Got the 1.4 GP 8v, so only got the drums on the back , , and it can be pretty hairy at times, i'm pretty sure the fronts are fine, will probably just upgrade the pads and discs when the stock wear out

having trouble finding any sites that do new shoes that aren't just stock, any body got upgraded shoes? or know who does them?

any help and/or comments would be appreciated

cant see anyone making upgraded shoes for drums to be honest.

you could upgrade to discs, but i'm not sure if you would need a whole new rear beam off of a sporting which could start to get expensive.

EDIT: i dont know if the GP's come with the larger diameter front discs but still drums at the back like the dynamic sports, but mine are pretty damm good to be honest, and the back end of the car can become very light under hard braking.

yeah u'd need the whole rear beam changing, plus then there is the issue with ABS, etc, etc, i'm sure i've read somewhere someone suggesting to someone that was gonna swap to discs on a 1.2 suggesting to just upgrade the shoes instead


anyone ever heard of anyone doing better than stock shoes?

Considering 70-80% of the braking effort is done by the fronts, it seems a little pointless to start upgrading the rears first, plus bearing in mind that if the rears are improved without touching the fronts you'll move the brake bias rearwards leading to the chances of locking the rears under heavy braking.

I know of a 350bhp, 170+MPH Escort RS Turbo which still runs the original drums at the rear and 4-pot Brembo's on the front, and it stops on a dime.

thanks for the comments mate, TBH my opinion isn't likely to change on the car needing them, i've got a feeling your mates Escort RS Turbo's stock brakes would be far better than the ones on the back of my punto,

anyone know of any companies that make shoes that might just be generally better than fiats stock?

PuntoMatt you've usually got an interesting oar to stick in?

you know how far brakes have come on since the days of the RS Turbo's?

lol thats a very good point Tris, so you like the drums as they are? maybe i should get them checked out? only saying because my confidence with the dealer i bought it from isn't exactly shining and it was theirs for 4 months before me

what are the signs while driving that shoes are in need of replacing? not got my manual around how easy is it to check? 10 min? 1hr?

if you are seriously considering more braking power, i would honestly upgrade the fronts first!

Even if you just went for some vented/ grooved discs rather than larger diameter ones? GSR/ Red Dot ones are supposed to be good.

What size wheels you running? 6 pot Brembos fit?

EDIT: i would rather have discs than drums at the rear obviously, but i think they are pretty good for the power of the car, and i know about no confidence with your dealer!

Tris Harris said:

6 pot Brembos fit?

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6 pot?

How about some 16 pot calipers?

nothing wrong with GP drum brakes, save your money & get higher spec model...then again your choice/money but you could also lower your selling/trade in value when the times come.

i'm not specifcally trying to upgrade them, but IMHO they feel like they should be a little sharper than they are, but as discussed with tris above, i'm thinking i should check them and make sure there isn't just something wrong, so moving on can anyone confirm how easy the shoes are to get to? and how long of a job it is?

How's it handle on the handbrake? If it stops the car rolling then it's just as good as discs on the rear.

Set of soft pads on the front will make biggest difference for cheapest outlay.

i wouldn't have thought the fact that they can hold the car still would in anyway suggest they would be as good as discs, just because discs can do this aswell

if it did surly they wouldn't bother putting the discs on if the shoes and cylinders were as good as you state

Drums can be excellent - and perform perfectly sufficiently for the rear axle- but they don't look as sporty as discs - and customers have come to expect rear discs as a sign of performance and quality.

I'd say the handbrake on my Tipo Sedici is not as good as the huge drum brake which was on the rear axle of my old Tipo TD.

Hellcat said:

I'd say the handbrake on my Tipo Sedici is not as good as the huge drum brake which was on the rear axle of my old Tipo TD.

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Drums are better for use with a hand brake than disks in some cases.

If a car with rear disks is driven using harsh braking then parked up soon after on only the handbrake then as the disks cool and contract it can lead to the handbrake not working. Drums dont have this problem.

On most cars the difference between drums and disks on the back is next to nothing, like you said people think disks look sportier.

:Offtopic:

the post was based on the fact that the rear drums on mine aren't very good any it can therefore get hairy sometimes thinking could just be a problem with mine, maybe the shoes need replacing as a few people have reported theirs feels fine

so anyone know how easy this would be to check?

Hi, I have the 1.4 8v and quite frankly if you find the car "hairy" in the first place then you must be pushing it way too hard! Mine has only got "hairy" in an abnormal driving situation or through poor driving judgement. the Brakes (or at least a WORKING braking system (see my ABS problem post)) I thought were fantastic and well matched if not over specified for the power of the car. So if you feel that they dont perform well enough I suggest you take it to the garage.

danielfay88 said:

:Offtopic:

the post was based on the fact that the rear drums on mine aren't very good any it can therefore get hairy sometimes thinking could just be a problem with mine, maybe the shoes need replacing as a few people have reported theirs feels fine

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What?! This is the most ON TOPIC thread on the whole forum!

We've just said that the drums basically do nothing on the rear... so little that you probably wouldn't notice if they were not there. If the braking seems that bad then it's the fronts that need checking.

The only time you would notice the rears being poor is during handbrake application.

Hellcat said:

What?! This is the most ON TOPIC thread on the whole forum!

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were going off topic discussing why you shouldn't swap drums for discs and why people do,

smifton said:

Hi, I have the 1.4 8v and quite frankly if you find the car "hairy" in the first place then you must be pushing it way too hard! Mine has only got "hairy" in an abnormal driving situation

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i do push it far further than most probably would, but i'm deff getting the feeling i might just need some new shoes on the back, as i wouldn't think anyone could call what mine does under heavy braking as reasonable

am going to check em out this weekend, see if i can dig me manual out, if can't spot anything i'm in at the dealer in two weeks they might be able to do something

danielfay88 said:

were going off topic discussing why you shouldn't swap drums for discs and why people do,



i do push it far further than most probably would, but i'm deff getting the feeling i might just need some new shoes on the back, as i wouldn't think anyone could call what mine does under heavy braking as reasonable

am going to check em out this weekend, see if i can dig me manual out, if can't spot anything i'm in at the dealer in two weeks they might be able to do something

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I'm sorry but 1. If your pushing it that hard on the road you shouldnt have a licence

and 2. I used mine on a track and the only reason it felt skitish at the back is due to the huge weight transfer going into a corner, it wont be the brakes you just gotta calm down?