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[05omegav6]

My bad, Vectra B is most definitely lighter than the Omega

[kevinp58]

brake fluid is RED  I suspect that is your problem as Al has said it should be clear or slightly yellow 

[Kevin Wood]

I don't drive hard enough for the ABS to start to work, they also aren't overheating either... It could just be that Im used to a car stopping a bit quicker than the Omega does, it could just be the feel of them.... as Iv already said I could stand on the brakes of the Vectra and still not get the ABS to cut it.... it could just be me that Im used to brakes that basically work immediately over the Omega brakes that do work but dont have the bite that the Vectra brakes had....

On the Vectra I was running 308mm MTec grooved drilled and vented discs all round with Mintex brake pads, OK the rears where 286mm solids but still used Mintex brake pads and handbrake shoes.... It might just be that I was used to the Vectra brakes working better then the Omega brakes do... Im not used to such a heavy car TBH and it might just be that Im having to push the brake pedal a bit more than I did whilst I had the Vectra....

The brake fluid BTW is a lovely red colour and looks to have been changed recently...

Sounds to me like the "feel" of the Omega brakes is just different to what you're used to. The pedal on the Omega is quite progressive with a fair amount of travel under gentle braking but firms up if you have to brake suddenly, IIRC, this is a design feature of the system, but maybe not everyone's cup of tea. I had to do a full-on emergency stop from dual carriageway speeds last weekend and was amazed how quickly it will pull itself up if need be.

As said, though, the system has a few flaws which can lead to uneven pad and disk wear, so make sure it's all in tip-top condition first. I too wonder what it's got for brake fluid if it's red in colour...

[minifreek]

I do apologise it is a yellowy clear colour, Im thinking of the powersteering fluid..... I get confused, its my age 

[05omegav6]

  was starting to wonder if some bright spark had topped it up with ATF

[2woody]

definitely sounds like you need the pedal adjusting

[05omegav6]

definitely sounds like you need the pedal adjusting

Slight sidetrack, but I was unable to tweak mine as I couldn't get the brake pedal switch out... brake response/feel has improved noticeably since polying the front wishbone rear bush though

[chrisgixer]

Compared to any other car i've driven the omega feels like it has next to no servo assistance. Ie it needs a great deal more force applied to the pedal for any given rate of braking.

Iirc TIS talks about the face lift/later models servos have an increased assistance under emergency braking. Which to me is an addmition of guilt from the manufacturer if ever there was one.

But then again, the family tree of cars prior to the omega explain why the brakes are shite the way they are with the Carlton and Senator. The omega is a big executive car built with a level of chauffeuring in mind, so a progressive pedal does make some small amount if sense, I suppose. Until a newer car is driven of course.

It might be worth a pm to Serek on here. He's got a few options depending on wheel size. I have 18's that will accept Audi Q7(huuuuge great bus) front callipers and 359mm discs. But they won't fit 17" wheels. For members with 16" wheels though, I do wonder if its worth bothering as there isn't a great deal of room for bigger discs that will make a difference , just make sure the standard set up is in top top condition. There again though, with earlier cars on. 16" wheels, you see why they didn't look at brake upgrades until the failed release of the omega v8 on 17" wheels, and even then the discs size increase was quite modest.

The standard for brake fade for most manufacturers on oe brakes seems to be 10 plus 100mph emergency stops without fade. Something that's borderline at best on the omega ime.


Certainly looking round any car park, the omega is way down in disc size by comparison. Add in the lack of assistance, a bit of wear and tear.....




 

[minifreek]

So going off the above....

Its not just me then 

I think I'll have a look into upgrading the calipers and discs at a later date, I am running 18" wheels but thinking of going back to the 17" Elite wheels for over the winter though so I can refurb my 18" wheels and get the lip polished back up again as the salt off the roads has dulled the shiney bits....

[Mr Gav]

Personally I prefer the lack of servo assistance but I use the OEM pads and discs, the pads aren`t cheap but way better than the OE cheaper option pads. Plenty of stopping power but I don`t know how well they will stand up to brake fade as I`ve not repeatedly pushed them yet.

[TheBoy]

Iirc TIS talks about the face lift/later models servos have an increased assistance under emergency braking. Which to me is an addmition of guilt from the manufacturer if ever there was one.

Not really, it just became the fad to have a a system to provide increased assistance during the first phase of emergency braking. All manufacturers started slapping it on their upmarket models around that time.


To the op - if you're not cooking yours, I'd suggest just maintaining them .  They do lack the "sharpness" of some other cars, but have sufficient stopping power to exceed the tyres' grip

[chrisgixer]

Iirc TIS talks about the face lift/later models servos have an increased assistance under emergency braking. Which to me is an addmition of guilt from the manufacturer if ever there was one.

Not really, it just became the fad to have a a system to provide increased assistance during the first phase of emergency braking. All manufacturers started slapping it on their upmarket models around that time.

My opinion. Your entitled to yours...... 

[Kevin Wood]

There's no shortage of servo assistance on the Omega, IMHO. The pedal has a bit of travel in it, but I find that makes them more progressive and controllable than some cars that have sod all pedal travel yet stand on their nose as soon as you touch the pedal.

In fact, the Omega's brakes are about the same in feel as the brakes on my Westfield, which has disks all round and no assistance. That speaks volumes to me. It's stopping an extra tonne of weight, and needs servo assistance to achieve that, but the servo keeps out of the way in the "feel" department and just delivers assistance.

[hotel21]

In my experience the brakes on the omega are more than ample for work a day purposes but do not compare so favourably to lightweight front wheel drive cars.

If driven reasonably hard then they need more than the 'average' or 'normal' pedal pressure to work well.

They also suffer from fade, largely due to ill maintained systems including brake fluid and sub standard pads and discs.

If driving like you stole it for an extended period then they do suffer and can require adjustment of driving style..........

Before condemning them out of hand though would suggest new fluid, flush, new discs and pads (non cheepo aftermarket) and carefull bedding in. Once cooked takes quite additional  miles to get pad bite back IME.

 

[chrisgixer]

There's no shortage of servo assistance on the Omega, IMHO. The pedal has a bit of travel in it, but I find that makes them more progressive and controllable than some cars that have sod all pedal travel yet stand on their nose as soon as you touch the pedal.

In fact, the Omega's brakes are about the same in feel as the brakes on my Westfield, which has disks all round and no assistance. That speaks volumes to me. It's stopping an extra tonne of weight, and needs servo assistance to achieve that, but the servo keeps out of the way in the "feel" department and just delivers assistance.

All things being relative, if there where no cars in the world with more assistance then the omegas brakes would be (.... Still poor. ) ok. Add in some abuse though...thus I know Mr Wood has encountered poor omega brakes.