Omega Owners Forum

Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: perfferle on 21 May 2008, 22:10:30

Title: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: perfferle on 21 May 2008, 22:10:30
Has anyone used the 'MINTEX' brand brake discs and pads and are they as good as Vx?
I have to replace my warped front discs so please offer me some valued guidance.
Thanks :-/
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: TheBoy on 21 May 2008, 22:12:54
Mintex make good discs/pads and also make some rubbish.

I've had hassles with pattern, so I stick to genuine...
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: tunnie on 21 May 2008, 22:15:50
fit GM.

Brakes is not one area to penny pinch....
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: Mr Skrunts on 21 May 2008, 23:23:29
Quote
fit GM.

Brakes is not one area to penny pinch....


Excellent advice.  Any idea what to expect to pay for 99 (T Plate) 3.0 Elite Pads and Disks from dealers?

TIA   :y
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: Andy B on 21 May 2008, 23:26:59
Quote
Quote
fit GM.

Brakes is not one area to penny pinch....


Excellent advice.  Any idea what to expect to pay for 99 (T Plate) 3.0 Elite Pads and Disks from dealers?

TIA   :y
£70/£80 from the dealer ....... as long as you have a Trade Club card. :y
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: Entwood on 21 May 2008, 23:28:43
On TC there was a "special offer" of discs + pads a while ago .. not sure if it's still running as last time I looked the site was still down for updateing ... only been 4 months !!!!!  :(
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: Growler on 21 May 2008, 23:31:34
I have used mintex pads without any issues but that wasn't on a vauxhall it has to be said, although they didn't arf stink when they were new.
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: Andy B on 21 May 2008, 23:40:48
Quote
I have used mintex pads without any issues but that wasn't on a vauxhall it has to be said, although they didn't arf stink when they were new.

It's not particularly the after market pads that are a problem, although cost wise you can't really beat Trade Club prices for the 'real' parts, but your problems are likely to be after market discs. Especially when they're all but a foot in diameter.
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: tunnie on 22 May 2008, 08:04:19
As andy says you cannot beat gm trade prices.

Join abs club, their membership gets you trade prices.

I fitted gm discs and pads to my 2.2 was 65 quid. Thinks it now around 75.

Remember just because other pads and discs are a tenner cheaper, does not mean they are cheaper!! Think the long run and how well they will last.

Bear in mind the omega weighs close to 2ton, so its worth getting good brakes ;)
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: Elite Pete on 22 May 2008, 08:44:12
I fitted Mintex to my previous Omega and they were OK but I fitted genuine to my current Omega and you can tell the difference.
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: andyc on 22 May 2008, 14:44:03
front disc kit £71.40 + VAT

Rear disc (solid) £59.96 pair + VAT
              (vented) £79.71 pair = VAT

Rear Pads £11.22

Andy
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: Mr Skrunts on 22 May 2008, 14:55:47
Quote
front disc kit £71.40 + VAT

Rear disc (solid) £59.96 pair + VAT
              (vented) £79.71 pair = VAT

Rear Pads £11.22

Andy

Cheers Andy.   :y :y

Front kit, does that mean it incluseds pads?

Many thanks :y :y
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: andyc on 22 May 2008, 14:56:39
Yep, disc and pads
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: Neil_MV6 on 22 May 2008, 17:34:28
I recently fitted Mintex front disks and pads to my 3.2 and I noticed a marked improvement on the braking performance immediately.

I'm more than happy with them so far and only £46 off ebay.
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: TheBoy on 22 May 2008, 17:36:31
Quote
Yep, disc and pads
but not sensor(s)...
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: Ironingboard on 22 May 2008, 17:48:26
After joining OOF I took the advice and bought vx ones, anyway after 6 months the discs were warped (ok i know there is no such thing as warped discs). Anyway I think the calipers were seized, but I've bought some ATE ones and chuffed to bits with them and for the cost of £65 for pads and discs you can't go wrong.
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: motmann on 22 May 2008, 19:20:25
ate,textar,bosch and tevis all make discs and pads for vauxhall so you did well and got "genuine" again ironingboard!! :)
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: LaserLance on 22 May 2008, 19:40:41
ive fitted mintex discs and pads to the front of my oilburner 2.2 they seem to be ok ,just need to sort front wishbones out now
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: perfferle on 22 May 2008, 23:38:34
Hold on,
Are you saying that the discs do not 'warp'?

I am looking to replace discs and pads because of steering and pedal wobble when i break from high speed.
Should i be considering something else? :-?
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: Entwood on 22 May 2008, 23:52:41
Warped discs are extremely rare .. there are other reasons for the "effect" that folks blame on warped discs ...

