Board index FRP Q & A? Few FRP questions

Few FRP questions

Looking to purchase a FRP? ask fellow members of there experiences...

Post Fri Aug 08, 2014 9:51 pm
-Daniel- Newbie

Posts: 14
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Last edited by -Daniel- on Wed Dec 10, 2014 3:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Post Sat Aug 09, 2014 11:18 am
Paul0008 Newbie

Posts: 72
Location: Nottingham
Hi
The FRP was originally fitted with Alcon discs at the front, not bells and rotors. Although the bell and rotor option is now considered to be the best replacement these days (around £500 for initial setup).
The original Alcon discs are no longer available, but when you could get them you would be paying around £260 (FOR ONE).
The discs you have ordered for £80 will not fit and have been wrongly listed. Good luck fitting them :)
It's not really clear if you are selling the car or not, but my advice would be to get the mechanical bits well sorted, if I was buying any car which had been sprayed over just before a sale I would be a bit suspicious. Probably better to save your money and let the new owner decide on the quality of paint job.
78k is not very high mileage and an FRP with sorted brakes and up to date cam belt change should sell OK
Paul

Post Sat Aug 09, 2014 12:44 pm
speedline RPOC Petrol Head!

Posts: 1107
The vibration on your braking is not likely to be warped discs but very likely to be uneven pad material build up.
If your disks are 26mm thickness or above then they are not end of life.
Take your car out for a proper brake pad bedding in session and you should find you remove and then even up the pad material depositing. Also make sure you wheels are properly balanced.
Sitting standstill with brake pedal on is the worst offender for bad pad material depositing so is repetivie town driving.
Unless the garage knows how to work on the Alcon calipers you will have far worse brakes when they are finished with your car.
Pumabuild have for sale the Alcon front brake disc. £199 each (+vat possibly). They do last ages I replaced my first set at 33k and they had enough meat to skim and put away as spares and I did track days with those.
19th September 2008: if you have bought a Janspeed manifold please read here clicky me

Post Sat Aug 09, 2014 12:55 pm
-Daniel- Newbie

Posts: 14
Thanks for that Paul.

I'll have to send the disks back, should know that when things sound too good to be true they often are. Got any links for any suitable replacements? The current ones are not bells & rotors, so they could be the Alcon disks. They don't seem that worn at all though, symptoms are a slight vibration when braking and a small pull to the left, might take the pads out and see what they're like, again though they don't look worn

I'll have a think about paintwork, could always get some pictures of before and after so that any potential buyers know it wasn't sprayed due to accident damage or anything.

Any idea what sort of price roughly? There's such variance with the ones I can see currently for sale

Daniel

Post Sat Aug 09, 2014 1:00 pm
-Daniel- Newbie

Posts: 14
Hi Speedline, thanks for that.

The brakes have been used "well", I did venture out for a session on track at Ford Fair, I never really use them hard on the road.

I'll measure the disks when I get chance, thanks for that. The wheels are currently off to have new tyres fitted so when they're back I can rule out the wheel balance being the problem or not. Can the brake pads be even'd out manually if that's the problem, with sandpaper or something? The gear linkage felt a little sloppy so I have got a new one of those on the way as well. Hopefully be ready to advertise soon

Post Sat Aug 09, 2014 2:19 pm
Paul0008 Newbie

Posts: 72
Location: Nottingham
Hi Daniel
I think I saw you going round at Silverstone. Are you X***RNO? Seemed to be going quite well :D
Sounds like you need a brake service.
How far are you from Nottingham? Chris (Eldude) does a great job on the FRP brakes. It's a good selling point to have had a recent brake service on these cars.
It's difficult to say how much you would get for it. Depends who is in the buyer's market at the time, how quickly you want to sell etc.
Good ones (not mint or concours) have been going for 4-5k recently I think.

Post Sat Aug 09, 2014 4:46 pm
speedline RPOC Petrol Head!

Posts: 1107
Your pads (assuming not worn low anyway) are not what I mean. Your pads through driving style have left an uneven deposit of pad material on your disc surface, this is what very commonly causes vibration at the steering wheel.
If your discs are thick enough, your pads have enough pad left and your wheels are balanced then first try a proper pad bedding in session which has been posted on the site. You could take the pads out and then abrase them and then refit and bed in but if you don't do that right (remove + refit pads) with the Alcons you would only make things worse as you could get muck into the pistons.
As above a good brake service would be a good selling point.
19th September 2008: if you have bought a Janspeed manifold please read here clicky me

Post Sat Aug 09, 2014 5:36 pm
El dude RPOC Petrol Head!

