Omega Owners Forum

Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: stemon on 15 September 2008, 07:41:23

Title: facelift 3.0 v6 brake upgrade help
Post by: stemon on 15 September 2008, 07:41:23
hi guys ive got 18" alloys and would like to fill them as the current brakes look pants, any idea's?   more of a show thing im no boy racer ;D
Title: Re: facelift 3.0 v6 brake upgrade help
Post by: tmx on 15 September 2008, 10:40:00
no kits for omega as it doesnt need Bigger brakes the standard ones are more than capable
Title: Re: facelift 3.0 v6 brake upgrade help
Post by: feeutfo on 15 September 2008, 10:58:43
bigger discs would obviously need the caliper moving out from the centre to allow for the bigger size. So either new bigger radious calipers or a bracket to re locate the old ones.

I would guess you would be looking at a brembo or ap set up if they do a kit, but that will be serious cash.
Dont recal much talk of modifying the brake set up on here tbh.

Title: Re: facelift 3.0 v6 brake upgrade help
Post by: stemon on 15 September 2008, 19:03:09
Interesting, the omega is the hardest car to get parts for , i swear someone on here fitted GTO brakes , brembo would be nice but cant find a kit for the omega. i know standard brakes are good but im thinking bigger just for looks , im not a racer just enjoy suttle modifing.
Title: Re: facelift 3.0 v6 brake upgrade help
Post by: philhoward on 15 September 2008, 20:37:37
I'm sure if you spoke to someone like Wilwood, they'd be able to do you a kit - but would probably cost more than your wheels!

Lotus Carlton - if you could find some - maybe?
Title: Re: facelift 3.0 v6 brake upgrade help
Post by: Andy B on 15 September 2008, 21:33:13
Quote
Interesting, the omega is the hardest car to get parts for , i swear someone on here fitted GTO brakes , brembo would be nice but cant find a kit for the omega. i know standard brakes are good but im thinking bigger just for looks , im not a racer just enjoy suttle modifing.

IIRC it was one of the Catera owners, did't they use Monaro bits? :-/
Title: Re: facelift 3.0 v6 brake upgrade help
Post by: Mike2530 on 30 March 2009, 14:46:26
I notice that people are saying how good the Omega brakes are, I must have a lemon as mine ar utter rubbish, a long brake pedal and they fade like hell, no matter what i do to sort them out they are just absolute rubbish
Title: Re: facelift 3.0 v6 brake upgrade help
Post by: vauxmad on 30 March 2009, 15:21:54
that sounds like your brakes are unwell, change the fluid for a start!!! have you got cheap pads on? et some genunie vaux ones on! if that don't work look into your master cylinder and abs unit. the standard brakes are very good
Title: Re: facelift 3.0 v6 brake upgrade help
Post by: Cameron on 30 March 2009, 15:36:03
Yeah they can (should) be excellent but they do deteriorate quite badly if neglected.

When I got my first miggy the brakes were pants, new discs/pads, strip/clean/lub carriers and be-rust the rest...transformed them.  :y

New fluid is a good idea too, but the above will give more noticable improvements.  Even just stripping the carriers will give big benefits for zero outlay...
Title: Re: facelift 3.0 v6 brake upgrade help
Post by: Alex Wood on 30 March 2009, 18:18:19
Agree the standard setup is v good if healthy. I recently fitted bog standard Vaux trade cub pads on the front and Lockheed rears and bled the brakes again with Dot 5.1 (only needed to do this because a bleed valve leaked while the wishbones were being done) and my brakes now feel like they'd stop a train. Mind you, my only regular comparison is the Monza and its brakes have always felt wooden no matter what I do to them, whereas I find most Monzas have a pretty good pedal.

I heard once that master cylinders and servos should ideally be matched and I once replaced the master cylinder only on the Monza whilst trying to diagnose a problem. Buggered if I'm going through the whole process again and changing it back though!
Title: Re: facelift 3.0 v6 brake upgrade help
Post by: puffa on 01 April 2009, 12:59:25
Dont be tight when it comes to brake pads, either go for genuine vauxhall pads or get, as I did ferrodo premier pads all round only cost £45 all in for front and rear pads, and spot on every time, have not experienced any brake fade/overheating.

