Brakes. Cripes!

[GTRS]

Seems I need the following for the RS2:

New brakes all round (front/rear disks and pads)
New handbrake shoes
New front wishbones
New front shock absorbers
New rear axle bushes

The car currently has standard brakes, may upgrade to the fables big reds. Have emailed MRC for a quote - worth the hassle taking it up there for this amount of work
Anyone any ideas for what other things I can usefully get done at the same time?

[Lloyd]

Almost certainly worth having your handbrake cables/liners renewed at the same time. The handbrake can work very well when all the parts are fresh.

[darkhorse1210]

GTRS - did you actually go ahead and carry all this work out??

What is your impression of refreshing the shocks?

[GTRS]

Not carried out the work yet - still exploring the options, in terms of parts (non-OEM etc), other advisable work at the same time and workshop. I have to sort it out soon, nit least as the brakes are probably not too good but also because the MoT is due soonish. It's a useful reminder to make a few calls on this while I'm looking after the bairn tomorrow.
Lloyd has been very helpful, so here a public thanks as well.

Graham

[trevithick]

GTRS - did you actually go ahead and carry all this work out??

What is your impression of refreshing the shocks?

I fitted a new set of shocks (standard OEM) and it completely transformed the car but as it turned out I had one front one doing not a lot and both back pretty worn. Well worth the dosh.

[GTRS]

OK, here's where I am now, with the car having been inspected by a specialist: (Edit - for some reason the word specialist links to an unrelated website. Work was carried out by Tom Cockings in Yeovil)


WISHBONE BUSHES
FRONT SHOCK ABSORBERS
REAR SHOCK ABSORBERS
REAR SPRINGS
BUMP STOPS - FRONT
REAR WISHBONES UPPER
TOP MOUNTS
FRONT DISKS
REAR DISCS
FRONT PADS
REAR PADS
FRONT SHIMS
REAR SHIMS
HANDBRAKE SHOES
REAR DIFF OIL SEALS
DIFF SEAL
DV
ALT BELT
PAS BELT
AC BELT
FUEL FILTER
A/C CONDENSER

OH, AND 4 NEW TYRES

So, I won't need new wishbones all round (suspected as much), but I'm replacing items not previously detailed - rear shocks and springs (not essential, but given the work being done anyway, may as well). I'm staying OEM as I want to keep the car standard. Now it's had a thorough going-over, I'm now reassured it's a very good original one, and I may as well keep it that way. Now would be the time to upgrade brakes etc, but this isn't a track car, it's my family wagon - I also suspect that once you start on the modification/upgrade route it sort of spirals. I can see the appeal of that, but I just don't want to get on that merry-go-round.

[darkhorse1210]

GTRS - that's some overhaul!

Let me know how it feels when the work is done can you? I've been toying with changing the shocks for ages, Trevithick's comments made me think more and more about the OEMs and someone who responded on the suspension thread recommended the Bilsteins (although the rears for these need some modification which sounds like a bit of a fanny).

It's been an expensive month or so for my other car so all RS2 work is currently on hold aside from an oil and filter change.

On that topic - there's a guy on FleaBay selling OEM RS2 oil filters for £11.50 incl postage if anyone needs one, worth buying one for your next service if nothing else. Read through some old posts and it seems that Silkolene (now Fuchs) Titan Race 10w 50 fully synthetic is the stuff to use so have just received 5l of that...will report back and see if that makes any difference...it's supposed to be better on start up in the cold but let's see if that's just marketing.

[VaudiGR]

i have been buying discs from ULTIMOT.de for the last couple of times with good results. Actually my latest discs (front and back) have received cryogenic treatment to see if they will last longer. It appears that so far their wear is quite small.

pads, again cheaper from ebay.de.
Calipers can be found front ones on ebay.de refurbed for 770-790euros and they are the big reds( 993. 322x32) They should go on using the same adaptors.

shims available from porsche shops online in the uk.

i only go for textar pads as they seem to be the only ones which dont squeel after a while, regardless of the shims.

i have been using titan fuchs as well for quite some time with good results.

