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General Brakes/Lowering

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General Brakes/Lowering

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ERazor

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Jul 8, 2008
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Hi guys,

My car is in the garage for its service in a few weeks, and I was thinking about getting it lowered and changing the brakes while it was in.

I've noticed the Abarth isn't very quick at stopping under HEAVY braking, so I was looking at the EBC Red Stuff pads, but the garage told me that they aren't too great when they are cold. Does anyone have any experience with these or can recommend anything more suitable?

I was also thinking about lowering her at the same time. I was considering the Eibach 30mm springs vs a proper suspension/coilover kit (as I am hoping to get the induction/exhaust/remap in the future). Being an 04 reg, I can hardly see any full kits (on EuroPerformance) and it looks like the choice is between the Weitec Ultra GT or a coilover kit for nearly twice the price. Are the Weitec any good, or should I be looking at shedding out for the coilovers?

Thanks,
Andy
 
ERazor said:
Hi guys,

My car is in the garage for its service in a few weeks, and I was thinking about getting it lowered and changing the brakes while it was in.

I've noticed the Abarth isn't very quick at stopping under HEAVY braking, so I was looking at the EBC Red Stuff pads, but the garage told me that they aren't too great when they are cold. Does anyone have any experience with these or can recommend anything more suitable?

I was also thinking about lowering her at the same time. I was considering the Eibach 30mm springs vs a proper suspension/coilover kit (as I am hoping to get the induction/exhaust/remap in the future). Being an 04 reg, I can hardly see any full kits (on EuroPerformance) and it looks like the choice is between the Weitec Ultra GT or a coilover kit for nearly twice the price. Are the Weitec any good, or should I be looking at shedding out for the coilovers?

Thanks,
Andy
Click to expand...

lowering

Eibach are by far the best option for the stilo, try finding the pro kit, consists of matched dampers and 30mm springs, or the pro dampers on their own and get the 50mm front and 30mm rear sportline springs(y)

brakes

the garage were talking tosh, red stuff pads used to be bad when cold, but they have since changed the compound to work when cold, matched with the front turbo groove discs they were fantastic around donny and oulon park, with no brake fade, and on the up side, they work better the hotter they get:D

hope this helps(y)
 
Ebc redstuff is used for trackdays etc iirc, if going the ebc route go for green stuff pads and if your budget allows, go for the brake discs as well. Make sure that the brake fluid is changed every 2 years as well. You could also get braided hoses fitted to replace the standard ones.

Knowing that your car is 4 years old and on original dampers I assume, it woud be a false economy to just replace the springs without the dampers as well IMO, you can get Bilstein dampers to go with the Eibach springs - use the search button to find links for these. You can also get adjustable Koni dampers which I've found to be the best all round for performance and comfort when you want it - and you can adjust it just how you want for different driving.
 
fiattech said:
Ebc redstuff is used for trackdays etc iirc, if going the ebc route go for green stuff pads and if your budget allows, go for the brake discs as well. Make sure that the brake fluid is changed every 2 years as well. You could also get braided hoses fitted to replace the standard ones.

Knowing that your car is 4 years old and on original dampers I assume, it woud be a false economy to just replace the springs without the dampers as well IMO, you can get Bilstein dampers to go with the Eibach springs - use the search button to find links for these. You can also get adjustable Koni dampers which I've found to be the best all round for performance and comfort when you want it - and you can adjust it just how you want for different driving.
Click to expand...

not anymore, there fast road and ocasional track use, green stuff are too soft and wont last very long, ebc use yellow stuff for propper track use but they dont do em for the stilo, with red stuff now having the ceramic compound, there great in any condition, and considereing they aint that expensive, dont fade, last long, work when cold (now) its a worthy upgrade;)
 
Thanks for the input guys!

So, from what you have said, and pricing it up on EuroPerformance, I am looking at the Red Stuff pads (EP3728164 and EP3729050) along with the Eibach Pro Kit (30mm - EP3771046) and the Koni shocks (EP3759007 and EP3759876). This looks to be just under £750 delivered (please correct me if I have the wrong parts!)

