Technical Punto brakes VEEEEERY sensitive.. different pads?

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Technical Punto brakes VEEEEERY sensitive.. different pads?

EasyPunto

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so our new (2016) punto has VERY grabby brakes. i only have to rest my big toe on the pedal and it slams to a stop just about putting me through the windscreen...its driving me nuts..

is there a brake pad that has less low speed grip on the disc. something that requires a bit more pedal effort to slow the car? maybe thought about going for a racier pad that has poorer low temp performance??

any suggestions? as usual the dealer just shrugged thier shoulders
 
so our new (2016) punto has VERY grabby brakes. i only have to rest my big toe on the pedal and it slams to a stop just about putting me through the windscreen...its driving me nuts..

is there a brake pad that has less low speed grip on the disc. something that requires a bit more pedal effort to slow the car? maybe thought about going for a racier pad that has poorer low temp performance??

any suggestions? as usual the dealer just shrugged thier shoulders

hi, my 2013 TA has been like this from new..
I've just got used to it..
my wife can't stand it;)

are you in a damp climate.. the 1st stops when the discs have surface rust are the worst - they catch me out.:eek:
 
They do take a bit of getting used to :bang:
Byt they do work well so you really do notice if something isnt quite right
Its fun when you get a newer model (mines a 2012)or a fiat 500 as a courtesy car and you experience very grabby brakes it all over again.
 
i find it infuriating! not everyone is a 40 kilo weakling incapable of pressing a pedal more than 1 cm.
 
Oh, thought this kind of things were from some brand, thought Fiat was good and nice as my old ibiza 99 (and my evo 2011), but I avoided cars that has that too sensitives brakes
 
Oh, thought this kind of things were from some brand, thought Fiat was good and nice as my old ibiza 99 (and my evo 2011), but I avoided cars that has that too sensitives brakes
I did not notice on the demonstration vehicle..

Having older fiats in the fleet makes it worse..as they can take a reasonable pedal force to physically STOP
 
Hi My wife's 2016 Punto 1.2 has these exceptionally fierce brakes as well. I actually thought that there was something wrong with them. I took the pads out and cleaned them and put everything back. It was exactly the same as before. I think it might be a 'characteristic' rather than a fault.
 
i wonder what would happen if i pulled off/restricted the vaccum assist to the brake booster? check engine light????
 
i wonder what would happen if i pulled off/restricted the vaccum assist to the brake booster? check engine light????
Please don't do that, you would be in big trouble if you did and subsequently were involved in an accident.
If you want to try something try some cheap pads.
 
Please don't do that, you would be in big trouble if you did and subsequently were involved in an accident.
If you want to try something try some cheap pads.
Oh yes. I completely agree. Please never be tempted to do anything to your car which might compromise safety. If nothing else your insurance company will be delighted to use it as a reason to invalidate any claim which might arise!

I've been thinking, for some time now, that these modern power assisted systems are introducing a potentially dangerous factor into today's driving experience. I'm old, in my 70's now, and "mess about" with classic cars quite a bit. Most of these have no power steering and many don't have brake boosters. Yes you have to be a bit more physical when driving them, especially during parking, but you don't get a big difference in "feel" if a power system fails (mostly because there isn't one!) On a late model modern car if the power brakes fail you need to react very quickly with a massive increase in pedal pressure to maintain the same level of retardation but if an electric power steering system fails (and as we Fiat owners know this is not unknown!) And the driver is not ready for it and knows what it's going to feel like then it feels to them as if the steering has locked up (it really does get excessively heavy, have you tried yours with the power off? - if you do be careful not to have an accident!) I tried it with my wife, in the middle of an empty car park, on my new SEAT IBIZA, she thought it was solid and said she didn't think she could steer it. You have to be ready to immediately apply a lot of muscle if this happens and that's where people come unstuck, they are simply not prepared for it so don't react with sufficient force.

So what do you think. Is there a problem here for the average driver who probably has little knowledge or interest in how their vehicle works? Or am I just worrying about nothing? Your opinions would be very interesting.
 
Some thoughts-Vacuum brake servo with diameter of 250mm could add around 170kg of effort to master cylinder piston.
I think the last brake pedal I measured gave a 2 to 1 mechanical advantage .
So if 250mm diameter servo fails the driver would have to put an extra 85kg onto the pedal.
 
