Upgrade Front Brake Discs

My 1998 freelander XEi has discs front; drums back. I find the braking not as good as I would like. Having enquired at my garage I was told the brakes were satisfactory and passed the mot. Yet it did not stop in an emergency and I hit a dog I see other members advise against replacing the drums with discs but suggest upgrading the front discs. Can someone please advise what I have to get/replace as I do not want a recurrence. Many thanks. Teresa.

It all depends on what size wheels you have...I have 15 inch which was solid discs .....16 inch wheels mainly have vented discs
If you have 15 inch you can upgrade the discs to drilled & slotted discs with heavy duty pads do improve it however it might just be the caliper sliders are siezed which is common
I opted for discs & heavy duty pads which helped.

Many thanks, I will get someone to check the calipers. Have been looking at dimple/ slotted discs and semi- metallic pads. Hope this helps. Thank you for your advice highvoltage.

If your existing brakes are worn then just replacing them for new items should bring back the performance, likewise if the brakes are just in need of a service.

I replaced the discs & pads on my wife's 2006 TD4 2-years ago, it is an easy job and the difference was very noticeable. I used BP vented / slotted / drilled discs and Mintex pads, I was so impressed that I fitted the same set-up to the F&R of my 90 and the stopping power is very impressive.

After doing a overhaul of my brakes. Shoes,cylinders,pads,pistons,sliders it can stop my vehicle easily. Also stops it when pulling a 1.5ton boat

But they are 16inch wheels and vented discs.

Thank you all for your very helpful responses. They are 16 in so will do as you did rossymtb and change all parts you listed. Thank you all again fellow landy fans.

Thanks litch, I have opted for the slotted/dimpled discs and mintex pads. Your advice is much appreciated. Happy motoring.

Pre 2001MY cars have solid discs, no matter what the wheel size is.
Post 2001MY cars have vented discs, and different calipers to fit the thicker discs.

Going from solid to vented disc's won't make any difference to brake power in an emergency stop. Vented disc's are better in situations where you require sustained brake performance, like slowing a heavy trailer on a steep hill.
As others have said, simply replacing the discs and pads with quality replacements are all that's required.

Many thanks to all your advice. All points taken on board, hopefully no emergency stops required !!

Kyenoz said:

Thanks litch, I have opted for the slotted/dimpled discs and mintex pads. Your advice is much appreciated. Happy motoring.

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hi, I recently fitted terrafirma slotted/drilled front discs and mintex pads in my disco 2 ,I`m really impressed with the performance,just remember to brake gently for a couple of hundred miles to bed everything in.

Well worth replacing the brake fluid if your replacing other parts. Some recommend every 2 years if I'm right?

Make sure the rears are adjusted and set up properly too.

td5nut said:

hi, I recently fitted terrafirma slotted/drilled front discs and mintex pads in my disco 2 ,I`m really impressed with the performance,just remember to brake gently for a couple of hundred miles to bed everything in.

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I fitted those to my Freelander last year, but the EBC ultimate pads drove me crazy, so changed them for some genuine LR ones that don't squeal

Epicuser said:

I fitted those to my Freelander last year, but the EBC ultimate pads drove me crazy, so changed them for some genuine LR ones that don't squeal

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yeah, I`ve heard ebc are squealers,had mintex pads previously,they were quiet so I fitted another set.

td5nut said:

yeah, I`ve heard ebc are squealers,had mintex pads previously,they were quiet so I fitted another set.

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They were fine for a few months. Then they started to squeal.

Epicuser said:

They were fine for a few months. Then they started to squeal.

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bloody annoying what!

Epicuser said:

They were fine for a few months. Then they started to squeal.

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they will if not worked hard enough,buy std pads if you dont need h/d brakes

Yeah. I tend to brake quite gently most of the time if I have to use the brakes.

I found ebc ones were ****. Had a few sets. Very wooden feel, not confidence inspiring. Use pagid now, much better