Technical UT Brakes

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Technical UT Brakes

Lora

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Aug 18, 2005
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Is it just me or are all UT crap? U know wen u slam ur brakes on REALLY hard that you skid i.e. wen ur just about 2 hit something, well mine dnt, it seems that wen i apply quite abit of pressure i get terrible brake fade, which isnt good wen ur doin a ton on the motorway & the traffic stops!

Any body like 2 shed sum light on this?

Lora x

PS this is my beloved uno http://photobucket.com/albums/a289/...rrent=fiat1.jpg
 
Standard UT brakes are shocking..


Punto GT ones are much better or do what Dunc is get some 16's and sticke some Coop brembo's on...

Or 16VT Coop brakes fit with 15's
 
No, il hunt dwn sum Punto GT ones! Does it matter wot year the Punto brakes are?

PS r u following me round this forum! Ha ha ha only kiddin :)
 
on a car as old as mine, i found replacing the fluid,pads, discs, calipers, brake lines both fixed and flexible made a huge diff. which is while it will be done again next year along with the master cylinder.
 
Yes, welcome! (y)

It might be true that the Uno Turbo standard brakes don't feel as powerful as more recent cars. But, they are certainly a decent size for the weight of the car that they're dealing with. Consider that they're uprated front and rear compared with the standard Uno! You just don't get much servo assistance - the brakes themselves are big enough.

That was when they were new, which is over ten years ago. As Bushboy and Louie point out, by this time the brakes probably need some TLC. Start with changing the fluid - probably no immediate difference, but safer because there's no risk of the fluid boiling.

To change the fluid, just bleed each corner with an 8mm spanner and a piece of pipe (with someone to pump the pedal). There are all sorts of devices to do the job by yourself, but the simple ways are often easiest.

Next I'd suggest new front pads and discs - unless the discs look smooth and evenly shiny. More likely, they will have a 'textured' look from years of corrosion interspersed with occasional use. Also they may be quite wavy or worn dangerously thin. It usually pays to have a second (unbiased) opinion before spending for new discs, but at the same time it's a shame to compromise new pads by having uneven discs that the pads can't match to.

You might like to give 'EBC Green Stuff' pads a try? I've heard that they're good. I know that standard pads tend to produce heaps of brake dust. Remember that softer pads give better braking (and more dust) - and competition pads are harder, therefore more durable, but must not be used on the road because they don't work properly until warmed up.

Rear pads don't wear much. But of course, they need to be checked.

Finally, check the servo is doing something. With engine off, pump the pedal a number of times until the servo vacuum is depleted (the wooshing noises when you press the pedal should subside after about 4-5 pumps for the Uno) and then hold the pedal down. Start the engine. You should feel the brake pedal go down. If not, or if there weren't any wooshing noises, I think you should suspect that the servo has a poor connection.

With the standard brakes in good condition, they're fine. But if you have to replace a number of parts, you might decide that it's better to upgrade the brakes at the same time. And, they will fill those lovely wheels better :)

Thanks!
-Alex
 
Standard UT brakes are good. They are more than adiquate for a road going Uno turbo. A lot of classic Fiats use these braks as a decent upgrade.

The problem will be crap pads and rotors. Get some new pads, new rotors, or machine the old ones if they are not too thin. Also flush the fluid.

I have only a streetsport compound pad and they will slow my Uno from 200+km/hr to around 60k in 140 feet, lap after lap with no fade. Bigger brakes would be better but they are not essential.

I have a Croma turbo booster on my uno. This gives more assistance so makes the brakes feel a lot stronger. It wont increase the stopping power of the car though, just makes it easier to drive.
 
it had EBC pads and im sure these are worse than standard pads - anyone agree? It still dosent lock up and the more pressure u apply the worse it brakes!
 
on my first pad change (after 5 months of ownership) i put on ebc greenstuffs, they last 2 years, the "no dust" claim is total balls, front alloys were always covered in crap. but they lasted well and did a fine job in conjunction with all the other changes. after that i changed to a black diamond disc/pad combo. this has been on for a bout 18 months, and while good, i'm not happy to the same degree as the ebc.

i think though at the end of the day, they are so many variables within the braking system (pads, discs, calipers, rigid and flexi lines, fluids, master cylinder, servo, etc, etc) that it can take more then simply changing one component within the system to have a significant effect.
 
