The feel of the Panda's brakes isn't the best if you have been used to Subarus.

The Panda's brakes are over assisted and non linear; at the beginning of the pedal's travel nothing much happens.

Not sure if this is something that can be corrected and how, bigger master cylinder perhaps?

Will fitting braided hoses help?

It looks like the brake fluid has never been changed so that's on the to do list as well.

The pads and discs are fine.

Fresh fluid is always the first thing I do with a (new to me) car. The feel always improves, but the 100HP needs some getting used to.

gr J

I think the brakes on the 100hp are excellent, good pedal feel and almost impossible to overheat.

This is in 100hp , right ?.Brakes have awful pedal feel ( over servo-ing causes kangaroo-ing- at least in some early (?) year models ) and heel and toe-ing is next to impossible .One of several flaws in what could have been a dream car .Off the top of my head you can also include the need for a longer sixth gear for fuel economy , maybe a turbo /20-30 more bhp , wider torque band ,OBVIOUSLY a softer rear suspension , less sensitive to tracking loss , the latter may be to blame for insecurity at high mph esp in wet .

Post 2008 they changed the servos if I remember correctly.

I notice with mine as said above, it's a little softer at first than I'd like, and then even with gradual pressure the brakes seem to bite suddenly sometimes.

I felt the same, or at least a very similar effect, in the 54 Plate Punto we have.

fpan said:

Will fitting braided hoses help?

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Yes.

Aston Martin said:

Post 2008 they changed the servos if I remember correctly.

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Are you sure you are referring to the brake master cylinder and not the clutch's one?

I was hoping a 500 Abarth one is bigger in diameter than the 100HP's one but they are the same, 22.2mm.

Peter Pick-Up said:

Yes.

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Which ones have peope fitted/recommend?

ytareh said:

This is in 100hp , right ?.Brakes have awful pedal feel ( over servo-ing causes kangaroo-ing- at least in some early (?) year models ) and heel and toe-ing is next to impossible .One of several flaws in what could have been a dream car .Off the top of my head you can also include the need for a longer sixth gear for fuel economy , maybe a turbo /20-30 more bhp , wider torque band ,OBVIOUSLY a softer rear suspension , less sensitive to tracking loss , the latter may be to blame for insecurity at high mph esp in wet .

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If all that annoys you then why own it? ... for me all that stuff is part of the charm.

I dont , I sold it under 6 months later due to a combination of (mostly)all the stuff above and finances .I have my Panda Multijet 2.5 years/60k and LOVE it .Longest Ive ever owned a car .NEVER let me down .

Yes after my current woes this is the next thing, I have a funny feeling the brake fluid has not been changed for some time, the pedal needs the slack taking up.... Can you fit braided.....

I've just spoken to Neil at NSB and he said he is not a fan of aftermarket braided hoses as they don't always fit well on the strut and that I will notice more difference by changing just the fluid, the difference with the new hoses will be almost undetectable.

Has anyone fitted the HEL ones and do they have the correct fittings for the strut as I don't fancy using cable ties.

Cheers!

That Neil fella sounds like he knows his stuff. I know people swear blind braided lines are better, but I think 99% of the difference can be attributed to the fact that a line change means the brakes are bled with new fluid. (That was certainly my experience with my other car) Anyway ,I thought most modern cars had reinforced lines as standard ?

TheHood said:

That Neil fella sounds like he knows his stuff. I know people swear blind braided lines are better, but I think 99% of the difference can be attributed to the fact that a line change means the brakes are bled with new fluid. (That was certainly my experience with my other car) Anyway ,I thought most modern cars had reinforced lines as standard ?

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The £80 saved can be used for something else then

Braided Teflon lines are far better than rubber lines.
Brake feel is much harder, and braided lines don't age like rubber ones.
They are a fit for the rest of the car's life, while rubber lines have to be changed at least every 10 years, because agressive brake fluid will dissolve them, most on the non visible inside...
A big advantage of braided lines is the fact that air (containing moisture..!!) can't penetrate the lines, like it can with rubber lines, so the lifespan of the brakefluid is (much) longer with braided lines.
It's a well worth, once in a cars lifetime investment.

Peter Pick-Up said:

Braided Teflon lines are far better than rubber lines.
Brake feel is much harder, and braided lines don't age like rubber ones.
They are a fit for the rest of the car's life, while rubber lines have to be changed at least every 10 years, because agressive brake fluid will dissolve them, most on the non visible inside...
A big advantage of braided lines is the fact that air (containing moisture..!!) can't penetrate the lines, like it can with rubber lines, so the lifespan of the brakefluid is (much) longer with braided lines.
It's a well worth, once in a cars lifetime investment.

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I think you can only notice the improved pedal feel under very hard braking unless the rubber ones have started to perish.

When I changed the OEM rubber ones for Goodridge in my WRX wagon (the car had 6k miles only) I hardly noticed any difference IIRC.

I'd like to be proven wrong in the Panda as its brakes aren't the strongest point.

Pedal feel is only one of the many advantages of braided lines...!!

Peter Pick-Up said:

Braided Teflon lines are far better than rubber lines.
Brake feel is much harder, and braided lines don't age like rubber ones.
They are a fit for the rest of the car's life, while rubber lines have to be changed at least every 10 years, because agressive brake fluid will dissolve them, most on the non visible inside...
A big advantage of braided lines is the fact that air (containing moisture..!!) can't penetrate the lines, like it can with rubber lines, so the lifespan of the brakefluid is (much) longer with braided lines.
It's a well worth, once in a cars lifetime investment.

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Have you done any experiments to back up your statement about superior performance in isolation from the influence of new vs old brake fluid?

If correctly specified DOT rated brake fluids were that bad for rubber they wouldn't get their DOT rating in the first place and I don't recall seeing changing brake hoses as part of the service schedule for any of the modern cars I have owned.

Braided lines will obviously be more resistant to abrasion though.

TheHood said:

If correctly specified DOT rated brake fluids were that bad for rubber they wouldn't get their DOT rating in the first place and I don't recall seeing changing brake hoses as part of the service schedule for any of the modern cars I have owned..

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All OE rubber brake hoses on any (modern) car should be replaced after about 10 years, that's why ALL rubber brake hoses, OE or aftermarket, have a manufacturer date stamped on them.
They WILL age, even when not in use, and even when not in contact with brakefluid, it's like with tires, they are unsafe after a certain age as well, driven or not.
Any car manufacturer will tell you the +/-10 year change interval of their brake hoses.
I'm aware hardly anybody knows, or replaces their brakehoses, untill trouble comes..but they are important service parts...
I replace all the brake (and clutch) lines on all my cars and bikes for braided ones, and forget about them.