By Jon on Monday, April 30, 2001 - 08:43 am: Edit

My '95 Disco has solid disc brakes up front. My questions are, 1) is that common, and 2) is converting to vented front discs as easy as installing vented rotors, or would it require a different caliper to fit the rotor (which I imagine would be somewhat wider than the wafer of a disc on there now)? It looks like I can push the pistons back in the caliper enough to accomodate new pads and a vented rotor, but I wanted to make sure before I got in the middle of the operation and found I needed a wider caliper! Thanks for any input!

By Bill Gill (Bluegill) on Monday, April 30, 2001 - 11:43 am: Edit

Atlantic Brit has a "high performance" brake kit for $600 consisting of vented rotors and kevlar pads. I saw that and was curious as to benefits of vented rotors on a Disco...AB doesn't mention anything about new calipers needed - don't see any reason why you'd need them unless your new rotors are too wide. I don't know how thick your present brake pads are, but keep in mind that all that caliper travel is there so that new pads (which are very thick) can fit in there.

By Jon on Monday, April 30, 2001 - 12:46 pm: Edit

Oh yeah, that kit. Well, vented rotors would do wonders for dissipating heat, but I think Kevlar pads are a little extravagant. Basically, my front discs heat up so fast (compared to vented rotor performance) they warp a little, and that creates that pulsating feeling a lot of people complain about under braking. I've gotten used to it, but I wish I could eliminate it. John Craddock sells vented replacement rotors for DI's (not the same as AB's kit) so I was gonna use them when I put brakes on my truck soon. I'll guess we'll just have to see if it all works!

By Bill Gill (Bluegill) on Monday, April 30, 2001 - 01:14 pm: Edit

How much for Craddock vents? Are you talking front only? Using stock pads?

By Jon on Monday, April 30, 2001 - 01:28 pm: Edit

Yep, front vented rotors, PN# FTC902. They're L30.74 (pounds), which is like, not quite $45.00 USD each.

By Bill Gill (Bluegill) on Monday, April 30, 2001 - 02:02 pm: Edit

Hmmm...($45 x 2) + stock pads = <$600

Anybody have any input on vented front rotors? Out here in the desert, things get hot hot hot (and warped).

By Max from Oz on Tuesday, May 01, 2001 - 01:50 am: Edit

I upgraded to Range Rover vented rotors a few years ago. The standard solids aren't really up to brisk driving or towing.

From memory its the post 1989 RR rotors and calipers that bolt straight on. Swept area, braking balance etc stays the same. Just use standard RR pads when servicing.

Originals lasted I think 80,000 kms, and I'm about to change them again at 250,000 kms - ie the vented rotors have lasted twice as long.

Regards from Down Under

By Jon on Tuesday, May 01, 2001 - 09:32 am: Edit

Yeah, that's what I found out. Discos with vented rotors were fitted with different calipers from the factory (the post-'89 RR equipment) so I'll have to keep that in mind when I buy my parts. But glad to hear the brakes lasted that much longer! Thanks!

By Bill Gill (Bluegill) on Tuesday, May 01, 2001 - 12:20 pm: Edit

I have a bleeding caliper, and have been putting off overhauling/replacing...but slippery front left brake just about killed me Sunday (truck pulls on hard braking if fluid makes it's way to rotor). Maybe upgrade to vented front Craddock or RR rotors, calipers, & pads would be a better investment than surgery on my caliper.

Jon - are you getting calipers & pads from Craddock too? Do you have a link? Are these the same parts Max is using, or Max, did you just retrofit RR parts?

By Jon on Tuesday, May 01, 2001 - 02:08 pm: Edit

www.johncraddockltd.co.uk. I order all my parts online, and they're shipped to me here in Virginia (US) in a week or two. You can get everything except the Rangie front calipers from Craddock. Still, i would recommend buying your parts from England. It's still cheaper to do that and have them shipped to the US. For example, at about 60,000 miles I put 4 new rotors and all new pads on my truck. The cost of all the parts from Craddock's ~$154.00 USD. Shipping was about $15.00 or something, I don't remember. Try www.bearmach.com for the Rangie calipers.

By Bill Gill (Bluegill) on Tuesday, May 01, 2001 - 02:21 pm: Edit

Thanks, Jon...$154 for new rotors AND pads all around? Can't beat that...

By Max from Oz on Tuesday, May 01, 2001 - 09:18 pm: Edit

Rely to Bluegill,

I had standard RR bits fitted. Rover have always has a market presence in Australia, so supply of bits - and aftermarket bits - has never been a problem.

Regards from Down Under

By Frode Hübertz Haaland (Discofrode) on Wednesday, May 02, 2001 - 03:54 am: Edit

Summing up the costs, don't forget you need 2pcs of calipers and 2 pcs of vented discs (and an axle set of brakepads). Calipers are expensive, so try tracing a 2.hand one, breakers yards may have, and some aftermarket suppliers stock used ones as well. Just make sure they're OK or do an overhaul before fitting them.

Roverly Yours, Frode
home.halden.net/discovery

By Bill Gill (Bluegill) on Wednesday, May 02, 2001 - 12:12 pm: Edit

good advice all around...thanks

By JEEPETR on Wednesday, May 02, 2001 - 01:21 pm: Edit

Hey All,

Anyone looked into fitting NAS Defender 90 front rotors and Calipers to the Discovery? Nice big 4 pot Lockheed Calipers, and beefy vented discs. One would think with the running gear similarities it would be a fairly easy swap. Anyone have any info on this or done this?

Going to bigger vented discs on the front was one of the first thoughts I had upon obtaining my Discovery and seeing those silly little solid rotors up front, and on a heavier vehicle none-the-less....Uhgggg

~Scott T.
'95 D-90 (JEEPETR)
'96 Discovery (New addition to the Addiction!)

By Bill Gill (Bluegill) on Wednesday, May 02, 2001 - 01:50 pm: Edit

How do the D90's brake components compare to the vented RR's? That's a fine idea, Scott. Never thought of that - never had the opportunity to disect a D90...