Caliper upgrade for Saxo VTR - standard discs
 

Today I bled the brakes on my MK2 VTR, as they had been feeling very spongy and thought that this was the best course of action to try and fix the problem. After bleeding them I noticed very little difference and was wonderig if upgrading to larger calipers may be a good idea (and a good project) :P

I am looking to upgrade the calipers (and pads) to the standard ones from a larger car, but don't want to change the discs aswell as they are in good condition.

I had heard that 306 GTI calipers bolted straight on but required some kind of spacers, but was wondering what would be the easiest upgrade to do. I'm not really fussed about upgrading them to be 'track worthy' (i.e. 406 brembo's etc) but just suitable for fast road use. I am also running on standard VTR wheels.

Cheers.

no spacers required for the 306 gti6 ones mate, bolt straight on

if you want to run bigger calipers, then you are going to have to run bigger discs. Got 266mm and 283mm set ups for sale here, neither require any mods to fit a Vtr

266mm brakes are biggest you can fit under 14s

Gti6 ones are bigger so wont fit under your wheels bud

^+1, you'll need larger wheels for 283s

And considerably heavier than 266's I read? So on a VTR, you would notice a slight difference in acceleration?

very much heavier lol, not much need for an up-grade on a VTR, properly set up 247s with quality pads etc are fine for fast road use.

if the OP is unhappy with his standard brakes, try adjusting the brake linkage bar behind the inlet manifold as a little free play here can make the brakes feel spongy and unresponsive as well

+1, the pads i had before were lethal, stopped on a dime. Had to get cheap budgets though as i wore them low and was strapped :(

I'd fit some EBC yellowstuff pads and adjust the brake bar on the bulkhead.

Cheers guys, I'll definately look into the brake linkage bar first. Is that an easy job?

Also how much would 266mm discs and calipers for the front set me back?

easily iunder £100

ive got brembos, dont know what id do without them now tbh

Adjusting the brake bar is dead easy mate - see here. Definitely give it a go before you start upgrading parts.

Brake bar seems fine :-/
 

I looked at the brake bar, and there seems to be no play in it atm. I am thinking that I may just try and change the pads, but which ones would be best? (Do Mintex's fit alright). Also was considering a set of braided brake hoses as I can get them for around £20 :y:

Opinions welcome ...

You can change the calipers for the newer Pug/Cit ones and stay on 247mm discs.

But don't. There's no benefit to be had except looking a little better than standard and whatever you get from a bleed and fresh fluid.

I really rated mintex pads when I was running VT* brakes. Used them on the two sets of brakes I've been through since and still yet to be disappointed.

Ok thanks. Are the mintex pads a straight swap in the standard calipers then?

Yeah they make them in Saxo (and pretty much every) fitment.

They're good for the road, but they will fade if you're planning on becoming a track demon.

Green stuff seem very good too. If you are going around the country lanes with this stuff (Harsh breaking), expect to get break pedal fade, before break fade. Quite scary approaching a STOP junction at 80 and hardly slowing down.

The Green stuff need warming up tbh. You need to approach a junction and slowly apply the breaks to warm the pads up. From there on, they seem nice and sharp.

On another hand, i've herd bad reviews about this pads not lasting more then 1 tack day (Although not designed for track) and the actually friction compound breaks away from the backing of the pad.

Mintex are supposed to be good. Don't buy cheap £5 pads though :@