Discovery 2 brake rotors and pad options

[ozscott]

Hi all,

There has been discussion on various threads about pads and rotors for the D2. I have been happy enough with Bendiix rotors and ECB pads for some time but I couldn't get ECB for the rears last time and cant recall the brand on there. Overall I think the front ECB's and biting harder than the rear and feel the balance front to rear and on hard stops (especially towing) could be better. She seems far to keen to lock up a wheel at the front (partly the Wranger Duratracs account for that compared to the more highway pattern Maxxis I had on there some years ago, but part seems to be the pad difference front to rear).

i have reconditioned the calipers and done a full flush and use a good Penrite fluid and now am looking at pads and rotors.

For excellent biting power (I don't put up huge miles now in it so longevity is not a priority - also have black wheels so dust is not a priority) what do you good folks recommend (I have not ever run slotted - don't want cross drilled due to a lot of dirt and offroad driving - but keen to give them a run if that helps with heat dissipation and even braking).

Cheers

[rick130]

Andrew, do not go drilled rotors.
They will crack eventually.
Slotted are fine.
DBA, Delios are fine. I'll ask re RDA, I've heard mixed reports but a mate is a brake specialist and pretty sure that's what they use.

Good old TRW are a good pad.
And cheap.

Slunnie likes EBC Yellow Stuff and I think Pedro is running them too??

I'm partial to QFM ATM, I really like the custom compound I'm using. Dusty which I don't care about, but damn they stop.

[Tombie]

DBA or Delios only..

[emoji846]


Check with Slunnie. Last I heard he didn’t like the EBC stuff anymore. I found it total rubbish and got rid of it.

Repco Ceramic Pads are worth a look on a slotted rotor.

[Slunnie]

DBA or Delios only..

[emoji846]


Check with Slunnie. Last I heard he didn’t like the EBC stuff anymore. I found it total rubbish and got rid of it.

Repco Ceramic Pads are worth a look on a slotted rotor.

The EBC2000 series greenstuff I really loved - These have not been available for years and years and years now. You could really feel them come on and bite hard. The hotter the better.

The EBC6000 and 7000 series in my opinion are rubbish, don't stop and overheat/fade. Especially if you have hills or tow, sidestep these big time.

The EBC Truck Yellow stuff pads I've been finding to be pretty good. Not as good as the EBC2000 Greens, but a pretty good pad and a bit better than the Bendix 4x4 pads. You will have to import these from the UK.

Rotors, I've settled on the Dba slotted rotors. They're a pretty quality rotor in manuacture and materials. Big upgrade even over OE which shows up in the quality of the wear surface, you'll get 2+ pad sets out of the rotors as expected but they wear very evenly and are a stable rotor. The slot design I also really like, not at all over done so they allow clearing but don't kill the surface area for slow work and they dont seem to hold mud.

[Pedro_The_Swift]

Running EBC yellow and slotted DBA,,
they really stop hard on that first push---- :o

[ozscott]

Andrew, do not go drilled rotors.
They will crack eventually.
Slotted are fine.
DBA, Delios are fine. I'll ask re RDA, I've heard mixed reports but a mate is a brake specialist and pretty sure that's what they use.

Good old TRW are a good pad.
And cheap.

Slunnie likes EBC Yellow Stuff and I think Pedro is running them too??

I'm partial to QFM ATM, I really like the custom compound I'm using. Dusty which I don't care about, but damn they stop.Thanks very much Rick. Just realised my post was poorly worded. I won't go drilled but haven't had slotted and would try them. Drilled I worry a out getting a rock or similar stuck in them. I didn't know they could crack - another reason not to get them.

Thanks again.

Cheers

[Lemo]

DBA or Delios only..

[emoji846]


Check with Slunnie. Last I heard he didn’t like the EBC stuff anymore. I found it total rubbish and got rid of it.

Repco Ceramic Pads are worth a look on a slotted rotor.


I've got a set of Repco (Good price and really easy to order locally) to match up with Delios slotted but haven't had the time to install.
currently using original pads and i'm getting some shudder on light brake application and putting it down to the soft compound and the slots??

Will up Date when I've changed[thumbsupbig]
Lemo

[ozscott]

The EBC2000 series greenstuff I really loved - These have not been available for years and years and years now. You could really feel them come on and bite hard. The hotter the better.

The EBC6000 and 7000 series in my opinion are rubbish, don't stop and overheat/fade. Especially if you have hills or tow, sidestep these big time.

The EBC Truck Yellow stuff pads I've been finding to be pretty good. Not as good as the EBC2000 Greens, but a pretty good pad and a bit better than the Bendix 4x4 pads. You will have to import these from the UK.

Rotors, I've settled on the Dba slotted rotors. They're a pretty quality rotor in manuacture and materials. Big upgrade even over OE which shows up in the quality of the wear surface, you'll get 2+ pad sets out of the rotors as expected but they wear very evenly and are a stable rotor. The slot design I also really like, not at all over done so they allow clearing but don't kill the surface area for slow work and they dont seem to hold mud.I was running the Greenstuff Simon and still have a set on the front. I like them. I have only ever had, apart from original, DBA replacement rotors but never slotted. Keen to give them a run.

