Braided hoses and 5.1 fluid made the biggest difference on my car. They make a difference when things get hot as the rubber hoses expand making the pressure from the brake peddal ineffective and hence brake fade. For general road use I don't think they are needed unless you are really giving it prolongued abuse. On a track day its a different matter and within 3 laps you will suffer brake fade so makes this upgrade essential even with the standard callipers that I run.
As for upgraded pads you only need to change the fronts. I have run Red stuff and once hot they were fantastic but a little scarey on my commute into work on cold mornings as they don't work well when cold. I currently run green stuff and don't like these anything like as much. I am going to give some mintex pads a go next time. There are quite a few of the track day boys on here that will give you all the guidance you need on this subject. One of the advantages is the lack of dust which you will like when it comes to wheel cleaning duty!
Russell - I bought my hoses off Fabio which he had bought off Lohen but never had fitted. |