Brake Downgrade

[patpug 1]

When I did my gti6 conversion on my S3 1.9 205, I put the 283mm 307 hdi front brakes on. There's no denying the car definitely stops but the roads down here in Oz are bumpy at the best of times and the extra unsprung weight is killing me so I need to go for a lighter set up.

 

I thought I'd go for the 306 S16 266mm discs, callipers to suit and some Ferrodo DS2500 pads. Easy huh!? Until I realise that there are 2 different disc heights for the S16 - 27.4 and 34.2mm... The 205 and 307hdi are both 34.2 and 34.5mm high discs so no worries there...

 

I've already ordered these callipers for the 266 discs and the Ferrodo pads for an S16 so I am committed. The brembo max discs for an S16 that I want, come in both 27.4 and 34.2mm heights though and I'm really getting confused!

 

I guess the question is - does the change in callipers to the s16 ones change the disc height down to 27.4, or do the series 3 1.9 hubs only fit the 34mm high discs? Or have I ordered the wrong callipers... eeek...

 

Thanks,

 

Pat

 

 

[Anthony 1,002]

I'm a little confused as to the best of my knowledge all 306's (and most other 90's PSA models like 405's) with 266mm brakes used the same disk, so I'm not quite sure where the choice for the other one is coming from?

 

Do you have the correct carriers/yokes for those calipers, as I suspect that they will just the caliper part itself that you've ordered and hence not everything that you'll need to actually fit it onto the car?

 

I don't have a set to hand to measure offsets etc for you, but certainly the complete setup (i.e. calipers, yokes, disks, pads, bolts) off a 306 S16 fits straight onto a 1.9 GTi hub with no modification required.

[allanallen 528 2 Cars]

Could they be the later type 266s fitted to 306 hdi s, 206 Gti's etc??

[Anthony 1,002]

A quick look on www.brakeparts.co.uk suggests that it's the 27mm one's (266x20.6) that you want as they're the ones that are fitted to most larger engined 306's and various other 90's models, and the 34mm ones (266x22) appear to be used on newer stuff (eg 2001 onwards 206's) and not, from what I can see, on earlier cars like 306's.

 

Servicebox appears to back that up.

 

AFAIK it was just the calipers/yokes/pads that differed between the various different 266mm brake options on 306's and the disks were the same throughout. Earlier cars (Phase 1 XSi and S16) used a caliper with a comparitively small pad, whereas later cars (Phase 2/3 16v's and HDi) used a caliper with a large pad very similar to that used on GTi-6's.

[S@m 156]

Provided you definitely have 306 S16 calipers you need the 27.4mm discs.

 

I run early 306 s16 girling calipers on my 205 with 266mm discs/1155 pads/406 mc and it stops very well with quite a short pedal travel. The later s16 calipers have larger pad area and a larger piston (57mm instead of 54mm) though but i haven't used them.

 

When i ordered mine the supplier came back to me saying that there were two different depths for the 266mm disc on the 306/ZX but its not true - after checking the catalogue it appears that 34.2mm is the depth of the 247mm discs fitted to smaller engined models of the 306 range. There is no combination of 266/34.2mm fitted to a 306 just other later models.

 

Sam

Edited December 14, 2012 by Sam306

[welshpug 1,655]

405's use much lower offset discs, as mentioned you need the 27mm tall 20mm thick ones, the later 34mm offset 22mm thick are from later partner vans 206's etc.

[patpug 1]

When i ordered mine the supplier came back to me saying that there were two different depths for the 266mm disc on the 306/ZX but its not true - after checking the catalogue it appears that 34.2mm is the depth of the 247mm discs fitted to smaller engined models of the 306 range. There is no combination of 266/34.2mm fitted to a 306 just other later models.

 

Sam

 

This is exactly what's happened to me and as I'm shipping half way around the world it threw me - I can't just pop it back to the shop around the corner if it's wrong!

 

I also got worried because the original 205 disc height is 34.2 and I started thinking that maybe the smaller ones wouldn't fit on these hubs.

 

Also, good pick up Anthony, I didn't realise that they didn't come with the carriers but i do have a set luckily...

 

Have to say, apart from the odd confusion like this, don't you have to love the PSA 'parts bin performance' upgrades!? i had an mk2 escort once upon a time and you had to spend big $'s to get that thing to stop...

 

Thanks all.

 

Pat

[Para 82 2 Cars]

I will highjack the topic, I'm looking to downgrade my front brakes as well. Currently I have 288mm discs and Brembo calipers from 406. I am about to change the discs to something smaller (and lighter) , what size is ok to go ? Can I use discs from 306 GTI under those calipers ?

[welshpug 1,655]

you need different calipers, or if you do wish to retain those calipers then you can get an alloy bell and separate rotor, likely to need a custom bell but there's probably a std rotor that'll be suitable.