poor brakes

[andrewjeffs]

I have recently bought a super low mileage puma which still had its original pads and disks fitted!
As you can imagine the braking performance was pretty poor.
I have fitted new disks and pads(mintex)..but still find the brakes need pretty hard pedal pressure to haul me up...are they all like this..i have heard the brakes are not great.
I have a 2001 model.
I was considering putting on the fiesta ST callipers and disks,as i see they bolt straight on.
Is it worth the effort?

 

[fairlight]

Yes, huge improvement over the 260mm standard setup.

I used pagid discs and ebc ultimax pads. They compare well to my Octavia with pagid discs and ebc redstuff pads.
The puma being a fair bit lighter I didn't see the need for an aggressive pad for fast road use.

 

[Dwighet]

Im running st150 brakes and defiantly a huge difference to standard. I fitted mintex m1144 pads and grooved and dimpled discs.. There great when there cold and awesome once there is a bit of heat in em..

Bit pricey though.. But stopping in a hurry is a good thing

 

[gingerdave]

In answer to your question the standard brakes will be adequate for normal road use.Must be a problem with your setup,maybe air in the system or duff servo .

 

[trublustu]

The most likely source of the brake issues on this car is the brake fluid.
Over time it degrades, regardless of mileage.
Give the system a good bleed with fresh fluid, you should see an improvement.

Also, bin the mintex pads and fit brembo or genuine ford. That will definitely improve things.

Bigger brakes will give you the best peformance, but try servicing what you have first. The set up was designed fir the car and works fine for road driving.

 

[grayfox]

In relation to the pedal travel and assistance Ive upgraded (one after the other) to the ST150 setup with Ferodo ds2500 pads ATE Super Blue racing fluid and braided lines and the 'feel' is very much the same although the braking is improved I'm shortly to change the servo for a more powerful one and concluded that this is the only thing that will change the effort required when braking and amount of travel as you mentioned in your post that your unhappy with (if there isn't air in your system that is or fluids off). you'll have a silver master cylinder swap it with the earlier black MC and servo or alternatively any mk2/3 mondeo's and swap the reservoir tank for your pumas.

 

[dubmeup]

As i understand it the late servo is not as big as the earlier one. But ford would not have released it 'unsafe'. A functional original system should stop you in good time.
I too would look at a line bleed first.
But i did opt for a 300mm conversion. I have an old servo and with new fluid, the brakes are superb. Nice modulation too. But if i stamp on them at 60 it actually hurts a bit as i have an old neck

 

[andrewjeffs]

The pedal has no travel in it..its braking right at the top..but with little`bite`..you need more pressure on the pedal than i would like as the wife drives it..maybe it is the servo.I will try a fluid change first

 

[Danmids]

Sounds like a duff servo to me.

 

[dubmeup]

Yup. Sounds like you have little or no servo assistance.