MK6 Brakes

[ItsAnArse]

I've had a MK6.5 Zetec 1.4 for a few months now and it's great, nice upgrade from a 1.3 8v.

Everything is spot on but I'm feeling the brakes are lacking even though I've gone from solid (on my 1.3) to vented front discs.

I've seen that Mondeo 300mm brake upgrades seem to be common and the parts are cheap/available. So I've been thinking about that.

The discs and pads currently on there are an unknown but have a lot of meat on them, brakes seem spongy once 'warm' and a few times I've pushed the pedal enough to kick in the ABS by accident.

Starting to think the discs/pads are crap, fluid needs changing or I should replace the front brake lines with Hel braided ones? Or all?

I have the wheels as pictured, 15 inch. Not too sure 300mm brakes will fit but have seen a thread on another forum with a TVR 15 inch wheel that they fit in by taking a bit off the caliper top.

 

Any advice please other than 'get an ST, don't waste your time' because everything else is perfect. Just want better stopping power. Thanks.

[zain611]

Not too sure about that symptom you said about the brakes feeling spongy when warm.

I put mk6 ST brakes front and rear on my mk6 zetec s and what a good noticeable difference they made. 

 

[TomsFocus]

The solid brake pipes on the Mk6 are made of tin foil...have a good look at them, particularly the ones near the fuel tank, checking for corrosion.

If all the pipes look good, a fluid change would be the next step towards the spongy brake problem.

While you're there, deglaze the pads (rough them up with a bit of sandpaper) and that may give you better brake force.  Also check the rear shoes are adjusted correctly as that affects the pedal travel.