Are any brake disks/pads better than OEM?
 

Time has come to give the 190,000 mile cdt conn se the full refurb of suspension and braking systems.

I intend to do the rear upper arms, new springs, all new front struts, new flexi brake hoses all round, new copper brake pipes at the front then all round new disks and pads. I know what i want for all the suspension bits, but when it comes to the brakes, the car has always had OEM genuine MGR stuff, which whilst being very long life parts, lasting typically 60,000 miles a set, are not the sharpest brakes in the world.

They stop the car, but dont have that sharp bite that you get when stamping on them, and this was brought home to me when i bought the second car earlier this year and while it is also a cdt, has much sharper brakes.

So i am considering 3 options

1. MGR OEM again
2. Pagid- attracted by their resistance to rust, and reviews that claim them to be OEM quality
3. Mtek- wondering if the slotted disks will help anything, but dont know much about any long term reviews or their likely lifetime. Dont want to be affecting ride quality in any way. Can the presence of those slots be felt through the pedal or vibrations when stopping?

Any feedback from anyone who have tried all or any of those 3 ?

Hi David.
I have Pagid on my FL 1 and my MGZT also had them on my Tourer, my son as them on his MGZT and we have found them to be good and reliable throughout, they also come coated in silver which we before fitting topped up with silver Hammerite, but not on the face of the discs though:D

http://i60.tinypic.com/2ykz3hk.jpg

http://i62.tinypic.com/2iw2682.jpg

http://i62.tinypic.com/2jtp9c.jpg

http://i60.tinypic.com/24o85s6.jpg

I'm quite impressed with the Borg & Becks on the ZT-T - no sign of rust (they're pre coated all over) and stop very well.
The old discs seemed to rust if left for a day or two, these seem rather impervious to that too.

Time to do the rears soon, not looking forward to that..!

Would you say they are any better than mgr oem?

They certainly look better for rust resistance. Did you buy them from ECP?

To answer the question in your title

Can you get better discs / pads? Yes.

But what you really need to quantify is - what makes them better!

OEM pads will be balanced for noise, brake dust, cold and hot performance, price and longetivity.

You can get pads that work just as well, are cheaper but make more dust and squeal. But better value = better?

You can get pads that work much better when hot, but cost a lot, aren't great when cold and will make lots of dust and squeal a bit. But on a track or similar = nothing better!

You can get pads that cost about the same, have similar noise and dust characteristics and perform a bit better - but they probably don't last as long. For me - this is the best.

The general consensus looks to be that discs don't make much difference - grooved / drilled dissapate heat better, but can crack (especially cheap discs) - but this is very unlikely to be needed on our kind of cars when not being used on a track. Cheaper discs can warp more easily as well. For me - a decent brand solid disc is good (OEM, Brembo, EBC etc.

For pads I go with Black Diamond.

I wouldn't ever by cheap pads / discs. I also wouldn't buy cheap tyres. Many others do without issue...

HI David.
I couldn't really and honestly say they are better than the original ones but I have not been disappointed in them since I have had them, I bought the first set for the Tourer from eurocarparts, then realised they are cheaper from their ebay site? as here below and they include the pads ;)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pagid-Fron...item51b35809c2

solid rear or vented check yours first
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pagid-5030...item35c49e1722


vented
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PAGID-Rear...item51c077ea96

Tourer but I think they are the same saloon
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PAGID-Rear...item35d9b88380

I was after some vented and grooved ones and I got them from MTec with EBC pads. They are definitely much better for stopping! However the green stuff pads are I think quite soft and I would expect them to wear more quickly and probably produce more dust. Very pleased with them though and will be getting more for the duotone. Worth replacing the handbrake shoes at the same time. The MOT guy was really surprised how well that worked!!

http://i1294.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9ea648f0.jpg

very impressive, i put mintex discs and pads on mine and they are very good,,:}

I have started to use TRW discs that are pre-painted black (except for the brake surfaces).

Because I live right next to the beach, disc corrosion is a major problem for me and the back ones only last a couple of years due to the build-up of corrosion. For some reason, the rear discs never really seem to clear themselves of the rust dust and you get an embedded skin of corrosion.

My wife's car (VW Passat) does not seem to suffer from this and the discs are always clean and bright.

Another vote for MTec. I have used OEM & Pagid but MTec seem to be the best for me. Used with greenstuff pads. The Pagids were on the rear but only lasted a year after which they were deeply scored. MTec discs on the rear now for two years without any problems.

Regards John