Breaks Just Dont Seem As Sharp......

[frostman83]

i have a 59 plate focus 1.6

car is fine, the other day i bought some pads for the front as i presumed they were knackered.i whipped both wheels of and the pads and discs were in great condition!

It just feels my brakes aren't as sharp as they could be? i used to drive a clio, maybe because of the weight difference i am noticing it more?

the only other thing could be break fluid or the rear drums? its had a service and passed an mot 2 months ago, so should i just stop worrying about it.

[ferretfloozy]

have you any history of the fluids changed? .. its recommended every 2 years regardless of milage ..(moisture absorbing etc) any indy garage will flush and replace the fluids for you if your not happy about doing it yourself( cost about £35)..i do mine every 3 years as its sat in my garage and covers less than 1200 miles a year ( oils done every year regardless).. what i will say is i find the brakes on the focus grab .. is the servo working correctly - press and hold brake pedal down before starting enging ..it should be hard until engine starts then have slight give..if its not then it could be a vacuum leak or master cylinder seal ...do they work any better if you pump them ..(master cyl seal)

[frostman83]

have you any history of the fluids changed? .. its recommended every 2 years regardless of milage ..(moisture absorbing etc) any indy garage will flush and replace the fluids for you if your not happy about doing it yourself( cost about £35)..i do mine every 3 years as its sat in my garage and covers less than 1200 miles a year ( oils done every year regardless).. what i will say is i find the brakes on the focus grab .. is the servo working correctly - press and hold brake pedal down before starting enging ..it should be hard until engine starts then have slight give..if its not then it could be a vacuum leak or master cylinder seal ...do they work any better if you pump them ..(master cyl seal)

they dont work better if i pump them, no. i will try the brake pedal down before start up and let you know, thnaks

[TDCiST]

My brakes on my 1.6 tdci are awful... Nowhere near as good as the previous ones on my 1.8tdci.

I'm considering the possibilities of a rear disc conversion to see if that helps

[jg321]

My brakes on my 1.6 tdci are awful... Nowhere near as good as the previous ones on my 1.8tdci.

I'm considering the possibilities of a rear disc conversion to see if that helps

Agreed with this. In normal use, they're spongy. When you hammer them though, if someone pulls out on you for example, they do the trick, so I assume they're working as designed.

Used to drive a VW Polo occasionally, and almost went through the windscreen for the first few miles, then the exact opposite when back in my Focus!

[btmaldon]

It may just be the difference in braking when compared to the Clio. I bought one for the wife, and although I don't like it, the brakes are good in comparison to my Focus.