Cheers

[ozscott]

DBA or Delios only..

[emoji846]


Check with Slunnie. Last I heard he didn’t like the EBC stuff anymore. I found it total rubbish and got rid of it.

Repco Ceramic Pads are worth a look on a slotted rotor.Thanks Mike. I will look into ceramic pads.

Cheers

[ozscott]

Running EBC yellow and slotted DBA,,
they really stop hard on that first push---- :oThanks Peter. I am keen to get a set that stop well even when not particular warm. I don't mind brake dust so sacrificial pads are fine by me and quick to change. Cheers

[ozscott]

I've got a set of Repco (Good price and really easy to order locally) to match up with Delios slotted but haven't had the time to install.
currently using original pads and i'm getting some shudder on light brake application and putting it down to the soft compound and the slots??

Will up Date when I've changed[thumbsupbig]
LemoThanks Lemo. Yep interested to know. Repco have been hit and mis over the years with quality compared to more well known brands. Cheers

[INter674]

I had shudder from new DBA slotted front rotors with cheapo EBay pads (bought as a back up only) so changed to Bendix 4x4 heavy duty. No shudder but pedal is softer now😐

Best but dirtiest pads I've had were the TRW oem.

Son swears by QFMs...allegedly all the comp blokes use them.

[jwb]

RDA slotted discs and Remsa pads. Very good result.

[trout1105]

I had a set of heavy duty DBA slotted rotors and pads fitted front and rear on my D2a last year.
20,000ks later they are still working as well as first fitted and are 10x better than stock rotors and pads.

[simonmelb]

I'm extremely happy with the combination EBC Yellow Stuff pads and standard DBA rotors.

EBC bought from Paddocks UK and DBA from Sparesbox (miles cheaper then from Repco)

They have SO much better stopping power than Bendix 4WD pads, when cold and hot.
153562153563153564

Cheers
Simon

[PhilipA]

I fitted TRW Lucas brand front as Lucas make the discs LOL.
Seriously they are quite soft and IMHO allow the TC to work effectively.
I became disillusioned with Bendix as they seem too hard and need to warm up.
I do not have the means to buy various "Stuffs".
BTW I had slotted discs and they cracked.

Regards Philip A

[ozscott]

Thanks all. Pad wise I went with QFM ARM1. Thanks Rick. Should be a nice aggressive stopper. Cheers

[twr7cx]

Ive used RDA slotted and dimpled rotors on mine for eight years now. They've had great wear life and no issues.

I won't go near Bendix 4WD/SUV pads on it again. Severely lacked any bite when cold.

Currently running EBC Yellow Stuff (truck?) pads front and rear and they've fantastic. On hard braking I can actually lock up the 33" tyres and make the ABS work. There's some dust but I run black steel wheels so don't care and the safety of great breaks is more than worth it! I can't see any reason why I'd not go straight to them again. I sourced from Brit-Car in UK. Probably one of the more expensive brake pads I've purchased but the performance of them gives me no doubt about their value.

[rick130]

Some numbers from the NSW rego brake test on two different brake combos from the same brake testing machine.

Last year were stock 29" (235/75R16) diameter tyres, stock front pads and rotors, rears stock rotors and cheap Protex pads.

Peak deceleration. 94 % G
Average deceleration. 64 % G
Pedal force. 374Nm

It passed.

This year's combo
31" tyres, Delios rotors, QFM A1RM H10 (modified A1RM compound, higher Mu, 800°C max operating temp) braided hose.

Peak deceleration. 110%G
Avg deceleration. 60%G
Pedal force. 217Nm

[ozscott]

Great info Rick. Thanks also for your PM. I have cleared some room in my inbox now too mate.

I'm going to run the QFM pads on my stock DBA rotors. I have reconditioned calipers and stainless braid lines so little incremental improvements are a good thing.

Cheers

[Slunnie]

Some numbers from the NSW rego brake test on two different brake combos from the same brake testing machine.

Last year were stock 29" (235/75R16) diameter tyres, stock front pads and rotors, rears stock rotors and cheap Protex pads.

Peak deceleration. 94 % G
Average deceleration. 64 % G
Pedal force. 374Nm

It passed.

This year's combo
31" tyres, Delios rotors, QFM A1RM H10 (modified A1RM compound, higher Mu, 800°C max operating temp) braided hose.

Peak deceleration. 110%G
Avg deceleration. 60%G
Pedal force. 217Nm

Rick were those pads F&R? Sound like a great pad!

[rick130]

Rick were those pads F&R? Sound like a great pad!Hey Simon, same compound F&R.

They seem to work really well with the the TC too.

What a lot of people don't realise is that release is quite critical, almost as important as bite.
When track testing pads years ago the really aggressive high friction pads that worked well on cars with down force were really hard to modulate on cars with little to no down force.
These QFM's seem to work really smoothly with the TC.

[Wheel Nut]

DBA rotors and Bendix 4WD pads, working very well. They get a hiding from towing a fully laden car trailer and no issues at all.

