there was a post here some time back about grinding off the pin on the rear brake pad on the piston-side. the improvement was better brake pedal feel.

id like to confirm that this works, and without any side effects. ive run my rear brake pads without the piston-side pin for several trackdays and it performs beautifully. one set of pads was worn down almost to the backing plate and the lack of the pin didnt cause any issues.

the improvement is that brake pedal feel is greatly improved without the first couple cm of dead travel that used to be common on my brakes. the brake pedal now feels firmer and more positive.

so, grind away!

redd

I think it would be wise to wait till the mod has been tested through the life of the disc pads before recommending it. IIRC Stan brought up the idea about removing the pin but decided to remove it from the forum until he had done some further testing as it turned out that the pin was possibly there to prevent the piston from unwinding.

Have you had any problems Stan or did you revert back to the pin?

Baz

Im looking at around 18k miles and pushing 6 months now. and needeg to replace the break pads again all around for better quality kit. No ill effect here as of yet

BUT for the same reason stan took down the post, its not a mod I would recommend with out getting to the bottom of why the pin was there in the first instance

would like to know why it`s their too, but i have ground it off every set of pads i have ever fitted to my coupe,and thats since 1997 !

As Baz says, I posted up about this a while ago, but I removed the post as it really is about adapting a critical safety feature of the car and I should have known better!

However, what I can say is that it has made a huge difference, improved the feel of the pedal (feels almost modern now!) and has sailed through the MOT with the tester even calling across a couple of the other mechanics in the garage to "see the first Italian car they've ever had with decent brakes!".

However, however....I will not recommend this modification because I do not feel comfortable advising people to adapt such a critical safety system.

I took out my rear brake pads and replaced them with cheese slices. What are your opinions on that modification stan?


Mmmmmmmm. Melted cheese.

Hmmm, depends which cheese Matt? Was it your favourite...... emental?


Yes, I know that is not the correct spelling

Gorgonzola - king of the whiffers.

I may give this a go, it seems to have received nothing but praise so far...

I'm struggling to understand why it would make such a difference to how the pedal feels. The rear piston is wound in on a thread then pumps out like any other brake piston. That little lug on the pad is there to stop the piston turning and possibly (although I doubt it ever could) wind back in.

I'm not doubting what people are saying about this mod working, I just don't understand the science behind it ?
Had you replaced other things at the same time, hoses, fluid etc ?

Nothing else was replaced at the time Jimbo, in fact my brakes were already very good and had drawn compliments from the MOT tester in the past but I was not happy that it lacked a modern feel and it appeared the handbrake required annual adjustment to maintain the decent figures.

I agree that the pin is there, apparently, to stop the piston winding itself back into the calliper but, having stripped the callipers down in the past and seeing the size/weight of the spring mechanism involved, I cannot see how the piston could possibly ever do that.

The main problem I have with this modification, apart from the fact that it is a critical safety item, is that I am at a total loss to explain why this modification works so well.

If it were just me reporting the findings I'd be inclined to question my own sanity but the fact that not only have several members reported improvements but also the MOT tester and the figures achieved at testing seem to back up the impression that *something* improves.....

I'd love to know the reason, I really would!

Is the pin there for the handbrake? (I'm no mechanical engineer!)

When the handbrake is applied, whats to stop the piston unwinding itself and releasing the handbrake? Without the pin there are you relying on the friction between the piston and the back of the pad, instead of a pin which locks into the piston? Does that sound right?

Also with regards to feel, does the pin not being there mean the handbrake adjusts more often and more freqently, meraning the pad is held closer to the disc, and as such when you press the brake, less distance = better brake feel.

I know this is certainly true on my 306, with drum self adjusters on the back, they aren't working properly, and the pedal, over time as the shoes wear, becomes more and more spongey!

Best Regards

Ben

hmm my handbrake has always been crap,and i have always removed the `pin`

Nope. The internal mechanism is a very coarse threaded rod which holds the piston in place, so there is no risk of the piston unwinding.




That is a possible reason for the better feel and the reason the handbrake cable no longer requires such frequent adjusting. Of course, part of the issue could be that with the bias valve working and adjusted correctly, the pads wear quicker because they are actually working, hence the need for more frequent adjustment.

i too dont know why it works, i just know that i like it.

redd

Well, I'm due pad replacement all round, the front Pagid Blues are starting to sound like they are made from glass and the rear Tarox pads have been on for 3 years with the big disk conversion so probably due a refresh.

I'll grind the lugs down and see how they feel.

okay, having obviously missed the first thread, i can only guess at what you are talking about.

I'm fairly competent with a grinder and a set of spanners (when i want to be) and am going to be replacing rear discs and 4 brake hoses (HEL gb) fairly soon, so please would either the OP of either thread pm me and confirm what it is i believe you are all up to!?

thanks!

No secrets here Owl, it's the little lug on the non friction side of the rear brake pad.

Thought so Jimbo, just wanted to check before attacking my Pads!

Hoping for a noticable improvement with discs that dont look like they've been under the sea for 10 years, new flexi hoses and the new wonder-mod!

Just to throw a potential spanner in the works....

I replaced both calipers a couple of years ago. Then one came up as faulty at an MOT. I phoned the supplier Brakes International for a replacement as they were under warranty and checked how the caliper should be set up so I could warn the garage. They said you should wind the caliper out to meet the pads before pumping the pedal. IIRC this goes against the guide (can't really remember). So maybe the pin is to stop the piston winding out over time and causing the brakes to bind?

Winding the piston out is certainly not recommended in the instructions that have came with the variety of rear calipers that I've fitted .

You should always wind the piston fully in before fitting new pads then pump the piston out to meet the disc pads. Do not operate the handbrake levers until the pads have been pumped out as it messes up the mechanism.

Baz

Everytime I've fitted new rear pads you have to wind the piston all the way back anyway - there isn't enough space otherwise.

Agree with Baz. Pump the brake and then start fiddling with the handbrake.

Grinding the pin off makes no sense to me. I fail to see how it could make any difference. I would suspect better pedal feel maybe due to just fitting new pads, winding the calipers in, bleeding etc.

The majority of rear disc brake calipers with a built in handbrake have that pin.

VW don't use the pin system (identical design of rear callipers). My pads were the old ones that were already in the car. No other work was carried out, nor has been since the modification.

'Tis black magic I tells ya!......

Mmmmmmmmmmmm. Chocolate.

I have been thinking about this. All I can think of is the pin of your pads may have been in contact with the piston somehow. Maybe manufactured wrong, too big, too much paint (seen that before) or dirt/dust etc. That would cause a problem. But assuming everything is as it should be that pin does not touch anything, it just sits in the slot of the piston, so grinding it off should have no effect.

Sorry, but I have to disagree with you there, the pin was in its correct location prior to the modification.

It's just that the pads were in back to front.

I think last time I had my brake pads out I filed the pins off. Mainly because I didn't have my windy back tool (seems to have gone off some sort of travels - possibly to an alternate reality?) and I was expending enough effort getting the pistons retracted without having to worry about the orientation of the cross.

Anyway, I cant say I noticed any difference at all.

This all sound crazy but i think ill try it out.

I always thought the brakes were better on my old 16vt than the 20vts ive had. Had Come to the conclusion it was Fiat cutting cost due to not putting Brembos on the back as well as front?.

still a controversial topic, i see.

well its easy enough to try out and reverse if anything feels wrong. just grind off the pin on the piston-side pad, and flip the pads if anything feels amiss.

try it, you might be surprised.

redd

silly question but does anyone have a picture of this done??? just want to see exactly what you guys are grinding before i get the grinder out and have a go