I have to admit I am not familiar with the UT brakes, but have worked on a smaller Uno and the Ritmo Abarth 130TC. The Ritmo has double ventilated discs, and the Uno has a single disc. Both cars have/had grooves from the Fiat original pads, which I mean are too hard. Hence they don´t wear out very fast, but the discs wear too much. On the Uno I didn´t bother changing anything as it brakes good enough as long you have a strong leg. On the Ritmo we delivered the discs for grinding to make perfect surfaces, and then fitted aftermarket pads (can´t remember the brand - but not any green stuff). Now the Ritmo´s brakes improved drastically. It now stops "immediately" from 140 km/t. With the Fiat pads the brake length would increase, and it was also very difficult to block any of the wheels.

My point is that I do not recommend Fiat original brake pads as I think they are too hard!

Morten.
 
I have recently built a turbo Uno using a Selecta body shell. My first impression of the turbo brakes was they they felt appalling. In due course I slowly got used to them and found them to be extremely powerful at stopping the car from high speed when sufficient pressure is applied to the pedal.
Unfortunatly while doing some rather spirited driving in the hills on the outskirts of my city, and entering a corner at some speed, the brakes failed to respond. Luckily enough, there were no other cars on the road, and I managed to use the opposite lane to get my car through the corner.
As there was no warning of impending failure (they worked perfectly in the preceeding corner), I live in fear of cooking the brakes again.
I was interested to know if anyone has had sudden brake loss through temperature extremes, and is it always that rapid? Would a pad and/or rotor upgrade give a more reliable setup, or is it simply a matter of going bigger to dissipate the excess heat?
 
Is that you, Jonathan Green? ;)

Well, I certainly have no experience of brake loss with ventilated discs - no, hang on, actually I have had something similar at Pukekohe in the Lancia Thema, it was dust-free pads that turned to white smoke (and ruined the discs at the same time). The punters behind me had to slow down because they couldn't see - and I was having a hard time even inside the car, the smoke was wafting from the dashboard.

But in an Uno I have experienced a sudden master cylinder failure which gave symptoms as you describe. Of course, it was fine again later, but I played it safe and replaced it - cheap when you think about the consequences.

-Alex
 
Jononz said:
I have recently built a turbo Uno using a Selecta body shell. My first impression of the turbo brakes was they they felt appalling. In due course I slowly got used to them and found them to be extremely powerful at stopping the car from high speed when sufficient pressure is applied to the pedal.
Unfortunatly while doing some rather spirited driving in the hills on the outskirts of my city, and entering a corner at some speed, the brakes failed to respond. Luckily enough, there were no other cars on the road, and I managed to use the opposite lane to get my car through the corner.
As there was no warning of impending failure (they worked perfectly in the preceeding corner), I live in fear of cooking the brakes again.
I was interested to know if anyone has had sudden brake loss through temperature extremes, and is it always that rapid? Would a pad and/or rotor upgrade give a more reliable setup, or is it simply a matter of going bigger to dissipate the excess heat?

Did you wreck a black mk2 to build your car? If so its my old car, It had pretty crappy pads and worn rotors. They would have been your problem.

My car can go lap after lap at Pukekohe with no trouble.
 
Thanks for the replys

I believe It was your old MkII that I used for parts. Turbo was gone and the manifold was cracked, when I got it. The turbo is now a T2/25 Hybrid, with custom manifold.
You say the pads currently on the car were crap? Any ideas on where to get decent pads?
Lastly, in the past few weeks, I have noticed that 1st and 4th are sometimes very difficuilt to engage. It doesn't seem consistent with worn syncro's. Did it do this when you owned it?

Thankyou
 
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