Z320 Posted October 29, 2019 Report Share Posted October 29, 2019 Hi, for my TR4A I need new brake disc (now unknown) and pads (now EBC, Green Stuff). Is it an improvement to use original EBC discs and green stuff pads? Cost is some more than unknown discs and green stuff. EBC brakes online shop Ciao, Marco Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rcreweread Posted October 29, 2019 Report Share Posted October 29, 2019 Marco - I think you will find quite a few will tell you there is nothing wrong with standard discs but you want to put your money into some good pads - Hawke and Ferodo come highly recommended - green stuff pads have not been found to work well . A search on forum will tell you which Hawke and Ferodo to go for and/or someone will be along shortly to advise -I cant at moment as travelling cheers Rich Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steves_TR6 Posted October 29, 2019 Report Share Posted October 29, 2019 The pad-disk friction interface is what stops the car...... so both pad and disk material play a role as Rich says most people have found greenstuff pads to be less than great, although some people love them! as for the disks standard iron disks are fine, but I personally have found greater longevity from higher quality items, Rossini in my case. the material of which the disks are made isnt exotic, although a higher carbon content is desireable my gripe with the cheap disks is more that they arent very ‘true’ steve Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John Morrison Posted October 29, 2019 Report Share Posted October 29, 2019 Pads Mintex 1144 or Hawke, My 'New ' standard discs must have now done in excess of 30,000 mls with no issues, for road use they are fine. John. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
iain Posted October 29, 2019 Report Share Posted October 29, 2019 22 minutes ago, John Morrison said: Pads Mintex 1144 or Hawke, My 'New ' standard discs must have now done in excess of 30,000 mls with no issues, for road use they are fine. John. +1 For Standard discs and Mintex Pads. Iain Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Nigel Triumph Posted October 29, 2019 Report Share Posted October 29, 2019 37 minutes ago, iain said: +1 For Standard discs and Mintex Pads. Iain Another vote for standard discs and Mintex pads here. I've had grooved and dimpled discs on my TR6 and GT6 in the past. On both cars, the modified discs wore out much faster than standard and gave no discernible improvement in braking, when used on the road. Nigel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted October 29, 2019 Report Share Posted October 29, 2019 2 hours ago, Z320 said: Hi, for my TR4A I need new brake disc (now unknown) and pads (now EBC, Green Stuff). Is it an improvement to use original EBC discs and green stuff pads? Cost is some more than unknown discs and green stuff. EBC brakes online shop Ciao, Marco Hi Marco, I went for the vented EBC discs when they first came out, plus the Green Stuff pads. They worked well. However Replacement Green Stuff have been variable. So much so that I have swapped over to Ferodo FER 167 https://www.burtonpower.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=FER+167 These need the pin holes opening up to 1/4" (easy job) The discs do wear out, but so do all discs. Perhaps the better quality discs wear out quicker because that is what they are designed to do. All modern cars need their discs replacing much sooner than years ago as the non-asbestos pads need assistance. If you go down the vented route you will need to split your calipers and fit a spacer (provided). The EBC discs also having an annoying habit of wearing the caliper outer piston dust seal Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Andy Moltu Posted October 29, 2019 Report Share Posted October 29, 2019 Add Mintex 1144s (search for MGB633 1144 on Ebay) for road use - good bite and much cheaper than the Hawke (the Hawke have less bite but resist fade better - depends on your driving style) Not had good experiences with Green Snot. Worse than standard pads and bordering on downright scary. As for discs - Slotted can help with sqeal. Drilling is largely a bling thing. Vented help with cooling but aren't an option unless you modify things significantly. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted October 29, 2019 Report Share Posted October 29, 2019 Standard discs are fine for all road use and last a lot longer than the fancy slotted/drilled, forget the Green stuff pads as they give a "Wooden" feel to the pedal and dont work that well at all, I like the Hawk pads but they are quite expensive. Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Motorsport Mickey Posted October 29, 2019 Report Share Posted October 29, 2019 Always a contentious area for owners, I used Mintex 1144s on the race car with standard discs and got a good pedal from cold and an even better pedal throughout the races. I think the Green stuff pads are too temperature sensitive, from cold "wooden" is a good description yet if you can bring the temperature up and then maintain it by "drag" braking (slight early application to warm them up) they do work "somewhat " better, but if you get on a motorway for 4 or 5 miles at cruising speeds and then have to jump on them your heart will be in your mouth whilst they try and warm again. My preference is the Mintex 1144s for road use on the standard brakes, but since Stuarts recommendation for the Hawk I'm saving up to try a set when a change of pads are needed. Mick Richards Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChrisR-4A Posted October 29, 2019 Report Share Posted October 29, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, stuart said: Standard discs are fine for all road use and last a lot longer than the fancy slotted/drilled, forget the Green stuff pads as they give a "Wooden" feel to the pedal and dont work that well at all, I like the Hawk pads but they are quite expensive. Stuart. +1 for Hawke Pads. I fitted drilled and slotted discs a few years ago and with standard pads and a Servo they were far from impressive. However last Jan I fitted the Hawke pads and there is a marked improvement, good bite in slow traffic and at speed they have more stopping power and the car remains in a straight line. If I was starting from scratch I would fit the Hawke pads first, then if not good enough a Servo and then maybe the slotted/drilled discs. The Hawke pads do have the 1/4 pin holes but fit straight on a 1965 TR4A. Easy enough to drill out the calipers if req there a loose fit anyway. Chris Edited October 29, 2019 by ChrisR-4A Quote Link to post Share on other sites
iain Posted October 29, 2019 Report Share Posted October 29, 2019 Hi Marco the LBL Rally was a test of brakes (and everything else). 3000 miles in 12 days with a lot of the big alpine passes, Standard discs, Mintex Pads, 10" rears and driven pretty enthusiastically......absolutely no problems and on inspection at home.....very little wear. Why make life complex? Iain Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BlueTR3A-5EKT Posted October 29, 2019 Report Share Posted October 29, 2019 My car runs TR4A-5-6 calipers, so I periodically search ebay for Girling GDB525 brake pads, (1/4" pin holes) when they turn up they are usually asbestos type. GDB568 is the pad with 3/16" pin holes. £20.00 a box is a top price usually for NOS Girling/Mintex/Ferodo material pads. It is a simple case of knowing what other cars used the caliper/pads that the TR has. Like this search https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GIRLING-PADS-NOS-MGC-MGCGT-New-old-Stock-quality-brake-pads-68-69-GDB525/254085935697?epid=1830414850&hash=item3b28b3b251:g:bmkAAOSwxH1T~BLx This particular search is good for those in USA, bad for us in Europe. Peter W Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HSM Posted October 29, 2019 Report Share Posted October 29, 2019 Just a point on Ferodo brake pads for the TR6, the prefix FER refers to the budget range FDB for the premier 167 is the part no. ( FDB 167 are fitted to my TR6 ) Harvey S. Maitland Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted October 29, 2019 Report Share Posted October 29, 2019 Hi Harvey, you are quite right. However the FER167 is spec'd for the RS2000 and Mexico so they should be pretty good. Mine are on a very slow 4A. Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Z320 Posted October 29, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2019 Hi all, thank you all very much for your help, indeed my green stuff pads have not been that bad but also not much surprising, I hoped this will be better witg the disks from the same producer EBC. Now I ordered Mintex 1144, very easy with the number MGB 633 told by Andy (special thanks). Source is "Burton Power", I'm already customer there. Ciao, marco Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Z320 Posted October 29, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2019 Whyever - I can't give Andi a like.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Andy Moltu Posted October 31, 2019 Report Share Posted October 31, 2019 I forgot to mention that if you have the imperial caliper (with the thicker pins) you may need to enlarge the holes in the pads to make them fit. The last 1144s I bought were also marked as not for road use! But I interpreted that only being relevant to modern cars! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
iain Posted October 31, 2019 Report Share Posted October 31, 2019 I use these https://www.mintexclassic.com/product-category/pads/?filter_car-make=triumph&filter_car-model=tr3&filter_car-year=1957-1960 as said I an earlier post they are very nice and handled some serious driving. Iain Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Z320 Posted November 2, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2019 Hi, the pads are in! On the box ther us written "mintex racing", "high performance" and "this material must not be used on public highways". Is it worth to ask them why? And they smell like a mix of rubber and chlorine, so my wife pleased me not to keep them in her kitchen and not on my bedside table. Oh, she is my darling! The discs I ordered yesterday with a set of standard pads, the cost nothing. Today I will order a set of new bolts, anti squeak