotive experts whom I am privileged to be able to ask, both have clearly said NO to the perforated, drilled and slotted front disc rotors for my Cooper.
These are meant for track days and speed runs and are really not for standard use the way I drive my car 95% of the time. Hence it is better to go with the plain vanilla standard ones is what I am advised.
Apart from that, there are various YouTube videos and other information resources which clearly state that the slotted and drilled disc rotors chew through brake pads at the rate of knots as compared to the normal discs.
So I think I ll just stick with normal discs and save my self some ten grand and of course set myself up for a longer life for my brake pads.
The other good thing is that the normal disc rotors, front and rear, can be ordered say tomorrow (Monday) and I believe I should have them in my hands in 12-14 days so there is a clear gain in terms of time as well.

[Samfromindia]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Skimming the discs rotors works but you cannot keep on doing it. At some point you will have to change the rotors to ensure you retain your car’s effective braking ability. With each skim, you are taking off a few microns of surface layering. You obviously cant keep on doing that.

So far my experience, Ford service centers doesn't skim the rotors. They always want to replace them. The only option for me is to get it done at some FNG. Thankfully the rotors cost only 2.5-3K ish i remember.

If you are in Pune, you can get the full range of Brembo brake pads & rotors for many popular car in this garage:

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/other...tive-pune.html (Independent Garage - The Mechanix Automotive (Pune))

https://www.facebook.com/The-Mechani...1101906720471/

[AdhirajVW]

Originally Posted by avimal

I am running on brembo disc and pads for last 2 yrs/ 20,000 km on my cedia. These are good but i developed some screeching sound after a year but it went on its own. May be some dust or stone or something. It is very good for now.

I want to upgrade to Brembo disc and pads. Any idea where I can get these in Bangalore? I found a distributor in Chennai, but I would prefer getting it from a place in Bangalore who would be able to install it as well..

[vidyanand]

Originally Posted by AdhirajVW

Any idea where I can get these in Bangalore?

Were you able to get it done in Bangalore, please share if yes.

Bosch service centre near me do not have those. Members please share a dealer or place to get these brake pads (brembo).

How are Bosch pads in comparison? Looking replacement ones for 2013 i20.

[vishwasvr]

Originally Posted by AdhirajVW

I want to upgrade to Brembo disc and pads. Any idea where I can get these in Bangalore? I found a distributor in Chennai, but I would prefer getting it from a place in Bangalore who would be able to install it as well..

Please avoid Brembo, I've had bad experiences with Brembo past few years. I've installed it on my dad's BMW 320d (F30) and VW Polo GT TSI. Both cars are suffering from brake squeal and crazy amount of brake dust. Both cars are driven sedately and not at all pushed too much. If you don't mind the brake squeal and the brake dust then go for it. I don't know if they are original or not, stick to OEM. Textar or EBC are equally good too.