Hi all,

I'm finding myself in need of new discs and pads. I'm looking for a full set. I can get set of genuine Ford parts for about £250. But I thought that there may be better solutions. I found a set of Mintex discs and pads on eBay for half the price:

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220350210686&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_1516wt_939"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220350210686&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_1516wt_939[/url]

I read some good reviews of Mintex part, but it was for performance stuff and not cheap replacement parts. I know I would need to contact the seller to make sure that the rear pads are the right ones.

For the price of Ford parts I could get something like that:

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FORD-MONDEO-ST-tdci-GROOVED-BRAKE-DISCS-REDSTUFF-PADS_W0QQitemZ300382820649QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM?hash=item45f0361929#ht_2527wt_1165"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FORD-MONDEO-ST-tdci-GROOVED-BRAKE-DISCS-REDSTUFF-PADS_W0QQitemZ300382820649QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM?hash=item45f0361929#ht_2527wt_1165[/url]

The 40 Groove version is just blingin. The red stuff pads are highly regarded but they are usually over £50 per axle. That would mean they use very cheap discs. I know that grooved discs eat away the pads quicker. Does anyone know how much quicker? Are we talking 2 times, 3 times, 10 times quicker?

Please let me know your opinions. If you aren't using Ford discs and pads, can you let me know what are you using and how happy are you with it.

ive had drilled and grooved discs on my focus now for about a year, uprated pads also. ive done 25k and the discs are totally gone, the grooves have almost disappeared! pads still have 4/5mm left on them though.
now, performance wise they are excellent but they do wear out very quickly! i'd say twice as fast. i cant think of what brand my discs/pads are but its one of the well known brands!

i need to replace them for my mot but i will be using drilled and grooved discs with standard pads this time i think. i dont care if the standard pads wear out alot quicker as id rather replace them at £15 a set compared to £100 for the discs/pads.

next set i go for are going to be mintex though, full set (front and rear) on ebay for £100 excluding pads.

Thanks for the reply. Red stuff are pretty tough. They'll probably destroy the disc before getting half way through themselves. I read that it's best to have discs and pads from the same manufacturer. Supposedly their toughness is better matched. I don't think it applies to replacement part though.

I also read somewhere to stay away from drilled discs. They only give a cosmetic effect at the cost of higher chance to crack and lower heat dispersion. Apparently most racing teams are using grooved only discs.

I find it funny that all those adverts say that these discs reduce stopping distance. Huge BS, it's the tyres that stop the car.

i have already bought these discs on Ebay, and they work just great, been using them now for about 9 months.

Feedback:

only thing i am finding is that i can hear them rub from time to time, but usually cleaning them makes this go away.

so if you dont mind the regular cleaning to make rubbing noise go away then but them, if not, buy ford or other more reputable brand

drilled discs have been known to crack but mostly under very hard racing conditions. normal/fast road use wont be a problem.

my brakes havent been cleaned once since i fitted them, no strange noises from them either.

Thanks for your feedback Paul. May I ask how many miles have you done in those 9 months and what pads do you have?

I found another seller with 100% feedback. He's selling all 4 discs for £140 and let's you choose (for a price of course) which pads you want.

Now the choice is between Mintex and 3 types of EBC: Ultimax, Green and Red stuff. I'll be choosing between Mintex and Ultimax. I'll be looking for some reviews.

[quote name='Politzmajster' date='29 January 2010 - 01:56 PM' timestamp='1264772810' post='62331']
Thanks for your feedback Paul. May I ask how many miles have you done in those 9 months and what pads do you have?

I found another seller with 100% feedback. He's selling all 4 discs for £140 and let's you choose (for a price of course) which pads you want.

Now the choice is between Mintex and 3 types of EBC: Ultimax, Green and Red stuff. I'll be choosing between Mintex and Ultimax. I'll be looking for some reviews.
[/quote]
I had EBC drilled & grooved discs on my last car coupled with EBC green stuff (i think, though may have been red stuff) fast road/track pads, the discs were faultless as the drilling was only about 2mm deep, they're done like this to disperse the gasses produced under braking and help stop brake fade, even done a track day on them without any excessive wear, going to do the same on my mondy once the brakes get a bit low, i'd personally recommend them to anyone, hope this helps you

[quote name='Politzmajster' date='29 January 2010 - 01:56 PM' timestamp='1264772810' post='62331']
Thanks for your feedback Paul. May I ask how many miles have you done in those 9 months and what pads do you have?

I found another seller with 100% feedback. He's selling all 4 discs for £140 and let's you choose (for a price of course) which pads you want.

Now the choice is between Mintex and 3 types of EBC: Ultimax, Green and Red stuff. I'll be choosing between Mintex and Ultimax. I'll be looking for some reviews.
[/quote]

Hi,

i have now done about 14k on them and they are still going strong, starting to see some wear on the pads but the discs are bang on.
I would recommend them definetly as they have been the best one's i have bought since i got the car.

Also i would recommend the Mintex discs n pads set.

