Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi People,
Ive got the ford vented disc brake set up on my pickup and although i'm happy with the way it works I just wondered if it was possible to introduce a little more 'feel'. I do not have a servo fitted and would rather not have one, I thought instead that maybe I could use a softer pad material.....if any such thing exists ! any ideas ? cheers.

How do you mean feel? If you mean pedal firmness and feedback then I think they are pretty good (I have them on my 4-door). To be honest the firmness is better than the vast majority of cars I have driven. I too don't have or want a servo. Are you sure you don't have air in the system (front or rear) and that the rear brakes are working properly?

p.s. where did you get them from and when, and do you have any juddering problems? (I have!)

I think you need to talk to someone like Demon Tweaks, the accessory and motorsport shop.
They can supply a variety of pads in various compounds and the guys there seem to know there stuff!!
They are normally very helpful too!!

Cam i have the ford discs and they are fine, no juddering but they're not that 'sharp' feeling.

they're not that 'sharp' feeling

I've driven a variety of Fords over the years and a Ford-disk-brake-moggy. I think I know what you're getting at and my best guess is that the symptom is more down to the other componants in the braking system (such as flexible hoses, rear cylinders and pads etc). You also have to consider the relatively simple suspension layout at the front of Minors which cannot match the location capabilities of wishbone layouts commonly found on Fords. Powerful brakes can put considerable strain on suspension componants.

i found fitting braded flexible hoses instead of the standard rubber hoses can greatly improve pedal feel.

If they are new you may need 500-1000 miles to properly bed them in

Thanks people, so,braided hoses and have a word with demonic tweekers Incidentally I bought this kit from Owen Burton about six years and 25,000 miles ago and there is still a huge amount of material on the pads, the only reason I want to replace them is because they are beginning to delaminate off the pad backing !! Must say I've had no juddering though....yet.

I have had great success with Mintex M1144. It is slightly harder and the brakes may feel a bit poor first thing on cold mornings but once used for a hard stop they are fantastic.

I had Capri 2.8i vents and Princess 4 pots on my van and I tried standard pads and they were horrendous. The feel was awful and they faded so quickly.

John

Thanks Innovator,
never had a problem with brake fade, you was'nt towing the QE2 at the time by any chance were you ??

Brake feel is a very tricky thing, I dont think pads are going to help you too much, are you saying that the brakes are a bit on or off, i.e. you dont get any warning that they are about to lock up?

I would agree with comments that braided hoses would probably help, or simply new rubber ones if they are old.