Is that a good price for a full kit? For the price, I would love to go much lower, but anyone who lives around Stoke would tell you that there are too many speed bumps and pot holes to play with :mad:

On a kind of completely different topic, does anyone have any information about the GSR exhaust for the 2.4? I have seen bits floating around the forum, but no real hard information besides the 20-30hp claim (like GSR would lie to us (y)).

Thanks,
Andy
 
Last edited:
Red, you are a star! Will the pro system be compatible with the 2.4 as it doesn't mention it in the description - is it an oversight?

I have PMed OldSchool a couple of times regarding the exhaust, but I haven't had any feedback as yet unfortunately :(
 
ERazor said:
Red, you are a star! Will the pro system be compatible with the 2.4 as it doesn't mention it in the description - is it an oversight?

I have PMed OldSchool a couple of times regarding the exhaust, but I haven't had any feedback as yet unfortunately :(
Click to expand...

Nope, the Eibach dampers aren't going to fit the 2.4 unfortunately. The springs do though but you'll have to find different dampers... there's not alot of choice unfortunately. Koni's dampers with Eibach springs seem to be the way to go... although expensive. You could get away without chsanging the rear dampers maybe, given that there's not alot of weight on the rear.

Apparently the Weitec Ultra GT's aren't bad for the price. The dampers aren't adjustable like the Koni's but you can adjust the ride hide on the rears. They'e supposedly a good match of spring and damper.

Good luck and keep us posted on how you go! (y)
 
Unfortunately (again), the SSK says it is only for the 01-03 models (I assume these are Selespeed), and I have an 04 (manual). This car is a curse! (and a joy!)

After a quick Google, it looks like the Weitec Ultra GT are a cheaper alternative to the Koni/Eibach combo for a lot of vehicles, but it seems a lot of people prefer the Koni/Eibachs - and understandably!

Can there be any problems just changing the front shocks whilst leaving the backs as stock (to save myself £200), or is it worth going all in straight away to avoid any 'potential' problems?
 
I'd say you'd be OK as long as you keep to Eibach Pro 30mm. (y)

Quite a members report good results on just a spring change only so on that basis if you change only the front dampers it should be better still.

I would however try to keep to adjustables as that way you can handle any potential mismatch
 
Last edited:
ERazor said:
Unfortunately (again), the SSK says it is only for the 01-03 models (I assume these are Selespeed), and I have an 04 (manual). This car is a curse! (and a joy!)

After a quick Google, it looks like the Weitec Ultra GT are a cheaper alternative to the Koni/Eibach combo for a lot of vehicles, but it seems a lot of people prefer the Koni/Eibachs - and understandably!

Can there be any problems just changing the front shocks whilst leaving the backs as stock (to save myself £200), or is it worth going all in straight away to avoid any 'potential' problems?
Click to expand...

Check out Red's link above. Now that's a good deal and it says for 2.4 Stilo 01 onwards (y)
 
Greggers said:
The I think the 2.4 shares the same suspension as the jtd 150 as they're both heavy lumps... might be wrong though? :confused:
Click to expand...

Yup, you're quite right - which is why if I ever get a 150 Mjet over my current JTD the Eibach springs and rear struts are transferable but the front struts would need to be sourced elsewhere, Bilstein being a good choice IMHO (y)
 
I can't say for sure to be honest, but I'd say that's spot on.
I do know that the 150 Mjet/Abarth share front struts and brakes - both are different to the 115/120 JTD/Mjet :(
 
I emailed them this morning just to double check and they say that they are for 01-06 Abarths! The price is £469 ... is it just me, or is that different to this morning? (am I having one of those days?)

The service is on the 26th, so I will need them by the end of next week. I'll look around for maybe another day and then get them ordered if there doesn't seem to be a better option.
 
ERazor said:
I emailed them this morning just to double check and they say that they are for 01-06 Abarths! The price is £469 ... is it just me, or is that different to this morning? (am I having one of those days?)

The service is on the 26th, so I will need them by the end of next week. I'll look around for maybe another day and then get them ordered if there doesn't seem to be a better option.
Click to expand...

Nope, it's not just you. I thought I was losing this morning when I looked and saw that it had suddenly gone up about £100. So not funny... :(
 
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