Have a read here .. might help..  :)

http://www.powerbrake.co.za/downloads/tech_01_judder.pdf

:)
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: perfferle on 23 May 2008, 00:14:22
Wow, very educational.
Makes me want to fit a set of powerbrake discs and pads! I can only IMAGINE the cost of a kit!
Thanks for the info:y
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: feeutfo on 23 May 2008, 00:33:41
Do omega discs warp easy then? just a thought from a newby but have you had any work done in that area?  koz first time i did my discs pads i did not clean the hub face properly b4 fitting the disc and got judder when breaking, bit like a warped disc maybe? Also may want to budget for wear sensors as the right angle bit is brittle and breaks easy esp if its the first time you' ve done it.. Oh hang on, i still got my old discs if any good to u they are old but they look to have some meat meat on then. I got some new cheap ones from first line so just changed them anyway, they from cdx 99 pre face lift.. Are all omega discs the same size? Hope helps.


Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: Albert1 on 23 May 2008, 11:15:31
I fitted Mintex pads and discs at the front on my 99 2.5V6 and I'm very happy with them.  Mintex make a claim that their pads and discs work particularly well together, rather than mixing and matching their pads with someone else's discs or vice versa.

Saw a huge improvement straight away (even before pads had bedded in completely) over the cr*p that the previous owner had had fitted - allegedly at a Vx dealer in Northampton.  The pads I removed even had metal anti-squeal shims stuck on the back of them - I thought they went out of use the same time as the Ark...lol.
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: perfferle on 23 May 2008, 20:32:41
HEY!
Thanks for your experiences guys but after reading i am MORE confused about what is the best disks and pads replacement option :-/.

Vx do not manufacture and apparently Delphi and Bosch manufacture for the OEM(??!!) and Mintex also claim to manufacture for the OEM's. so what really is the difference if any... we may never know... ;)
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: Albert1 on 23 May 2008, 22:34:35
Quote
HEY!
Thanks for your experiences guys but after reading i am MORE confused about what is the best disks and pads replacement option :-/.

Vx do not manufacture and apparently Delphi and Bosch manufacture for the OEM(??!!) and Mintex also claim to manufacture for the OEM's. so what really is the difference if any... we may never know... ;)
The moral of all these stories is to use quality items, not just the cheapest pads you can get of the right size - you get what you pay for, after all.
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: zarehs on 23 November 2009, 14:49:33
I have been looking into the option of aftermarket brake discs and pads, are there any here comparable in quality, or better than VX brakes?    I'm thinking of Bremtech, Mintex etc, i.e. the typ you can get from ebay.

value your thoughts.
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: Proz on 23 November 2009, 15:45:38
Mintex discs and pads on mine  :y
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: mathewst on 23 November 2009, 15:50:43
Never used Mintex, but used Brembo before on Audi and they were as good as original discs
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: zarehs on 23 November 2009, 17:23:16
should the rears be solid or vented
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: TheBoy on 23 November 2009, 18:17:47
Firstly, the likes of Mintex sell OKish stuff, and also really bad stuff.  I'll leave you to decide which the egay ones are, but as a clue, not the former...

Unless track daying it, stick to genuine, from dealer, via Tradeclub.  Yes, you can still melt them, but nowhere near as quickly as the cheap patterns...
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: TheBoy on 23 November 2009, 18:18:13
Quote
should the rears be solid or vented
up to 2000, solid, beyond, vented
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: Kevin Wood on 23 November 2009, 18:39:04
I must say, I haven't been that impressed with the main dealer pads I currently have on mine. Whatever was on them before (They were also GM branded) were a lot better.

The current pads squeal. Whatever I do to try to quieten them is only temporary. I'm also getting a lot more brake dust on the wheels.

Thursday last week I was in a bit of a hurry to get somewhere and it was late at night and the roads were empty.  ::)

Car got a bit of a spanking on a rural "A" road. Not something I would ever have thought would challenge the brakes. Flat and level on the whole, car 2-up, no luggage, fast sweeping bends. Elevated speeds between them (plenty of cooling) and a dab of the brakes on entry to each bend.

12 miles of this and the pedal went quite wooden.

Let the brakes cool and it's still wooden. :(

I think next time I will go for something different.

Kevin
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: Ian_D on 23 November 2009, 19:53:02
Quote
Warped discs are extremely rare .. there are other reasons for the "effect" that folks blame on warped discs ...

Have a read here .. might help..  :)

http://www.powerbrake.co.za/downloads/tech_01_judder.pdf

:)
Good read. I assumed I had warped discs on my mig (still  :-X) - Maybe its not the case? Could all be caused because of a tiny bit of grit / rust on the hub when fitting the new discs  :o
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: TheBoy on 23 November 2009, 20:35:18
Yet to warp a GM disc, warped 3 sets of ebay specials ::)

Kevin Wood - the GM pads, if you do glaze them, they never truely recover.  Filing off a couple of mm helps, but not a total fix.  Hence mine tends to get new pads every 6 months or so ::)

The 3 sets of patterns I have put on mine, never had any better feel to start with. In fact everyone who drove my car in that era commented on how unnervingly bad the brakes felt.


