| Mod |
Benefit |
Drawback |
Is it a problem? |
Notes |
| |
Change 165/early 185 front twin pots to single pot 185 brake callipers
Pictures |
- Improved stopping power
- Safer car
- Can fit a larger brake disk
|
- They will not fit a stock 165 alloy
- You'll need the larger 185 brake disk to go with it!
|
ish - you need bigger alloys |
A 15" alloy will be a very tight squeeze, depending upon alloy design, 16"+ would be ideal |
| Grooved disks |
- Less brake fade
- Greater stopping power
- Freshens up the disk/pad surface
- Provides an exit path for the hot gases
|
- "Humming" noise when braking hard
|
No |
Tend to wear pads down more than a "solid" disk |
| Larger disks |
- Much better stopping power
|
- Need to remove part of the brake disk backing plate in order to fit the larger disks
- Won't fit into a stock 165 calliper
|
Yes |
You'll need larger callipers to fit the larger disk into e.g. single pot 185 calliper Generally the bigger the disk the greater
the stopping power 165 disk 254mm
185 disk 265mm |
| Uprated brake pads |
- Less brake fade
- Greater stopping power
|
- As the pads are harder, they will wear down the disks quicker, not that you would notice though
|
Maybe |
I've found these are more prone to squeaks and squeals
Depending upon pad, they may not work efficiently until they are up to
temperature i.e. when they are cold the brakes will be very poor |
Replace the stock brake lines with braided hoses
Picture |
- To reduce brake pedal travel
- Decrease pedal "sponginess"
- Brakes are firmer
|
- Brake pipes can undo as there are no restrains to prevent them from twisting - unlike the stock pipes -
picture
|
ish, get ones that have a calliper locating "tang" |
If the pipe comes undone then you have no brakes - dangerous. I know of several people this has happened to... |
205 front callipers
Comparison pictures |
- Massive increase in braking
|
- May unsettle the car during braking as the braking balance of the
car is altered i.e. much more braking force at the front than before
- May need to fit a different master cylinder as the 165 cylinder was
not designed with the 205 callipers flow and pressures in mind
- Will not bolt straight on
- Require spacers etc in order to clear the lower ball joint
- Need at least 16" alloys, maybe larger dependant upon design
|
Yes |
A bit of engineering ingenuity will be required to get these callipers to fit |
| |