Sure I could have got front and rear pads for £30 all in from my local supplier, but you pay for what you get, Buy cheap you get cheap !!!.

Steve.
Title: Re: facelift 3.0 v6 brake upgrade help
Post by: Mike2530 on 01 October 2010, 11:41:58
I had always used gen Vaux discs and pads and have always been rubbish, however, recently tried std mintex pads and it is all of a sudden brakes are like dropping an anchor out of the boot. ;D
Title: Re: facelift 3.0 v6 brake upgrade help
Post by: Jimbob on 01 October 2010, 11:56:57
cough cough, it is dusty round here today, lots of brake dust  ;D
Title: Re: facelift 3.0 v6 brake upgrade help
Post by: 2woody on 01 October 2010, 12:00:03
the standard design is very poor - even when in tip-top condition.

having said that if you are "no boy racer" then I wouldn't recommend changing them, just go for new standard components.

regarding the wheels, then really it's backwards - the reason for going to bigger wheels is to clear a brake package that you've got, rather than the other way round.

for larger brakes, there are options :-

Monaro / Commodore / GTO brakes. Actually no larger than the ones you already have. And not up to a car of that performance.

Lotus Carlton. Very much up to the performance - when new, regarded as the best brakes ever fitted to a saloon. Downsides are that they are very expensive ( think over £2K to convert using s/h parts ) and they have some reliability issues when not used every day.

AP racing Monaro set - basically the same as the Lotus brakes. same comments apply.

I actually have a car with 350mm discs fitted (road-driven track car) and they do indeed stop very well, and are cheap ( £250 for the lot ). But I'm not willing to divulge the "how" part because I've not got the product liability insurance to cover any potential mishaps. sorry.
Title: Re: facelift 3.0 v6 brake upgrade help
Post by: smithpa7 on 01 October 2010, 12:41:13
Quote
I had always used gen Vaux discs and pads and have always been rubbish, however, recently tried std mintex pads and it is all of a sudden brakes are like dropping an anchor out of the boot. ;D

My brakes have always worked incredibly, I recently checked them and they are Mintex pads :y :y
Title: Re: facelift 3.0 v6 brake upgrade help
Post by: 2woody on 02 October 2010, 21:37:13
don't forget Mintex also make "general" pads as well as the "racing" ones they made their name for.
Title: Re: facelift 3.0 v6 brake upgrade help
Post by: Mike2530 on 22 November 2010, 11:50:35
Good stuff Zombie, thing is they are about the same price as Vaux's own.
Title: Re: facelift 3.0 v6 brake upgrade help
Post by: P6UL K on 24 November 2010, 11:45:52
Quote
hi guys ive got 18" alloys and would like to fill them as the current brakes look pants, any idea's?   more of a show thing im no boy racer ;D

I got the same responses when i asked a similar question about the brakes a while back.

Have you looked at the Saab stuff?  I'm still looking into it myself but i think there must be a powerful Saab with bigger brakes than the 286mm.
Title: Re: facelift 3.0 v6 brake upgrade help
Post by: geoffr70 on 24 November 2010, 17:33:57
Quote
Agree the standard setup is v good if healthy. I recently fitted bog standard Vaux trade cub pads on the front and Lockheed rears and bled the brakes again with Dot 5.1 (only needed to do this because a bleed valve leaked while the wishbones were being done) and my brakes now feel like they'd stop a train. Mind you, my only regular comparison is the Monza and its brakes have always felt wooden no matter what I do to them, whereas I find most Monzas have a pretty good pedal.

I heard once that master cylinders and servos should ideally be matched and I once replaced the master cylinder only on the Monza whilst trying to diagnose a problem. Buggered if I'm going through the whole process again and changing it back though!

I put new discs and pads on the front, and bled the entire system, the brakes are brilliant, mintex pads as far as I can remember.

I thought Migs take DOT 4
Title: Re: facelift 3.0 v6 brake upgrade help
Post by: Mike2530 on 05 December 2010, 21:52:29
Dot 4 min spec, 5.1 is just synthetic dot4 so boils at a higher temperature.