x1/9 brakes

hello, does sombody know if it s possible to mount brakes of an other fiat (punto turbo, coupe turbo or other) on a 1987 x1/9 bertone because the original x1/9 brake system is so bad (not ventilled)!
thanx and sorry for my english (i m french)

Standard X1/9 brakes should be sufficient to stop an unmodified car, however because the newest cars are 17 years old the brakes usually suffer from being poorly maintained. It may be worth getting the cylinder seals stripped down and re-conditioned by a friendly mechanic to bring them back to new specification. Also replacing the master cylinder at the same time is worthwhile although this is more than a little tricky due to its location above the steering rack. The rear cylinders in particular have a tendency to rust and seize up and are not a very good design. A solution to this for the rears is to fit Fiat 132 rear callipers (also found on some FSO models), which are easier to maintain. However they do move the brake bias a little to rear, which can be welcome if your car suffers from the front end locking up.

If you want to swap the full set try those from Uno Turbo's however you may need to change the wheels as the callipers wont fit inside most of the X1/9 wheel designs. As for ventilation this makes little difference to performance and really isn't worthwhile unless the car is used for racing / track days.

You also need to borrow all of the mountings from the Uno Turbo so don't try to buy *just* the calipers - they won't fit.

Ultimately any caliper design can be made to fit - you just need an adapter block and if you are going for larger discs you would need them anyway.

Personally I have found the original calipers to be very good despite some peoples' experiences. I've raced on the standard solid discs for 30 minute races and not suffered any brake fade. The trick is a high level of maintenance and some care and attention to how the parts go back together.

Make sure it all works cleanly without any leaks
Replace the soggy rubber flexible pipes with externally braided pipes
Ensure that the front and rear tracking is accurately set (it makes a big difference)
Make sure your tyres are in good condition and properly inflated
Use high quality brake fluid and replace it with every service
Replace the discs every time you replace the pads
Use high quality pads but avoid full race pads as they need a lot of heat to even begin working

If you must replace the calipers then go for a modern design that is either solid mounted with pistons on either side or has a floating mechanism that doesn't foul up.

as phil & jim says also, if for example you have a "stock" or relitivly stock car, and are wanting to run at an autoX or something, then the best thing to do is (a) replace the master cylinder, (b) buy steel braided brake-lines (c) use ferrodo, or comprable pads. unless used for racing drilled/ or slotted rotors wont really help you on the street much, or at an auto X for that matter, as the speeds dont justify it. infact they can actually cut braking performance, as they wont allow the brakes to get to their normal(safe) opperating temp, until much later. also slotted rotors will wearout pads at a very fast pace. the slots are designed to not only exspell hot gases and keep things cooler, but the "scrape" the rotors more severly causing them to wear out very fast.if you are looking for uprated performance for a non-race car then do the above steps. also tires! tires are a huge factor in braking, and handleing in general.... so check 'em & change/upgrade 'em as needed