Posts: 1791
Location: Nottingham
I do an Alcon overhaul service - PM if interested... New Bells and Rotors around £360 (plain disc with silver bell)

Regards

Post Sat Aug 09, 2014 9:11 pm
-Daniel- Newbie

Posts: 14
Thanks for al that guys, I'll have a closer look at the brakes when I get a minute, I'll lookup the bedding in procedure and see if that gives any joy also

Yes that was me, it was fun but the old road tyres let it down, was a bit all over the place and the T1R's on the rear went off quite quickly, too much sliding around Copse and Becketts, but everything else was spot on. Only seen one picture up to yet though, the official track time photographers don't seem to be putting them online

Will update :)

Daniel

Post Sat Aug 09, 2014 10:11 pm
speedline RPOC Petrol Head!

Posts: 1107
The bedding in process for these pads (as FRP had a Mintex 1144 compound with the Alcon discs) was the below and an original quote from a FRP owner who got info direct from Alcon.
I had a new set of pads and discs under warranty in June/July and as Peter Beattie was on rally duty in (Greece I think!) I phoned Alcon the brake manufacturer in Tamworth, Staffordshire. I spoke to someone in technical service. They were really friendly and told me to do the following Drive around town 'normally' (i.e dont stamp on the brakes or sit on them at traffic lights) for half an hour to get the brakes warm. Then go out onto the open road and starting from 30mph increase speed to 40mph and then brake 'normally' (i.e dont stamp on them just take some speed off). Do a couple of these and then go to 40mph increase speed to 50mph and then brake normally again. Keep repeating these a couple of times before moving to 50 to 60mph and finally 60 - 70mph. When you get to 50-60 do a couple of braking stops (which slow the car down steadily on the brakes (not emergancy stops or stamping on the brake pedal, just gradually braking). You should feel the brakes gradually come in until the optiminum. When you 've finished the cycles let the car stand for a good 10 - 15 minutes before returning home (steadily!!). If unsure check with Alcon yourself, they were really friendly and nothing was to much trouble. I am lucky that I live in the Peak District and did this procedure on a road near where Tiff Needell did the Topgear FRP road test!!

I do this probably once or twice a year to keep the brakes feeling nice drive home and leave the car over night before driving again. They get more of a bite sensation when bedded in well plus it ensures I never have had the fake warped disc wobble sensation which Al mentions on my setup in over 12 years as I have only ever run the original pad/disc setup. I never sit on my brakes and advoid coming to a complete standstill with foot on the brakes so as to avoid a strong pad imprint. Still a bedding in session would sort out any lone pad imprints.
Other then what I shared I am a brake numpty.
19th September 2008: if you have bought a Janspeed manifold please read here clicky me

Post Thu Aug 21, 2014 9:04 pm
-Daniel- Newbie

Posts: 14
Update, had the new tyres fitted and the wheels balanced, the vibration under braking has gone as has the pulling to the left, still going to complete the "bedding in" procedure when I next get chance anyway. Decided on leaving the paintwork, I have given the car a proper decontamination and 2 coats of megs ultimate wax, sealed the glass (wheels were done a couple of weeks ago) it looks smart bar the stonechip's so its virtually ready for sale now, just ticked over to 77k, will probably advertise it this weekend. Cheers for the help guys :)

Post Thu Aug 21, 2014 9:49 pm
speedline RPOC Petrol Head!

Posts: 1107
Great.
I had one set of tryes that pulled, heavy track use mainly right hand circuit and they got slanted, lol.
19th September 2008: if you have bought a Janspeed manifold please read here clicky me

Post Fri Sep 26, 2014 5:00 pm
-Daniel- Newbie

Posts: 14
Thanks again guys. She's all tucked up in the garage ready for a new owner to come along and love her. On Pistonheads.

Post Fri Sep 26, 2014 6:03 pm
speedline RPOC Petrol Head!

Posts: 1107
Your steering wheel is filthy I would be cleaning that and there are posts on how to do it on this site.
Do it wrong and you can ruin the alcantara but that wheel looks pretty manky and it is not the material but hand sweat build up.
19th September 2008: if you have bought a Janspeed manifold please read here clicky me

Post Fri Sep 26, 2014 6:15 pm
-Daniel- Newbie

Posts: 14
I've looked into how to clean it and it looks like it will take a fair while and I just don't have the time. As you say, yes it looks dirty, and I would agree it would look better if it was clean, but I don't think it'll be a deal breaker/maker

Post Fri Sep 26, 2014 7:12 pm
speedline RPOC Petrol Head!

Posts: 1107
about 1 hour to sort that steering wheel out
to the unknowledgeable they will think a new wheel is needed
19th September 2008: if you have bought a Janspeed manifold please read here clicky me


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