Hi all.

Have had a number of Octavia's over the years and the last 2 I found the brakes to be vague and lacking bite.  I have a Superb in between with 312's and had no problem it seemed to brake in a linear progressive fashion. My current new Octavia has the same vagueness. My normal driving style means I don't brake often but do brake briskly but not what would be considered hard, medium at best. The issue is not fade as I don't brake enough to build up anywhere close to enough heat. Does anyone experience this, type of vagueness in braking??

Thanks

 

George..

PS: I am paranoid now and I am convinced I need 312's or different pads, yes on a new car🙄 ...

Just get some different EBC pads to change the brake feel, pretty simple and cheap upgrade. 

Okay, now I'm convinced, you guys are crazy. You drive on the road like it's formula 1, measuring braking distances...

Brakes are important in fact the second most important part of a car apart from the steering. You need to have confidence in your brakes especially in a emergency. I don't drive like its formula 1 or measure braking distances. I just asked if anyone else experienced this same thing, I know its a small thing but I have noticed it. I thought with the number of members here something would turn up.

Every car I've ever driven had different pedal feel, even different cars of the same model, some bite early some bite late, some bite hard others smoothly, as long as the brakes work you should be able to adjust to how they work.

 

When I first got my car after switching from my Passat I found that the brakes lacked a little bite. However with a couple of thousand miles under the belt everything has bedded in and they are as sharp and precise as I would like them to be. I can't put my finger on the exact point when they felt right, just that they do now.

 

Give it a few hundred miles and let the discs and pads bed in before changing anything out.

@costelg  when you say vagueness of braking, do you mean brakes are weak, or the brake pedal seems to bite at a different point to another car.  If brakes are weak and spongy might have airlock in hydraulics.

 

If car is brand new, the pads might not be bedded in, probably takes over hundred brake applications (mileage is irrelevant, flat open roads won’t see anywhere as much brake use, as hilly area, or city centre traffic).

 

Every car I have ever driven the brake pedal feels different.

 

I have exactly the same issue as you Costelg with my Yeti that came with the smallest front brake discs (280mm perhaps?) they lacked initial bite and were not progressive and did not inspire confidence on the rare times that I did brake more than gently say approaching what appeared to be a clear roundabout and then seeing someone quite late to yeild to, that further increase in pedal pressure does not bring the proportionate retardation that it should and you have to push harder, same deal with the initial bite. Definitely not brake fade.

 

Had the same on my Octavia 2 after replacing all the discs & pads, it was the rubbish pads bundled with the discs, changing the fronts to Ferodo Eco Friction made a big difference.

 

On the Yeti after replacing all the discs and changing the fluid I had the same, I quickly chnaged the fronts to Ferodo Eco Friction and it was an improvement but still not good, I changed the rears also, still not what I consider acceptable, I drive my neighbours Octavia 2 Facelift with bigger brakes and they are superb by comparison.

 

Its not a case of the old pads having glazed the discs, I have done 20K miles on them and in recent months towed large trailers long distances well beyond the weight limit.

 

The brakes never fail to work in an emergency stop or a long downhill descent with a couple of tons behind, the ABS cuts in when I am faced with the all too frequent idiot on the wrong side of the road pulling out to overtake from too close to the vehicle in front of him, I would say they lack initial bite, are not progressive and don't inspire confidence.

 

I bought discs & calipers from a Golf GTi only to find that my struts are not the right diameter.

My current car a 4 series Gran Coupe' has the Brembo 4 pot front twin pot rear set up 340mm discs and they are nowhere near as good as I 1/ expected, and 2. Feel is appropriate for a performance brake set up, they are impossible to gauge as they lack progression, they have no feedback, and fade incredibly quickly. Balance that with my previous car (Maxda 6 Sport) that I drove in an identical manner, so can rule out "over enthusiasm"

 

I cannot work it out but have to accept there is something that upsets the pedal feel that is going to ensure I don't bother with ticking any Brembo brake box options again.

I fitted a set of Mintex 312mm disks & M1230FE pads to the front of my Octy a few years ago, and the pedal instantly became a lot firmer and with no "slack".

 

Since they were properly "run in", they have worked extremely well and are very progressive - touching the pedal lightly gives "normal" braking, and then as you push the pedal harder and harder the braking becomes steadily and progressively "more effective" (as SWMBO will confirm, and often complain about after the car pulls up very quickly!). "Copes" very well with stopping the heavy estate when travelling "quite fast" (good remap!) and no signs of fading noticed in "normal use".

 

The only downside I've found is that the pads are bonded, but also rivetted with copper rivets, to the backplates, and one of the rivets seems to have been too long and sometimes (mainly at very low speeds when the steering wheel is turned) I get a nasty squealing! I did take that pad out and filed the exposed end of the rivet down a bit and the sqealing stopped, but came back a bit later as the pad wore down a bit more. Maybe I should get a new set of these pads, but never got around to it as I do far less miles than I used to (especially in the last 18 months).

 

Apart from the latter, been very happy with them and I would certainly get the same ones again (and they are relatively inexpensive at under £30 a set on ebay)!

Edited 9 November, 20214 yr by jeallen01