sheets and "pads don't move" springs. Ciao, Marco Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Z320 Posted November 8, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2019 (edited) On 11/2/2019 at 9:45 AM, Z320 said: On the box ther us written "mintex racing", "high performance" and "this material must not be used on public highways". Hi, my Stammtisch friend Robert told me yesterday in general about performance brake pads: they are made to drive and brake fast and that's why they brake best when hot! They brake worse when cold, for example after some distance on the highway without any need to brake. This could cause "some trouble" in the case of a not expected need for a stong brake with the car. Relative or absolute with the Mintex 1144? Ciao. Marco Edited November 8, 2019 by Z320 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Motorsport Mickey Posted November 8, 2019 Report Share Posted November 8, 2019 (edited) As posted by myself on Oct 29th With relation to the information given by your Stammtisch friend Robert...we agree. "I think the Green stuff pads are too temperature sensitive, from cold "wooden" is a good description yet if you can bring the temperature up and then maintain it by "drag" braking (slight early application to warm them up) they do work "somewhat " better, but if you get on a motorway for 4 or 5 miles at cruising speeds and then have to jump on them your heart will be in your mouth whilst they try and warm again." Some of the most frightening experiences I've had was when I went out on the public roads in my race car (legally complying in all respects) but with competition brake pads, and a traffic build up caused me to brake hard within 200 metres of starting the drive. Because I was aware of the brake pad compromise I had allowed ample extra braking distance and was glad I had...having to work hard to stop the car. After a kilometre of "dragging the pads" and building up the heat the competition pads were at about 70% of their performance expected but always with the thought in mind that they needed warmth. Not something I like doing on a road car, they helped me decide on the Mintex on being a good compromise. And your second question "Relative or absolute with the Mintex 1144? "Always a contentious area for owners, I used Mintex 1144s on the race car with standard discs and got a good pedal from cold and an even better pedal throughout the races." As classic car owners we are guilty of trying to obtain the ultimate from our cars in every function...yet use them in ways where that ultimate will only rarely (if that) be achieved. We rebuild the engine and try to achieve levels of excellence far in excess of that achieved when the car was built new, even though the mileage covered by the cars as classics may only be 1/10th of that expected originally, wasted effort and money.The compromising of an everyday cars braking performance because we insist that we want the brakes to be as good as when used on lap10 of track performance is a similar conceit. "Don't let the perfect be an enemy of the good". Mick Richards Edited November 8, 2019 by Motorsport Mickey Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JochemsTR Posted November 8, 2019 Report Share Posted November 8, 2019 Marco, i tried EBC Green Stuff, ATE, EBC Red Stuff, Mintex 1144 and currently Hawk HPS. I had slotted discs and now EBC standard discs. I find Mintex 1144 and Hawk HPS very very similar. When hot, absolutely perfect. The Red Stuff gave me lots of dust. Green Stuff felt like "wood". Red Stuff, Mintex 1144 and Hawl HPS like it hot. Eventhough claims are made braking under cold works well. Cold may work well, within our safety limits (TÜV, MOT) but not excellent. I have yet to find a version that brakes excellent under cold as under hot conditions. Tests are mostly subjectiv since the owner wants to feel an improvement, even when it is not there. It sucks to spend money on so called uprated brakes and not noticing any difference. So one convinces themselves there is an improvement. It would be very interesting to do an analysis on a brake bench. But who does this? Going to 4 piston calipers seem a rather excessive choice without proven benefits....vented discs with original ATE or Mintex 1109 maybe worth trying. Jochem Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted November 8, 2019 Report Share Posted November 8, 2019 Im still running standard discs and original old stock asbestos pads and they work really well cold or hot, I also have 10" original Alfins on the rear and the brake performance is excellent. Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Z320 Posted November 8, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, Motorsport Mickey said: As posted by myself on Oct 29th Mick Richards Hi Mick, indeed you posted this, very good expained when I read it now again. But with my simple english I did not realize that until now, Robert's explanation yesterday in two very short sentences helped me more. Sorry, my problem... Ciao, Marco Edited November 8, 2019 by Z320 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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