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[deviator]

Is there any reason I can't fit 308mm carriers and discs to the Omega? From a Vectra/Saab. My Omega needs new brakes and as I have the carriers laying around, is there any reason they won't fit? IE Offset?

[chrisgixer]

Probably....11 mm increased diameter will make cock all difference to the brake performance. So a pointless exercise anyway.

Fitting 18" sport stars will allow 360mm brakes discs from phaeton/Audi a8 with a little machining of the wheel bearing hub. Then q7/Tuareg/cayenne brembo 6pot calipers with brackets will give you proper stopping power with massive heat capacity for repeated high speed stopping power.

....Bah! Piffling 308mm discs indeed.  


to be fair, it's not likely anyone has those lying around. Dunno tbh.

[deviator]

I wasn't really after increased braking, that was a by-product.

I have the brackets, I need discs and pads regardless of size - so cost wise it's minimal. It was more a case of, 'Does it fit?'

[chrisgixer]

Why not just buy the correct ones in that case? Seeing new discs and pads are needed anyway?

What have I missed?

[deviator]

Why not just buy the correct ones in that case? Seeing new discs and pads are needed anyway?

What have I missed?

Whilst 11mm may make so little difference, the fact I have the carriers, I could just buy larger discs and have done. It would be almost a free upgrade from 297 to 308.

[05omegav6]

All you can do is try, but hardly worth the bother... Disc offset would be the only thing that will piss on the parade... And nowt you can do about it

[chrisgixer]

Why not just buy the correct ones in that case? Seeing new discs and pads are needed anyway?

What have I missed?

Whilst 11mm may make so little difference, the fact I have the carriers, I could just buy larger discs and have done. It would be almost a free upgrade from 297 to 308.

It won't make ANY difference. So why risk them not accepting a refund of the offset doesn't allow.

Who's to say the hub carrier position will work in your favour anyway?

[deviator]

Fair enough, I thought it was worth an ask as it's a few extra MM for next to nothing. I get the impression, no one has done it because they don't see the value. Even though my basic physics suggest better heat dispensation and greater leverage due to the distance to the fulcrum point increasing.

[chrisgixer]

It's 5.5mm further out than the old ones. 11mm diameter over all.

[Nick W]

Fair enough, I thought it was worth an ask as it's a few extra MM for next to nothing. I get the impression, no one has done it because they don't see the value. Even though my basic physics suggest better heat dissipation and greater leverage due to the distance to the fulcrum point increasing.

You're right, there ought to be an improvement. But it will be small, and the Omega brakes are hardly inadequate, so you probably won't notice it.
If you're going to mess about changing things like brakes, it's only really worth going for much bigger ones.

[chrisgixer]

Fair enough, I thought it was worth an ask as it's a few extra MM for next to nothing. I get the impression, no one has done it because they don't see the value. Even though my basic physics suggest better heat dissipation and greater leverage due to the distance to the fulcrum point increasing.

You're right, there ought to be an improvement. But it will be small, and the Omega brakes are hardly inadequate, so you probably won't notice it.
If you're going to mess about changing things like brakes, it's only really worth going for much bigger ones.

He's not wrong you know. MUCH bigger.

[05omegav6]

Very early Monaro CV8 front calipers bolt straight on to Omega discs and instantly give much greater pad area using Corvette pads...

Fitting anything bigger will involve a degree of machining/fabrication... So if you want to go down that road then you might as well do it properly

[elvin315]

My Dear Al...... You beat me to it. Love my Monaro/GTO brake calipers. I've had them for years and, with the exception of losing the pad wear sensors, they are the best, cheapest way to improve the Omega's brakes. No mechanical leverage gain since they use the original discs but the bite of the bigger pads is immediately noticeable. Read more: http://cateraowners.forumotion.com/t5-gto-brake-swap

[106pete]

I've been looking for some monaro/gto calipers and they rarely turn up on eBay

Chrisgixer do you have any pictures of these brackets for the brembo 6 pots??

[Kevin Wood]

How does the piston area in those 2 pot calipers compare with the original single pot?

If the piston area is greater, then it will give you more braking effort for a given pedal pressure, so it's bound to feel like an upgrade.

The problem is, you'll have shifted the brake balance towards the front axle since you haven't also increased the piston area at the rear axle. This means the (standard) front disks are now getting more punishment than before, since they are doing a greater proportion of the braking, making brake fade more likely. It will also affect the car's handling under braking and perhaps worsen the overall stopping power. If the piston area is the same, then no problem of course.

Either way, all you've actually "upgraded" is the life of the pads, since the pad area is now greater.

The only way to cure brake fade is to upgrade the part of the system that dissipates the heat - the disk.