To give you a better idea, i've had car 3 years, rattled about 60k out the car, and done up till now, 3 changes of pads and 2 disc changes as the discs were gubbed when i got the car. i also have a heavy brake n gas foot!

hope this helps

[quote name='Paul D' date='12 February 2010 - 04:36 PM' timestamp='1265992006' post='64717']
Hi,

i have now done about 14k on them and they are still going strong, starting to see some wear on the pads but the discs are bang on.
I would recommend them definetly as they have been the best one's i have bought since i got the car.

Also i would recommend the Mintex discs n pads set.

To give you a better idea, i've had car 3 years, rattled about 60k out the car, and done up till now, 3 changes of pads and 2 disc changes as the discs were gubbed when i got the car. i also have a heavy brake n gas foot!

hope this helps [img]http://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/cool.gif[/img]
[/quote]

avoid drilled disks unless you plan on track days ive done so many repairs ion them they wear they crack they eat the pads up maybe fine ion tack but for everyday use thay are useless stick with the originals its not like youre packing 300bhp grooved disks are good but they can take a bit to warm up and i dont rate them in the winter at all the originals are pretty good

[quote name='artscot79' date='14 February 2010 - 09:34 PM' timestamp='1266182651' post='65045']
avoid drilled disks unless you plan on track days ive done so many repairs ion them they wear they crack they eat the pads up maybe fine ion tack but for everyday use thay are useless stick with the originals its not like youre packing 300bhp grooved disks are good but they can take a bit to warm up and i dont rate them in the winter at all the originals are pretty good
[/quote]

mmm...no... i think you have got that the wrong way round

avoid drilled discs if your gonna use them for track use, the huge temps and also heating up and cooling down will cause cracks between the holes and could be very dangerous. stick with grooved only discs for track day use.. speak to anyone running a high power car with brembos

drilled and grooved discs are good for normal road use, as the temps they reach are no where near as high. if your using high spec pads with them expect to replace the discs after about 25k miles. they will wear out standard pads slightly quicker than normal but they would glaze up and cause brake fade issues

grooved discs dont need to warm up.. the grooves are to stop the pads glazing and to let water/dust out.

EDIT: a bit of background info ive found on wikipedia if anyones interested...

Cracking
Cracking is limited mostly to drilled discs, which may develop small cracks around edges of holes drilled near the edge of the disc due to the disc's uneven rate of expansion in severe duty environments. Manufacturers that use drilled discs as OEM typically do so for two reasons: appearance, if they determine that the average owner of the vehicle model will prefer the look while not overly stressing the hardware; or as a function of reducing the unsprung weight of the brake assembly, with the engineering assumption that enough brake disc mass remains to absorb racing temperatures and stresses. A brake disc is a heat sink, so removing mass increases the heat stress it will have to contend with. Small hairline cracks may appear in any cross drilled metal disc as a normal wear mechanism, but in the severe case the disc will fail catastrophically. No repair is possible for the cracks, and if cracking becomes severe, the disc rotor must be replaced.

[quote name='stef123' date='14 February 2010 - 11:19 PM' timestamp='1266188980' post='65089']
mmm...no... i think you have got that the wrong way round [img]http://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif[/img]

avoid drilled discs if your gonna use them for track use, the huge temps and also heating up and cooling down will cause cracks between the holes and could be very dangerous. stick with grooved only discs for track day use.. speak to anyone running a high power car with brembos

drilled and grooved discs are good for normal road use, as the temps they reach are no where near as high. if your using high spec pads with them expect to replace the discs after about 25k miles. they will wear out standard pads slightly quicker than normal but they would glaze up and cause brake fade issues

grooved discs dont need to warm up.. the grooves are to stop the pads glazing and to let water/dust out.

EDIT: a bit of background info ive found on wikipedia if anyones interested...

Cracking
Cracking is limited mostly to drilled discs, which may develop small cracks around edges of holes drilled near the edge of the disc due to the disc's uneven rate of expansion in severe duty environments. Manufacturers that use drilled discs as OEM typically do so for two reasons: appearance, if they determine that the average owner of the vehicle model will prefer the look while not overly stressing the hardware; or as a function of reducing the unsprung weight of the brake assembly, with the engineering assumption that enough brake disc mass remains to absorb racing temperatures and stresses. A brake disc is a heat sink, so removing mass increases the heat stress it will have to contend with. Small hairline cracks may appear in any cross drilled metal disc as a normal wear mechanism, but in the severe case the disc will fail catastrophically. No repair is possible for the cracks, and if cracking becomes severe, the disc rotor must be replaced.
[/quote]

i hadv the flu bug yeaterday so after reading yes my head was up my ass and i got it the wrong way round

over the years i've found that some pad manufacturers do offer different grades of pad material in the same part number. this particularly applies to ferodo and belaco. the part number can have an m or an h which means medium or hard compuond. i agree with the earlier post that u would rather replace pads often than discs as there is less work involved and it costs much less. however the softer compound pads can wear out very quickly indeed so i would recommend the medium.