Keep the cable and plug in case your reverse light one breaks.

so it's there?

you can plug it all in?

but it doesn't actually do anything?

god bless VAG!!

Hey Cliff you know you want to join me at Hullavington....

so it's there?

you can plug it all in?

but it doesn't actually do anything?

god bless VAG!!

No, there's nowhere to plug it onto, but the same plug is used elsewhere (like the reverse light switch- just ask Lummox). You need to cut it off.

Yeah Sorry Cliff that was my mistake - oops!

No, there's nowhere to plug it onto, but the same plug is used elsewhere (like the reverse light switch- just ask Lummox). You need to cut it off.

ahhh ok that'll save a lot of confusion and loose cable tangled with wheel problems!

Hey Cliff you know you want to join me at Hullavington....

LA LA LA i can't hear you!!

I'm pretty sure that if you're braking hard enough for the ABS to kick in then both brakes will stop the car in the same distance. If grip was unlimited and the wheels didn't lock then the 312mm brakes would stop the car faster, but since both systems are capable of locking the wheels you should see very similar stopping distances. As someone else has pointed out, the 312mm will bring you up in a shorter distance than the 288mm with the same pedal pressure used.

Now where's that plane and treadmill...

In the first week of vRS ownership I had cause to brake as hard as the car was able. Due to my being distracted by a whole load of police cars on my right in Salisbury, I looked to my right to see what they were doing. Mistake. The car in front had stopped and when I looked back I was gaining fast. I jammed on the brakes and the ABS kicked in (dry road). I stopped just short (3-4 inches) of a shunt. I was shaken.

I was rather underwhelmed by the brakes - certainly comapred to my 105 Estelle they do not feel very good. The Fabia has good initial slowing, but if you keep pressing harder the car does not stop harder - and the ABS cuts in only grudgingly. My 105 just keeps stopping harder and harder - even without ABS. I am having the 312 upgrade in a hope that it boosts the available braking power even a little bit. If it matches my 105 then I will be happy.

TH

Edit: The 105 makes nearly 1G under braking. What does the Fab vRS make?

I'm pretty sure that if you're braking hard enough for the ABS to kick in then both brakes will stop the car in the same distance. If grip was unlimited and the wheels didn't lock then the 312mm brakes would stop the car faster, but since both systems are capable of locking the wheels you should see very similar stopping distances. As someone else has pointed out, the 312mm will bring you up in a shorter distance than the 288mm with the same pedal pressure used.

Now where's that plane and treadmill...

I agree - but I am running very decent tyres and would expect that, as the ABS wasn't working overtime (ie I have had it working more), there is a bit of distance/time to be cut off that braking figure as not 100% of available grip is being used 100% of the time

pah! Useless single slidey calipery...!

What you need is more pistons and a longer pad:-

J.

Very nice, and very expensive. I think the AP's are a bit over the top on a Fabia.

312's just about right and a cheap upgrade considering.

312's just about right and a cheap upgrade considering.

The DS2500s make a difference too

The statement about 'it will stop you in the same distance' is kinda true and kinda untrue at the same time. It will, once or twice. Then the fade kicks in and the 312s muller the 288 setup.

Also due to the massively easier to dose and feel, it is much easier to drive more smoothly whilst still breaking a bit later, oh and the pads and discs last longer.

bigger brakes can stop you better, just because you can lock your wheels with both brakes doesn't mean they have the same power or effectiveness at all, control and modulation have an aweful lot to play in slowing down/stopping.

on my mountain bike i used to have a mid range 180mm single piston(or twin, i can't remember now) disc brake on the front that could lock the front wheel if needed yet now i have a top level 205mm 6 piston brake i can still lock the wheel but i can also slow down a hell of a lot quicker and thats with the same bike/rider/tyre/road

with smaller and underpowered brakes they will go from slowing to skidding quicker than a better/bigger brake as the better brake will have a better power curve of sorts and far better control/modulation.

bigger brakes can stop you better, just because you can lock your wheels with both brakes doesn't mean they have the same power or effectiveness at all, control and modulation have an aweful lot to play in slowing down/stopping.

on my mountain bike i used to have a mid range 180mm single piston(or twin, i can't remember now) disc brake on the front that could lock the front wheel if needed yet now i have a top level 205mm 6 piston brake i can still lock the wheel but i can also slow down a hell of a lot quicker and thats with the same bike/rider/tyre/road

with smaller and underpowered brakes they will go from slowing to skidding quicker than a better/bigger brake as the better brake will have a better power curve of sorts and far better control/modulation.

But ABS kind of removes the need for modulation under full pressure braking.

Then the fade kicks in and the 312s muller the 288 setup

Thats a very good point actually, in real world driving, its not really about 60-0mph stops, its about use over time, and this is probebly the biggest advantage over the std set up.

