Thread: Disc Brakes

wheel bearings on a 101 should be packed with grease as it takes a while for oil the travel though from the C/V joint housing.
Dont forget to lube the lip of the hub seal.
The last lot of hub seals I fitted I knocked all the way in.
Looking at the latest ones supplied I have knocked them in flush with the edge of the hub housing.

I finished topping off the C/Vs though the new oil level / filler hole ,it works OK and is easy enough to get too, but the little STP hand pump pictured earlier must be used if you dont want a mess.
Each C/V takes about 750mls of oil.

This is RHS hub and spacer plate fitted.

This is the clearence to the LHS rod ends with the spacer plate fitted.
It is exactly the same as with the drum brakes, so no clearence problems even with my bigger rubber fitted to the wheels.
I spacer plate should be used as the wheel stud threads will be the correct lenght for the special wheel nuts that hold the wheel tread plate.
If used without, the special nuts could bottom out on the threaded wheel studs.

Its a bit hard to bleed the brakes on a 101 by yourself , so not all the air was out of the system when I went for a quick drive tonight.
The discs and pads need to bed in too.
I done a few hard stops on a quiet street.
They are OK and work about as well as the standard drum brakes so far.
The discs come in hard at first, but lack that final little bit of nip in on that last half turn of the wheel before the vehicle stops compared to correctly adjusted drums.
I ran out of time tonight to bleed correctly and test and bed in the brakes more.
Pulling up at home I hopped out and check for leaks and any stuff ups I could have done......all OK, but i was supprize how hot the discs were.
Time will tell.

I wonder what it is like to have a disk brake kit to put on their 101 .

My feelings on the whole kit is good.
It is straight forward to fit, except the instructions supplied dont detail how to remove the standard wheel studs.
Pads are easy to change.
The Bleeder is easy to reach and points in the correct direction.
The disc is large diameter and reports over seas is saying

Originally Posted by garrycol

I wonder what it is like to have a disk brake kit to put on their 101 .

You should be the next one tell us all about it.
I was waiting for you to chime in when I made the crack about a show off with imported spoked wheels.

The discs and pads are slowly wearing in.
In a nut shell the discs work no better than adjusted drum brakes.( the disc is well hidden inside the wheel and the wheel has no ventilation holes.........garrycols wide spoked wheels will be a major advantage )
I have noticed heat disspersion is no better than the drum brakes.
Four emergency stops in a row is enough to get the discs very hot which is about the same as what the drum front brakes could do.
It should be noted and as mention in another thread in this section that most of a 101s braking is done by the front brakes in normal unloaded use.

What does improve is the front and back brakes appear to be working together better as a set and the vehicle is easier to do a emergency stop and keep the vehicle under control in a straight line.
While the discs appear to work abit harder on the first part of the stopping roll out the last part of the stop is less effective than well adjusted drums.
This effect makes it very hard with the tyres I am running to lock the front wheels on tar or concrete surfaces which is a good thing.

I mention well adjusted drums.........the discs will perform better than the drums when the adjustment is out a bit or the shoes are worn low etc.
I found with the drum front brakes I was doing front brake adjustments all the time to keep the brakes performing well.
This is no longer needed.
I still have not got the brake pedal were it should be on the first application of the pedal..........either I still have a little bit of air in the system, or the pedal needs to move futher to push the caliper pistons out compared to the drums.
It should be noted as personal choice or prerference I use silicone brake fluid in all my vehicles.
My 101 runs standard brake master cylinder and booster and both are in good order.