[DiscoDiscoMan]

Ok.... so what are the opinions on calipers....
I am about to re-do all 4 corners and expect to find calipers need work....

[Tombie]

Ok.... so what are the opinions on calipers....
I am about to re-do all 4 corners and expect to find calipers need work....

Buy the quality rebuild kits and new pistons from the UK

[AK83]

Ok.... so what are the opinions on calipers....
I am about to re-do all 4 corners and expect to find calipers need work....

We had this come up on bros TD5.
Very easy to rebuild.
Pistons themselves aren't massively expensive, and we could see that they had some surface rust while the pads were low, so new pistons were purchased.
Only problem we had with the pistons were that the seals supplied looked right, but were wrong. Wrong by about 0.5mm or so too big and had a hell of a time trying to get the pistons with seals into calipers.
Couldn't work out why for a while, as I said, seals looked the right size.
As a test, to confirm that the seals weren't the issue, installed new pistons with old seals, and went in fine. Head scratching, looked very closely at new seals and noted they didn't have the marking that the old seals had.

Went to the local LR supplies got a new set of genuine seals, which did have the markings on the rubber(green and white paint type marks), and went straight in without issue!

Huge Doh! moment.

I measured the thickness of the supplied seals relative to the old seals and the new genuine, and the non marked seals that came with the pistons were 0.2mm thicker(on the ring) than the genuine ones, making them about 0.5(ish) mm thicker.

So if you're unsure of the condition/history of the calipers, I'd recommend just to rebuild them. About an extra hours work using new, proper fitting, parts.

[Slunnie]

For me at least, it’s just the sliders that need work. On the front they can stick.

[DiscoDiscoMan]

Ordered Yellow stuff all round.
DBA slotted front and standards rear... will let you know how it goes...

[Roverlord off road spares]

We had this come up on bros TD5.
Very easy to rebuild.
Pistons themselves aren't massively expensive, and we could see that they had some surface rust while the pads were low, so new pistons were purchased.
Only problem we had with the pistons were that the seals supplied looked right, but were wrong. Wrong by about 0.5mm or so too big and had a hell of a time trying to get the pistons with seals into calipers.
Couldn't work out why for a while, as I said, seals looked the right size.
As a test, to confirm that the seals weren't the issue, installed new pistons with old seals, and went in fine. Head scratching, looked very closely at new seals and noted they didn't have the marking that the old seals had.

Went to the local LR supplies got a new set of genuine seals, which did have the markings on the rubber(green and white paint type marks), and went straight in without issue!

Huge Doh! moment.

I measured the thickness of the supplied seals relative to the old seals and the new genuine, and the non marked seals that came with the pistons were 0.2mm thicker(on the ring) than the genuine ones, making them about 0.5(ish) mm thicker.

So if you're unsure of the condition/history of the calipers, I'd recommend just to rebuild them. About an extra hours work using new, proper fitting, parts.

just a note THE D2A vin 3A on have different seals and piston part numbers

[Slunnie]

just a note THE D2A vin 3A on have different seals and piston part numbers

Do they run bigger pistons in the calipers?

[rick130]

Do they run bigger pistons in the calipers?

If it isn't a typo, according to the TRW catalogue the pre 3A VIN # (ie ours) has the bigger piston?
48mm vs 45mm Catalogue (https://www.trwaftermarket.com/ap/catalogue/#market=au&vehicleType=P&manufacturerId=1820&modelId=4670&vehicleId=%7C10139%2CAll-wheel%20Drive%20(11%2F98%20-%3E%2006%2F04%3B%20139HP%20%2F%20102KW)&productGroupId=78)

MC bore is the same on all VIN's

[Slunnie]

If it isn't a typo, according to the TRW catalogue the pre 3A VIN # (ie ours) has the bigger piston?
48mm vs 45mm Catalogue (https://www.trwaftermarket.com/ap/catalogue/#market=au&vehicleType=P&manufacturerId=1820&modelId=4670&vehicleId=%7C10139%2CAll-wheel%20Drive%20(11%2F98%20-%3E%2006%2F04%3B%20139HP%20%2F%20102KW)&productGroupId=78)

MC bore is the same on all VIN's

Ahhhh, and just like that there is a front brake caliper upgrade. Same pads across the 2 caliper types AFAIK???

Legend, thank you!

dia 45mm = SA1590mm2
dia 48mm = SA1809mm2
increase in front clamping pressure = 13.7%?

[rick130]

The earlier D2 caliper has the bigger 48mm piston, so the clamping force is greater for it for a given line pressure.

Maybe there's too much flex in the big piston caliper?
Or they were trying to reduce pedal travel and increase pedal firmness in the later car?

[Slunnie]

The earlier D2 caliper has the bigger 48mm piston, so the clamping force is greater for it for a given line pressure.

Maybe there's too much flex in the big piston caliper?
Or they were trying to reduce pedal travel and increase pedal firmness in the later car?
Ahhh it went that way. They revised the brake booster at the same time.

[rick130]

Ahhh it went that way. They revised the brake booster at the same time.Ahh ok, didn't realise that.