Before you even think about touching the engine you should make sure you have brakes to match. There are many upgrade paths you can take including fitting larger disks and 4/6 pot callipers. But I had a look at the brakes on the Si and they weren't much different than mine so I just upgraded what I had. The result is more than adequate for the power I have and is only limited by the tyres grip with the road.
I went for Tarox/Red-Dot 6 groove disks after getting through a second set of
disks at 60K miles. The old Ford disks were so welded to the hub that I had to
shatter them off with a 4lb sledgehammer!!!!!!! They cost £140 from Croydon
Race and Rally. The fit was perfect after I cleaned up the hub and smeared it
with copper grease to stop the sticking problem. The original callipers went
straight back on with no problems.
I also fitted the Tarox Pads at the same time. They come with the ware sensor wiring that I do not need so I just cut it off
Once bedded in the improvements were impressive. The brakes have a lot more bite, even when cold and I have yet to get them to fade. Superb
As a bonus I am still on the same disks and pads at 110k miles, that's 50K miles on them which is amazing
Dust on the wheels still exists but is much less than the original brakes and I have had no warping whatsoever (Same cant be said of Ford disks, although I believe that is triggered by uneven tightening)
So I
would definitely fit these again and would recommend them to every car owner
By the way another really good brake mod that is less than £50 is to replace the rubber brake lines with Steel overbraided ones such as Aeroquips. This results in a much firmer feel and is a 40min job to do
I also swapped the fluid to a DOT 5.1 spec at the same time, which should give more consistent braking under all conditions
UPDATE: After a track session where I had a hairy moment braking into Druids corner. I decided I wanted even more braking power and cooling so I have upgraded to Tarox 20 groove disks. The original disks still have plenty of life in the at 50k Miles so they are definitely longer lasting than the Fords, pads were at the limits after 25k miles, again better than Fords or Ferrodo's.
20 grooves were £170 for both disks, I've also fitted the new 4 groove rear drums at £170 the pair
Mad Moles Mondeo Madness, © Mad Mole 2001. You may see
the Molemobile fly past in the Sutton area (Surrey). Return to Home page
Contact me on madmole@btinternet.