164 Brake Upgrade

[V AR 164]

Hi all,
Just read over the thread '75 brake upgrade' and thought I'd post a similar thread for the 164.

Tonight I took the Q out for a 'spirited' drive up Mt. Macedon, and the brakes were definitely not up to the task. Pulled over to let them cool down as they were fading pretty badly and saw the rotor was actually glowing a warm shade of red 

I have seen the 305mm Brembo brake upgrade (from a 147 GTA I believe) done on these cars and wondering if they simply bolt straight on or an adaptor plate needs to be made to mount the caliper?

Or does anyone have any suggestions on how to improve brake performance? I currently have new rotors (5,000kms old) with new ferodo pads and dot 4 fluid.

Cheers, Andrew.

[Citroënbender]

Are you certain that the system as it stands, is working 100%? No sticking calipers, blocked flex lines, master cylinder issues?

[stustustu123]

Are you certain that the system as it stands, is working 100%? No sticking calipers, blocked flex lines, master cylinder issues?

Good point, I've had 2x sticking calipers over the years, both on the front. Worth checking your calipers/wheels are cool after a leisurely drive with no hard braking. Mine were slow to retract so by the time I got the jack under to check for resistance the issue had disappeared although I could feel the rim was warmer than it should have been.

TarOx offer a 305mm and 315mm front 6-pot caliper kits for €1,599.00 and €1,899.00. Pricy but they have been around for years and look like a top quality product. At least this way it's all bolt-on as they include the mounting brackets specifically for the 164. If I had the cashola:

http://www.tarox.co.uk/shop/alfa-romeo/164/page/4/

[Colin Edwards]

Hi Andrew,

These 5000k old rotors.  Fair chance they are ventilated.  Depending  on the design of the inernal ventilation vanes, the rotors may be directional.  They must be fitted to a particular side of the car.  Make sure these new rotors are not fitted arse about!

[V AR 164]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I'm almost 100% sure the brakes are functioning properly. I just bled them a week ago and didn't see any issues with sticking calipers as the rotors would spin freely after I bled each corner. I will check again though.

That tarox upgrade looks awesome! But just a tad overkill I think! The price is pretty reasonable I reckon. Aftermarket support if very limited and they have to ask a premium to keep in business I suppose.

Looks like I'll just check over the brakes again to see if all is well and good. I'm still amazed I was able to make the rotors glow red, Although to be fair, it was a solid half hour of driving up and down the roads with plenty of heavy braking.

Cheers, Andrew.

[poohbah]

You must have been absolutely fangin' it to get them glowing in half an hour on a public road. That's a track-like effort.

[Citroënbender]

Seriously, how are the flexes? If they're original, time for new ones - even if just OEM grade rubber lines.

[V AR 164]

You must have been absolutely fangin' it to get them glowing in half an hour on a public road. That's a track-like effort.

Let's just say it was a really REALLY good road! But in all seriousness, there is a time and place for everything. I scouted the area multiple times beforehand to make sure there was absolutely no one around and no houses nearby that would be disturbed. And at 1am I highly doubt there would be tourists driving up a mountain!

Fair chance they are ventilated.  Depending  on the design of the inernal ventilation vanes, the rotors may be directional.  They must be fitted to a particular side of the car.  Make sure these new rotors are not fitted arse about!

They sure are, front are ventilated and rear are solid discs. Got a free day tomorrow so will double check the entire braking system. I may just try and find some drilled/slotted rotors with some braided brake lines.

Cheers, Andrew.

[poohbah]

Ha, I know you are always cautious Andrew.

I'm looking out for the youtube video of your moonlit mountain drive. Sounds like a ripper of a ride (just make sure no-one can see the speedo...)

[deano]

Yep agree on that Macedon road!

The only good part is the way up from Woodend and whatever you do Andrew don't do it during the day like I did after heaps of night runs because you'll realise its littered with houses all the way along which you cant see at night! My mate lives in the monstrosity to the left of that recommended 10km/h right hander and he would text me every time I took the 75 up at 2am.

Pretty hard to break the speed limit on that road and the reality is you need to only really watch out for roos, ice and the Gisborne drift boys pulling a bent 180 or Silvia out of a tree. Best to avoid the memorial car park at night as its a very popular site for people going dogging and general freaks.... Other then that its an awesome road but fairly crap during the day

[V AR 164]

Didn't realise there were houses that close to the road. Oh well, my car isn't too loud!!!

The road is awesome. The one leading up to the memorial lookout is good, but I found that instead of turning off at the exit to go to the top, continue straight an then there is a few km of windy roads with some pretty sharp hairpins.

A must do road for any car enthusiast!!

Here is an awesome pic I took as well.



Cheers, Andrew.

[V AR 164]

Ha, I know you are always cautious Andrew.

I'm looking out for the youtube video of your moonlit mountain drive. Sounds like a ripper of a ride (just make sure no-one can see the speedo...)

I am actually thinking of doing a short series going to the best driving roads around Vic. Now I have a couple mates who also have their P's, I think it would make for some good videos.

Andrew.

[Citroënbender]

Send them out to make the driving videos, you can stay home and try your luck swiping right... Compare notes a day later to see if you or they had more fun. 

[V AR 164]

I can report I have had no real success so far 

[poohbah]

hey Andrew, spotted a familiar looking 164 on this FB page:

https://www.facebook.com/tarmacassassin/photos/a.563249734008300.1073741829.540871982912742/563252364008037/?type=3&theater&ifg=1