I don't want to go down the redstuff type pad, as that would scare Mrs TheBoy when she uses car and approaches the first braking point with cold brakes ;D.  Tempted to try greenstuff at some point
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: Jimbob on 23 November 2009, 21:26:18
I really need to put my bargain £9 genuine ones on  :P
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: Harison213 on 23 November 2009, 22:29:09
Don't go with unipart! Mine wrapped within a week last time I used them  >:(
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: cruisetopoland on 23 November 2009, 22:35:19
Quote
Don't go with unipart! Mine wrapped within a week last time I used them  >:(

My pattern ones are four weeks/2,000 miles old and are already wobbling very, very slightly on gently braking... :(

I did not get a choice as were done by the supplying garage for MOT before I got it-will fit genuine VX next time  :y
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: hotel21 on 23 November 2009, 22:54:24
Quote

......12 miles of this and the pedal went quite wooden.

Let the brakes cool and it's still wooden. :(

I think next time I will go for something different.

Kevin

Fresh enough fluid??  Never had a problem with mine on genuine GM pads/discs and I like to think that I get my tuppenceworth out of them when driving in similar circumstances that you describe....  ;)   :-X
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: feeutfo on 24 November 2009, 00:48:08
OE i tell you, OE.

I still have the Trade club pads that came in the disc/pad kit. Fitted them and apalled, i went direct to the dealer and bought and fitted OE(Durid printed on the back)instead. Instant improvement in feel/bight under normal driving conditions. If anyone wants to do a back to back test oe v trade club pads, just shout....

Cant really say i found their limit.

To be honest i really do beleive trade club pads are made of leather and mahogany and are beyond their limit just sitting on the shelf.

MY neighbor tells me camberly auto factors stock Durid, i intend to see if they do them cheaper than vx's trade club price of 70 odd sobs, not their best feature.....
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: cruisetopoland on 24 November 2009, 07:03:43
Quote
OE i tell you, OE.

I still have the Trade club pads that came in the disc/pad kit. Fitted them and apalled, i went direct to the dealer and bought and fitted OE(Durid printed on the back)instead. Instant improvement in feel/bight under normal driving conditions. If anyone wants to do a back to back test oe v trade club pads, just shout....

Cant really say i found their limit.

To be honest i really do beleive trade club pads are made of leather and mahogany and are beyond their limit just sitting on the shelf.

MY neighbor tells me camberly auto factors stock Durid, i intend to see if they do them cheaper than vx's trade club price of 70 odd sobs, not their best feature.....

Are greenstuff better then?  What is recommended?
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: Kevin Wood on 24 November 2009, 10:05:43
Quote
Fresh enough fluid??  Never had a problem with mine on genuine GM pads/discs and I like to think that I get my tuppenceworth out of them when driving in similar circumstances that you describe....  ;)   :-X

I changed the fluid when I did the brakes IIRC, less than a year ago. I was quite surprised to have got enough heat into them to make them fade.

The original brakes took some serious abuse descending the Stelvio pass with a boot full of camping gear and 2 weeks' supply of shoes and handbags for Mrs. KW. ;)

I think I'd have ended up nursing it down very carefully with these pads.

Kevin
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: Kevin Wood on 24 November 2009, 10:37:54
Quote
Are greenstuff better then?  What is recommended?

Green stuff are supposed to have a nice pedal feel, and work well from cold but I've heard reports that they won't stand up to hard use (and this is from a community with circa 600kg cars. Add another tonne and...?).

The harder EBC pads allegedly don't work very well from cold.

I have heard good things about Ferodo 2500DS, Mintex 1144 and Pagid RS series pads.

Kevin
Title: Re: Aftermarket brake discs and pads OK?
Post by: cruisetopoland on 24 November 2009, 10:43:36
Quote
Quote
Are greenstuff better then?  What is recommended?

Green stuff are supposed to have a nice pedal feel, and work well from cold but I've heard reports that they won't stand up to hard use (and this is from a community with circa 600kg cars. Add another tonne and...?).

The harder EBC pads allegedly don't work very well from cold.

I have heard good things about Ferodo 2500DS, Mintex 1144 and Pagid RS series pads.

Kevin

Cheers for that.  Mine are new (not sure which brand as fitted by garage I bought car off-probably cheapest then!)

Pulls up ok, does not seem to fade, but not a huge amount of feel.