307 Brake Upgrade How Much Better?

[Baz 421]

Another vote for standard, is very good, although can get hot if relied on as they should be, and start fading. As said use decent pads, and fluid and they shouldn't be as bad, although i've run 307 kit and it is indeed damn good, i don't think they're anywhere near used to their limit on a 205 though!

[Henry Yorke 269 3 Cars]

i'm going to try the 266mm version from the hdi/xs(i) its the same size piston as the 206/307 setup (54mm) but less weight in the yokes and discs

I have the 266mm 307 1.4 ones on a 1.6 master cylinder with a T piece on the back and I like the way they perform. I am on Peugeot discs and Peugeot pads and have done a couple of trackdays in them. I did cook them at Cadwell though but I was catching people coming into Mansfield which is a massive drop and probably not carrying enough sped through the corner as I could. I find leftfoot braking a doddle with these as the back works nicely for measured oversteer and the peddle feel is fine.

 

I did have to switch to 1.9 hubs though, so I lost a little of the front track.

 

I compared the piston to the brakes on my 307 HDI and the piston diameter is the same so in theory you get the same braking pressure but just on a smaller disc, though master cylinder will be a factor hear too.

 

However I only changed these because I had them (£40 hubs with wishbone, discs, calipers and pads from a car that had done 6k miles!) and was going from 1.6 spec brakes to the 309 wishbone setup so I needed different calipers. The smaller size means I can run a choice of retro wheel too! But for a fast road car, you cannot really beat quality standard discs and pads.

 

Bear in mind "good brakes" are a combination of things and your tyres are a critical part of your braking ability. I have seen some 106's with GTI 180 brakes and master cylinder on that cannot make a corner as they just lockup and skid. Good brakes to me are brakes you can feel what they are doing and give you progression in proportion to your foot movement.

 

Technically the biggest piston area with the biggest pressure gives you the most stopping power. Good drivers go fast as they do not use their brakes much. Braking is wasting momentum you and your car has worked hard to achieve.

[Alastairh 47]

Henry, do you run a rear compensor aswell as the 266mm calipers?

 

My next build i had already decided on this setup after really liking them on my brothers old 205.

 

Cheap as chips in the scrappy aswell

[Henry Yorke 269 3 Cars]

Henry, do you run a rear compensor aswell as the 266mm calipers?

 

My next build i had already decided on this setup after really liking them on my brothers old 205.

 

Cheap as chips in the scrappy aswell

 

I have the standard 1.6 one. I did get a 406 master cylinder and rear compensators too but never found I needed to "upgrade". On the Peugeot Adventure this year, we (M@tt - 205 on 307 setup, Allanallen - 306 Rallye, John - 307, 28Craig - ? etc) were haring down a mountain full of hairpins and my brakes held out the best as the others all had to pull in and let them cool before continuing. I think this is because my rears do some of the braking!

 

As you say, they are one of the unsung scrapyard specials - like the 1.8 16V XU engine - and therefore cheap.

 

Genuine discs and pads do help too I think

[niklas 1]

Im thinking of doin this conversion.how much better will be the braking of thesetup.realy after reviews of this.thanks reuben.

 

After nn hours when you've got the brake balance right and got used to the brake feel, you'll notice the braking distance is the same as with the old setup (given you're using the same tyres), but it will be less prone to fading (basically a 205 on 283mm brakes won't fade ever!).

If you're having problems with fading it's cheaper to use a more suitable brake fluid as well as add brake cooling!

[cybernck 402 1 Cars]

^ you can actually very easily set the pads on fire, if they're Lucas crap .

[Sandy 191]

I've put these on several cars for people. The most memorable was on James' 106XSi. We'd only got about 1/4 mile from the workshop and we looked at each other knowingly, because the ride/wheel movement over bumps had deteriorated markedly. The steering was dulled too, so the improvement in braking became less appealing. I think the 266mm brakes are big enough for most people's needs, beyond that you should consider proper upgrades with lightweight callipers.

[dazEmad 0]

Both me and my mate dan have gti6 brakes/rear discs, standard pads and both found it difficult trying to slow the car down around rockingham. Could it have been standard pads / brake fluid overheating and also slowing down from 100+ mph to 30 mph

[VisaGTi16v 1]

ok my things 800kg so a bit ligther than a standard visa/205 but I have no issue locking up the wheels or fade etc with standard 1.6 calipers and discs, mintex 1155's and rear drums, perfect for sprints, trackdays etc so I dont see why anyone would want heavier brakes as I certainly dont need them

[jtek 0]

I Switched to the 306 XS/HDI 266mm calipers and discs a while back and a 22mm MC, and although i have done very few miles on that setup so far it didn't seem to hinder the behaviour of the car over bumps too much, and the steering feel was still pretty much as good as ever. Whether this set up will be up to the job of stopping an MI16 or GTI-6 round a track with decent pads and fluid I'm not sure. Soon find out

[NeilGTi85 5]

In my old Mi which was a 1.6 standard setup the brakes were ok for normall driving but out on the track they were very bad, did not take long to over heat etc

 

On my new 205 '6' I have the '6' brakes and all I can say is I dont need any more stopping power!!

 

Neil