Omega Owners Forum
Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: Mutha Jugs n Speed on 19 March 2019, 08:03:54
-
Looking for some views on the best front EBC pads for normal road use,going to upgrade a bit to front drilled and grooved discs. Pretty sure others here will have done similar TIA :y
-
Asking about the best EBC pads is a bit like asking about the best sexually transmitted disease, IMHO. :-X
I've used them on the kit car before and been deeply unimpressed. The softer ones are not very robust at all, even in a 650kg car, and the harder pads don't work from cold to an alarming degree IME. Plenty of others have come to the same conclusions.
I'm currently using Mintex 1144s but these would be too soft for an Omega driven even remotely enthusiastically. They are also not ECE 90 approved, so using them on a type approved road car would probably be illegal.
As always, the question to be asked is what about the current brakes are you trying to improve?
Different pad materials can change the feel of the brakes to a limited extent, and perhaps make them a little more robust at the expense of feel when cold for track use but that's about it, IME. For road use, I'd say you're best saving your cash and using standard factor pads. You have to try hard to overheat well maintained standard Omega brakes with road use.
Not sure drilled and grooved disks will make much more than a cosmetic difference etither, and you need to inspect them regularly for cracks.
-
Ultimax work well enough on the Omega, especially with Monaro calipers. ;)
Dusty though...
-
A couple of my mates who race Westfields swear by Apec pads.
-
A couple of my mates who race Westfields swear by Apec pads.
They fade like a bastid on the Omega if you drive it :-\
-
A couple of my mates who race Westfields swear by Apec pads.
They fade like a bastid on the Omega if you drive it :-\
No experience myself, and an Omega is a completely different kettle of fish to a Westifield, of course. You are carrying so much weight in an Omega that, if you're going to drive it hard, you have to choose heat resistance above everything else. ;D
Fortunately, in a lighter car, you have more choice.
-
A couple of my mates who race Westfields swear by Apec pads.
They fade like a bastid on the Omega if you drive it :-\
I've tried them on lots of cars, and the only one that they didn't fade like that in normal use(I got over 50k miles from Omega fronts remember) was my sister's 1300 Morris. They were so bad on my 525 I replaced them in a month.
You all know I don't normally care about brands for consumable parts, but Apec pads and Denso plugs are the two I refuse to buy.
Kevin posted before me: drilled and or grooved discs on adequately sized brakes are a waste of money for roadcars.
-
OK, sounds like we can strike Apec off the list, then. ;D
As I said, the key is what it is about the performance of the current brakes that the O.P. wants to improve.
-
O.K my view only....I think on this car,that the brakes are not anywhere as good as the other two of my Omegas,and looking at the calipers and discs they are really due to be renewed anyway.So that's the reason behind my thinking, as I've never been that happy with the brakes on this particular car, and it's a suck it and see exercise to get an improvement albeit marginal.There is the option available as suggested by Dr G on the Monaro calipers and discs and I'm thinking that could well be the better choice.....anyone fancy a set of M TEC d&g discs....only kidding ::) Thanks for the input from everyone,will have a final think before the deed is done :y
-
The EBC Ultimax are about £25 a set if you want to give them a whirl before deciding on an upgrade ;)
Incidentally, Pauls had a halfway mod on his 3.2... Base Monaro calipers and pads with the standard Omega discs, stopped very nicely iirc :y
-
If the system is tired, then a proper service should be all you need to restore it to how an Omega should be. Disks and pads all round and chenge the brake fluid. Also check that the servo is working properly and none of the flexible hoses are bulging under pressure.
If it's still not right, you have a fault somewhere.
-
All of those suggestions have been followed in the last couple of years and the car has passed its MOT in the last six weeks without any real problems,other than rusty front discs and corrosion on the brake pipes,hence the planned work, plus a small bucket list of fettling. Serek has checked it out and has found no problems with the system other than the above, so the discs/pads new calipers plus all metal brake pipes etc,will be replaced and I'll see how they check out in the scheme of things.The car has 244k on the clock and as you say the system could be tired, but with those new parts on the car,it will give a starting point as to the next step,if needed. :-\ Also I did drive Pauls car for a hundred miles or so and the Monaro brakes on it were very good....food for thought there!
-
Your best options for upgrades on omega brakes are
Monaro calipers, goodridge hoses... pads trail and error.
If you want BRAKES see Serek for the Big kit he does.
-
A couple of my mates who race Westfields swear by Apec pads.
They fade like a bastid on the Omega if you drive it :-\
Don't they just, and don't recover well once cooled, never seem to get that bite back.
-
If the system is tired, then a proper service should be all you need to restore it to how an Omega should be. Disks and pads all round and chenge the brake fluid. Also check that the servo is working properly and none of the flexible hoses are bulging under pressure.
If it's still not right, you have a fault somewhere.
^^^ This ^^^
My own Omegas, including the Tractor showed no issues despite being hammered, unless properly provoked (flat out across MK is enough to kill any brakes on any car). Some people complain about the "feel" of Omega brakes - mainly that Gixer fella - almost implying that Omega's extra pedal travel meant weaker brakes.
Properly set up standard brakes are good enough to fire the ABS at 130mph on decent quality tyres.
I've yet to drive an Omega on EBC pads that I could live with. Red Stuff is almost bearable but simply won't work when cold - they are a track pad - which makes them totally unsuitable, as you know they won't stop you on a motorway for example.
-
Having listened to all the advice,EBC appear not to be the answer,I guess I fell for their products 'big up' I'm with Serek in a week or two and may tweak the to do list,depending on the bottom line for the Monaro set up. Again thanks to all for your input :y
-
Their ultimax pads were almost unfadeable with the Monaro VXR calipers and 330x32 mm discs. But those discs need tweaking to fit the Omega hub... :-\
-
What size wheels is the car running Ken?