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[darren5354]

Hi again all, I have a 1999 Omega Elite 3ltr MV6. My brakes are a little weak

I need somebody to educate me with regards to discs & pads

I dont want to put anything standard on her, I would rather performance ones

Does the material the discs & pads are made of make a differance??

Should I use solid or vented discs???

Please help as I'm a novice & have not got a clue :-/

Thank you in advance to all that reply

[TheBoy]

I won't comment specifically on your question, as I don't know too much about the performance parts.

However, the standard brakes are very good, so I am concerned there may be a problem, which may be worth investigating before spending a lot on new parts.

I what way are they 'weak'?  When was fluid last changed? Was the old naff fluid expelled properly from calliper, or just bled?


Sorry I can't answer your actual query though.

[x25xe]

Likewise, I no nothing much about performance parts - always preferred to keep my cars standard.  However, what I do know is that you should use vented discs and not solid.  The Omega has vented as standard in any case.

As The Boy says, the brakes are very good and I too suspect that there is something not right somewhere on your car.  Maybe a piston in the brake caliper has seized or the sliding section of the caliper is seized?

Good luck with whatever you do.

[Chopsdad]

The standard brakes are progessive.  They feel soft when slowing but when you stamp on them the old girl will stop in record time.

I know as the Cav GSI with performance bits found out when he rear ended me last year at a round about.  I too thought my brakes were spongy but now know they are just comfy.  8-)

[Chopsdad]

Best advice I can give is to send a PM to Palmer3914 - he runs a track MV6 and would have changed brake pads/discs many times I'm sure.  

[palmer3914]

no need to PM - ...

i have used the standard discs and pad a number of times a performed extreamly well only suffering minimum fade!!! 8-)

But... if you want something better ........ without spending much gold .... EBC fronts not sure they do rears but fronts with red EBC pads!!!!!

and rears ... im looking into as a rumour i have heard is the 3.2 has vented rears unlike our solid rears!!!!!! but would need calipers as well from a 3.2 if this is infact correct...

as for solids or vented... you cant choose mate they tell you ..e.g. Omega's run vented fronts and solid rears....

But as said dont go spending money if not needed... check the system, might have air in it... as i said my standard set up lasted many a track day!!!! and they are much harsher conditions than road...

hope this all helps

[Markjay]

Hi again all, I have a 1999 Omega Elite 3ltr MV6. My brakes are a little weak

I need somebody to educate me with regards to discs & pads

I dont want to put anything standard on her, I would rather performance ones

Does the material the discs & pads are made of make a differance??

Should I use solid or vented discs???

Please help as I'm a novice & have not got a clue :-/

Thank you in advance to all that reply

1. Your standard discs are already vented, so no need for an upgrade on this department. The vented discs provide greater surface area and therefore allow for better heat transfer with the surrounding air.

2. Generally speaking, high performance disks can be either grooved, or drilled, or both (the Omega standard discs are neither). The grooves are suppose to provide an escape for hot gasses to clear the surface of the discs while under friction from the pads during heavy braking. The drilling is supposed to help heat transfer by increasing the contact area with the surrounding air, and also allow the metal to expand without warping. These modifications by themselves will not improve braking, but will improve the brakes' heat resistance and are a good solution if you suffer from brake fading as can happen as result of fast short runs and heavy braking.

3. As for materials, this is more of a question of optimisation rather than simply some materials being better than others. 'proper' set of performance discs and pads (ideally they should be matched, fitting just 'performance' pads on standard discs is not likely to have any significant effect) will provide better 'bite', but the discs and pads will need to be warmed-up before optimal results can be achieved so on a cold start they will initially provide poor braking - good for racing, not ideal for home-users... Also, some performance discs tend to squeal or make a slight grinding noise. The original manufacturer's discs are usually biased toward good cold/warm performance and quiet operation rather then all-out braking performance.

4. Discs & pads are easy upgrades, but you could also consider upgrading the callipers themselves. The callipers could have more than one piston, based on the rule that a large number of small bores will provide more pressure area that will be distributed more evenly across the pad, which can make a difference when using the brakes in race-like situations. Calliper upgrades are usually expensive and not as common as the more straightforward discs and pads upgrades.

[Markjay]

This picture is from the website www.tarox.com , I used their discs on a previous car and were very happy with results. I am not sure if they do Omega upgrades though... if you look at the picture you will see discs with different type of grooves and drilling.

[elvin315]

Pontiac GTO/Vauxhall Monaro Front Brake Calipers

The calipers you want are from the 2003-2004 GTO. The guys at the Yahoo Catera Forum have assured me that it's a simple swap. According to my brand new Catera shop manual the front calipers are single piston while the GTO calipers are dual piston. They're stamped Opel. Since the GTO is an Americanized Holden Monaro, and the Monaro sits on a modified Omega platform, the calipers will fit on the Omega steering knuckles. The GTO pads are larger for a bigger contact area. Both cars have 296 mm (11.65 inches) rotors, but the The Catera has a 5x110 pattern while the GTO has a 5x120 pattern so the GTO discs aren't usable. I found mine on a GTO forum, very cheaply too. I paid $100 for the pair. Many owners have converted to a big brake upgrade and sell the old brakes to recoup the cost. Check eBay and American auto recyclers too.

From: enjoythedrive .com Re Performance Discs

A popular option with brake systems these days is slotted or cross-drilled rotors. Slotted rotors literally have slots running across their outside surface, while cross-drilled rotors have had holes drilled right through them. In the old days, particularly on race cars, when the brakes would get hot they would boil off a material in the brake pads. This gas would get trapped between the brake rotor and the pad, which would prevent braking. To release the gas, people began drilling holes in the brake rotor. Slotting the rotor is a newer technique that produces less stress on the metal, and therefore provides increased rotor longevity.

This phenomenon, known as outgassing, isn’t a problem for vehicles that are driven on the street. However, because brake rotors show through many popular wheel designs, companies do offer cross-drilled and slotted rotors as an option that looks racy.

Plus, cross-drilled rotors can provide a safety and performance advantage in wet weather. Most people’s brakes won’t work right after they drive through a puddle because water gets between the brake pads and the rotors. The holes in cross-drilled rotors actually give that water someplace to go, so the brakes will work right after you splash through a serious puddle.

CATERA      1997 - 2001      VENTED FRONT DISCS (EBC)            GD764 (DIMPLED/SLOTTED)

Vented Rear Brake Discs

I have a 2001 Cadillac Catera Sport and it came standard with vented rear discs. I was unable to find vented drilled or grooved performace discs but Brembo and Raybestos make plain Rear Vented Discs (Part #27300) & (Part #56993) respectively. The 2001 Sport is the only Catera to use vented rears. They may or may not  be adaptable for use on the Omega.

[Martin_1962]

All facelift V6 Omegas AFAIK are vented rear disc - my 2.6 is

[palmer3914]

that is GREAT News!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

my Y plate 2001 3.0 DOESN'T have vented rears!!! so.... all 2.6 and 3.2's do!!!!!!!!!!!!!

just need to source some calipers now!!!!!!!

thats helped me !!!

cheers martin!!!!!!!!