Alternative Brake Discs?

[I-S]

Are there any reasonably priced alternatives to the standard mitsubishi brake discs for the GLS? I'm not really looking for a higher power brake, and I'm leaving the calipers alone, but the standard discs seem to have a habit of warping, and mine have been on and off for 20000 miles. It's not my driving (I brake gently and use handbrake at junctions) and I've seen a fair few others complaining of this. Is there a third party (brembo or someone?) disc that will fit straight on in place?

[Japmetal]

I dont know about OE replacement discs, but I have a set of Black Diamond drilled & grooved discs on the front of mine. They are direct replacement for the standard discs and cost me £155 for the pair [Far cheaper than the Standard Mitsubishi items], but they also do grooved only or cross-drilled only for less than that.

I also have Black Diamond pads, and since I fitted them on Wednesday my braking has improved considerably [altho the pads need to be fairly warm before they are up to their best; this suits me fine however !]

Go here Motorsport World for an idea of prices/application list.

[I-S]

Interesting, thanks for the link.

Do they count as a modification for insurance purposes?

[Japmetal]

I'd think it would be worth mentioning from a money-saving point of view; You might have made it faster, but you've also made it easier to stop !

Dont know how those prices will stack up for you [they arent necessarily the cheapest, just the first list I found !] but rear pads for my '90 GTi are £70+VAT from 'Bishi, and £30+VAT from BD, so I'm guessing the rest will be similarly cheaper too !

[I-S]

I spoke to the insurance company and they said that they wouldn't regard it as a modification. So, I will probably go ahead, as today's mitsubishi mechanic report said "badly warped discs, pads 80% worn".

[I-S]

Right, ordered. They're slightly cheaper on needforspeed, and delivery is less too. Overall, including delivery, about £40 cheaper than the stock mitsu parts (to get the drilled discs... didn't feel the need for the grooved ones). Hopefully won't be too much to get them fitted (unlike the £132+ VAT labour that one mitsu dealer quoted for changing discs!!!).

Cheers for your help!

[Japmetal]

I actually bought mine from Demon Tweeks, since I know a few ppl there & get good prices [front discs, front pads & rear pads for £250 inc VAT, and I only live round the corner so I pick them up !] just that was the first place on Google with an application list !


As for fitting, do them yourself; it's only 4 bolts per wheel [on mine, 8 if you include removing wheel !] and the only other tools you'll need are

a) a big hammer for removing the old disc - they sometimes get quite attatched to the hub & need some encouragment to get them off !

b) a BIG pair of molegrips [or similar] to squeeze the caliper piston back into the housing

I may take some photos & do a 'how to' for this when I get my braided hoses in a few weeks' time


As for the help, that's why we're all here ! I only hope they're as good for you as they are for me - I can now send ppl into the windscreen with only slight braking pressure once up to temp :-b and I'd be interested to hear how you get on too !

[Polabear]

Are there any reasonably priced alternatives to the standard mitsubishi brake discs for the GLS? I'm not really looking for a higher power brake, and I'm leaving the calipers alone, but the standard discs seem to have a habit of warping, and mine have been on and off for 20000 miles. It's not my driving (I brake gently and use handbrake at junctions) and I've seen a fair few others complaining of this. Is there a third party (brembo or someone?) disc that will fit straight on in place?

National Racing 8 groove discs + Ferodo DS2500 pads £210 from Woodford Motorsport. be careful with drilled and grooved discs .. they have a tendancy to shatter..a lot of the guys are running the nation discs... the doggies dangly bits for the money....

[Japmetal]

Some of us dont drive VR-4s so have to look elsewhere for our braking needs

And We had the chat about drilled discs on the temp. boards two days after I ordered mine, so it was too late to change my mind; If they fail horribly I'll have a few choice words with Black Diamond & they'll be making good any damage they cause


HOWEVER 12 days & some hard/fast braking later they're still going strong, bedded in nicely and far superior to the standard ones :-b

[Polabear]

Some of us dont drive VR-4s so have to look elsewhere for our braking needs

And We had the chat about drilled discs on the temp. boards two days after I ordered mine, so it was too late to change my mind; If they fail horribly I'll have a few choice words with Black Diamond & they'll be making good any damage they cause


HOWEVER 12 days & some hard/fast braking later they're still going strong, bedded in nicely and far superior to the standard ones :-b

A mate of mine here in Deb'n with a V6 Sport estate used them, sorry to tell you but after a month they blew their brains out....may be a one off or bad karma.. or something.. but keep an eye on them.....

[I-S]

Well, mine arrived today. Didn't get the grooved ones (no need), so they're just drilled to hopefully stave off warping. They're going on the car on saturday.

I didn't realise how the pad ordering worked though, and have ended up with 4, so if anyone needs a pair of black diamond predator front pads for their GLS, let me know!

[Kieran]

I didn't realise how the pad ordering worked though, and have ended up with 4, so if anyone needs a pair of black diamond predator front pads for their GLS, let me know!

Four pads is right, Issac. One pair of pads per caliper - There's pads on both sides of the disc, inbound and outbound.

[I-S]

I realised that about 2 mins after posting it.... :rolleyes:

Indeed. I blame too long at work. And that I wasn't allowed to play the eels in today's listening tests... fixed that when I got home though. :-D

[pezza]

Hi Isaac,

Good luck with the discs n pads... Let us know how they feel once you have done your emergency brake testing! I am getting some strange rubbing
noises when I apply my brakes and fear the discs are a bit warped too.

I may go for the grooved only discs.. so far the choice seems to be either
Black Diamond or National Sport? Are there any other manufacturers?

I almost collapsed when I saw the prices of disc / caliper sets!! I think I will just change the discs for now!

Does anyone know if the discs are different on the later non VR4 models that came with 17s and not 15s?

Cheers

Dek

I need to stop spending!

[I-S]

Well, the discs were fitted this morning. At the moment, they're still bedding in and so there isn't as much braking power there as there was previously, but soon they will get there. It's so different braking with a disc that is true....

[I-S]

And they don't graunch... at all. Ran them in a bit more... might take them on the snake pass tomorrow. Look pretty cool too.

[I-S]

Well, the lack of graunching was only due to their not being bedded in.

They're much better now other than the graunch (which is endemic to autos I think). Stopping power is already beyond the mitsu discs, and more progressive.

[pezza]

Well, the lack of graunching was only due to their not being bedded in.

They're much better now other than the graunch (which is endemic to autos I think). Stopping power is already beyond the mitsu discs, and more progressive.

Hmm sounds good Isaac..

They are next on my list to sort out..

Did you just get the fronts done?

How much did they charge you for labour?

Cheers

Pezz

[I-S]

I did just do the fronts. Local independant garage charged me £40 labour to fit, inc VAT, so total was just under £200 for the entire exercise.

[Japmetal]

Mine have also bedded in well, and now I've got used to the HUGE improvement in stopping power [my old kit was well past it's best] these are seriously good kit - maybe they seem expensive, but compared to OE they are pretty good value


I'm just glad my recommendation has worked out - I'd feel awful if they weren't as good for you as they are for me !