They last a long time, and IIRC MK has the occasional roundabout too

The statement about 'it will stop you in the same distance' is kinda true and kinda untrue at the same time. It will, once or twice. Then the fade kicks in and the 312s muller the 288 setup.

Also due to the massively easier to dose and feel, it is much easier to drive more smoothly whilst still breaking a bit later, oh and the pads and discs last longer.

Agreed and agreed. If you drive sensibly on the road, you don't need bigger brakes unless you can see for miles around the corners. (Peterborough,east anglia... or Poperinge Flanders...). They like their nice banks and hedgerows where I live, so I have to slow down first. I mostly have to slow down in Flanders though.. To avoid cargo shifting.

J.

But ABS kind of removes the need for modulation under full pressure braking.

so how come my octavia pulls up quicker with the brembo's than it did with the standard 288mm brakes yet both could lock the wheels and nothing else was changed at the same time?

so how come my octavia pulls up quicker with the brembo's than it did with the standard 288mm brakes yet both could lock the wheels and nothing else was changed at the same time?

Now there is an arguement, what is the point of bigger brakes if little ones are already capable of locking the wheels from any speed??? :P

so how come my octavia pulls up quicker with the brembo's than it did with the standard 288mm brakes yet both could lock the wheels and nothing else was changed at the same time?

Don't know. Are you talking about braking with your foot to the floor and ABS working? I don't see why the size of the brakes should make any difference if ABS is kicking in.

Now there is an arguement, what is the point of bigger brakes if little ones are already capable of locking the wheels from any speed??? :P

The 312mm's definitely bring you up shorter in every day braking. I found myself having to reduce my usual braking pressure because otherwise I'd have been pulling up way short of the line at lights. Plus as others have said they'll be much less susceptible to fade and should wear better because they don't have to work as hard.

My argument with the whole thing though is if both setups are capable of locking the wheels then the type of brakes become irrelevant. If you didn't have ABS and just slammed on the brakes locking the wheels then in both cases the car should stop in the exact same distance as it's down to the tyres. All ABS is doing is stopping the wheels locking, it's not increasing the amount of grip the tyres can provide. I suppose if the 312mm calipers react faster to the ABS system than the 288mm calipers do then this could cause some differences but if they work exactly the same then the stopping distances should be pretty much identical.

I thought we agreed that in theory, if you used the same tyres on the same bit of tarmac and the outside temperature was the same, then broke hard until the ABS started to cut in. Then there will not be any difference in stopping time/distance. However you will be able to stop faster with bigger brakes with the same brake peddle pressure.

I will be interested if this theory is true, but remember to retest the larger brakes when they are fully run in.

Nail head firmly hit.

Bigger brakes will give equal braking force for less effort on the brake lever. The actual stopping distance for the exact same outside conditions wont change as once the wheels are locked(or not in the case of abs) then the brakes make no difference to the stopping distance.

The only difference will be that the brakes will engage quicker which may help out by a metre or so but whatever it is negligable.

The real advantage the 312mm will have over 288's is the abbility to disperse heat build up which means less chance of brake fade but this can be easily cured with better performance pads, discs and brake fluid

Course from an asthetic point of view the 312's fill the wheels much better:thumbup:

The 312mm's definitely bring you up shorter in every day braking. I found myself having to reduce my usual braking pressure because otherwise I'd have been pulling up way short of the line at lights. Plus as others have said they'll be much less susceptible to fade and should wear better because they don't have to work as hard.

My argument with the whole thing though is if both setups are capable of locking the wheels then the type of brakes become irrelevant. If you didn't have ABS and just slammed on the brakes locking the wheels then in both cases the car should stop in the exact same distance as it's down to the tyres. All ABS is doing is stopping the wheels locking, it's not increasing the amount of grip the tyres can provide. I suppose if the 312mm calipers react faster to the ABS system than the 288mm calipers do then this could cause some differences but if they work exactly the same then the stopping distances should be pretty much identical.

Bloody hell are you looking over my shoulder but quicker at typing!!!!:P:P

The statement about 'it will stop you in the same distance' is kinda true and kinda untrue at the same time. It will, once or twice. Then the fade kicks in and the 312s muller the 288 setup.

Also due to the massively easier to dose and feel, it is much easier to drive more smoothly whilst still breaking a bit later, oh and the pads and discs last longer.

How often do you repeatedly go 0-60-0-60-0-60-0-60-0-60.... unless you are lewis hamilton doing his paper round:P

Course from an asthetic point of view the 312's fill the wheels much better

All this is making me ignore the performance improvements and just concentrate on the fact they'll look like proper trick tho' bruv innit!

Don't know. Are you talking about braking with your foot to the floor and ABS working? I don't see why the size of the brakes should make any difference if ABS is kicking in.

yep, full bore stops with ABS kicking in on both cars carried out off the road on airfields etc.