[scillyisles]

OK, here's where I am now, with the car having been inspected by a specialist:


WISHBONE BUSHES
FRONT SHOCK ABSORBERS
REAR SHOCK ABSORBERS
REAR SPRINGS
BUMP STOPS - FRONT
REAR WISHBONES UPPER
TOP MOUNTS
FRONT DISKS
REAR DISCS
FRONT PADS
REAR PADS
FRONT SHIMS
REAR SHIMS
HANDBRAKE SHOES
REAR DIFF OIL SEALS
DIFF SEAL
DV
ALT BELT
PAS BELT
AC BELT
FUEL FILTER
A/C CONDENSER

OH, AND 4 NEW TYRES

So, I won't need new wishbones all round (suspected as much), but I'm replacing items not previously detailed - rear shocks and springs (not essential, but given the work being done anyway, may as well). I'm staying OEM as I want to keep the car standard. Now it's had a thorough going-over, I'm now reassured it's a very good original one, and I may as well keep it that way. Now would be the time to upgrade brakes etc, but this isn't a track car, it's my family wagon - I also suspect that once you start on the modification/upgrade route it sort of spirals. I can see the appeal of that, but I just don't want to get on that merry-go-round.

Similar to an overall I did on mine about 5 years ago. I replaced the wishbones because the bushes are a real pain in the ---se to get out and the Audi garage doing it said it would be cheaper to do that. I went Koni fronts on mine but when I renew again I will stick with OEM (see my post about problems with Konis)

[GTRS]

Thanks - I'll mention that to the guy who's doing it - I suspect his labour rates are a itte less painful than main dealer, and he knows his RS2 onions.

I'm gong to stick with OEM - it seems that amost everything non-OEM ends up needing little tweaks here and there (at the very least). I don't have any brake noise issue with mine at all - the previous owner said he had the calipers overhauled with some special treatment - mention of aircraft technology - I take all that black magic talk with a pinch of salt, but to be fair I have no binding or grinding issues others seem to have, so fair one.

Not all of this needs doing, in the strictest sense, but if I'm dong some I may as well a ful brake/suspension overhaul.

[GTRS]

Picked the RS2 up 3 weeks ago; time to report back on how it feels. Below is final list of what I had done:

WISHBONE BUSHES
FRONT SHOCK ABSORBERS
REAR SHOCK ABSORBERS
REAR SPRINGS
BUMP STOPS - FRONT
REAR WISHBONES UPPER
UPPER REAR TRACK CONTROL ARMS
TOP MOUNTS
FRONT DISKS
REAR DISCS
FRONT PADS (FERODO DS2500)
REAR PADS (FERODO DS2500)
F/R CALIPER REFURB
COPPER BRAKE PIPES
FRONT SHIMS
REAR SHIMS
HANDBRAKE SHOES
REAR DIFF OIL SEALS (X3)
DIFF SEAL
DV
ALT BELT
PAS BELT
AC BELT
FUEL FILTER
A/C CONDENSER
COMPLETE SET BOOST HOSES (ROOSE)
COMPLETE SET MAG WHEEL NUTS

AND 4 NEW PS 3 TYRES (225, not XL rated)

Having had so much replaced - effectively lower half of car overhauled - it's difficult to pin down where the difference is felt, though some things are obvious. Overall, the car feels really taught and much better controlled - all the previous slackness I'd noticed but couldn't quantify has now gone, and the ride is much better (impossible to tell how much the tyres contribute, if at all). In B road driving, it turns in more progressively (always wondered what that meant; now I know), the steering is a tad more communicative (I can feel the onset of understeer now, instead of trying to work out when it's about to happen), and obviously it's much better controlled over crests and through dips. One of the biggest differences became apparent on the way back - I was consistently underestimating my speed by about 20% and was so busy thinking about all the new parts I'd spent well north of 5 grand on that could have made that difference that it took a little while to realise the obvious - the PS3s: the reduction in road noise is little short of amazing - which also counts as my input to the previous thread on tyres.

Top marks to Tom Cockings - always went the extra yard, found cost-effective solutions,advised well on suitable sources for parts, made useful suggestions - replaced what needed replacing with good reason and gave me no nasty surprises.

Hopefully I'll be putting up a post about a detail I had done recently - the car now looks as good as it drives.