Hi folks, we just got a new (to us) 2011 Punto evo 1.3 Mj with only 30k miles. The brakes are sharp ! takes some getting used to. Back in the days when cars were more simple we used to chamfer the leading edge of brake shoes to reduce the brake drum grabbing the shoe to quickly. Has any body tried filing the leading edge of brake disc pads in an attempt to stop the sharp grab we are experiencing ?
Not sure about putting 'cheap' pads on tho'.... Regards mike
 
Hi folks, we just got a new (to us) 2011 Punto evo 1.3 Mj with only 30k miles. The brakes are sharp ! takes some getting used to. Back in the days when cars were more simple we used to chamfer the leading edge of brake shoes to reduce the brake drum grabbing the shoe to quickly. Has any body tried filing the leading edge of brake disc pads in an attempt to stop the sharp grab we are experiencing ?
Not sure about putting 'cheap' pads on tho'.... Regards mike
Yes, our boss was very keen on us manually filing a chamfer on the leading edge of brake shoes and it was very effective at stopping new linings from grabbing and squealing, especially on twin leading shoe front brakes like Mini, Anglia, Morris Oxford and Cambridge and many others. We never chamfered pads as a matter of course although it was often effective at stopping squealing if a customer came back with that particular problem. I notice many pads now come ready chamfered! We always, sparingly, applied copper hmp grease to the back of brake pads and shoe backplate contact points - NEVER, of course, to the linings themselves! Then, when ABS came in, I remember a brake rep. - could have been the Ferodo man? Not sure after all these years - giving us a talk about how the copper could cause ABS sensor contamination which could cause all sorts of problems. I don't remember us ever having a problem with this but I suppose it could be caused if the grease was slapped about with too much enthusiasm! Anyway we were all issued with a tub of ceramic based grease and I've just continued to use ceramic product ever since. (Still got a tub of Copaslip for other antisieze applications though but I now use ceramic antisieze on exhaust downpipe nuts and bolts and find it very effective). Of course now a days the sensors are usually integral with the wheel bearing so maybe contamination is not now so much of an issue?

I suspect the problem you are experiencing - of "over sharp" brakes - is more likely to be due to the much more powerful pedal assistance favoured by modern manufacturers. (See my earlier comments). I replaced my 1999 Seat Cordoba Vario (estate car) with a new Ibiza estate two years ago. The Ibiza has such a powerful brake booster that I still tend to stand it on it's nose when in a "rapid reaction" type situation. The Cordoba required about twice the effort but was much more "controllable" with a lot more "feel" as to how the tyres were gripping the road.

As regards "cheap" pads. I see you are not in the UK so don't know your local supply situation. I try to always buy from trade factors or big name suppliers and find prices comparable to quality on line sources. I would not buy from an unknown source as I worry about the proliferation of counterfeit parts reported to be in circulation these days. Until recently I bought most of my parts from a local factor with whom I had built up a trusting relationship over many years. He dealt in "big name" parts - Mahle, Ferodo, Mann, Comma oils, etc, etc. Unfortunately he recently had to close down due to ill health. It took me a couple of months to establish a new working relationship with another factor and I am having to get used to a whole load of new brand names. In particular I was very suspicious of the brand of brake discs and pads he sells - Allied Nippon - after reading on line that they are made in India? However I now have the old Cordoba, my boy's Astra estate (which is his business transport) and, before we recently sold it, my wife's '92 Panda Parade all running around on the Allied Nippon products and they are absolutely fine. The only exception I would make would be to buy parts from a known performance specialist if I was working on a high performance or heavily modified vehicle when I would pay the extra for a big name product. If you have a VAG (Volkswagen group) product take a look at TPS who supply genuine parts at affordable prices and I find the people up here in Edinburgh are very helpful.

Hope the new year is treating you all well. We've all, extended family including grandchildren, been ill over Christmas/New Year and now my central heating has packed in! Good news though is that the Astra, Punto and Jazz all flew through their MOT's! Thank goodness as it's far too cold and wet for this 72 year old to be lying on the drive fixing cars!
 
The car has
Electronic Brake Distribution

Light pressure ..gives gentle controlled retardation.
Firm pressure..you test the seat belts..

It only seems GRABBY after rain..grippy rust on the metal surfaces.

Im looking at a MITO.. hoping to find a nicer FEEL to the brakes
 
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