VX220 NA Brakes

We concentrate purely on driveability. The VX220 NA is not an easy car to get large amounts of power out of and the mid engine configuration means that smooth power delivery is essential. We have developed all the different stages of power to increase both the power and enhanced driveabilty for the car.

Brakes

The VX220 is 150kg’s heavier than the original S2 Elise yet it still has the same 2 pot front and single pot rear calipers – mad! No wonder the most common complaint on the car is the lack of brakes! Choices on brake upgrades fall into three; 'road', 'road and occasional track' and 'road and track'.

Thorney Motorsport VX220 Brake Updgrade Stage 1 - Road/Fast Road

Change the pads - simple. Stock pads are poor - especially when you consider they’re being asked to make up for calipers which aren’t up to the job - so a simple change to a better pad will transform the cars brakes. The choices are pretty varied but we recommend the Mintex 1144.

The Mintex is a road based pad but can cope extremely well with occasional track work and doesn’t need lots of warming up to get the best from them. They’re also pretty cost effective and can happily use the standard disks.

Mintex 1144 Front - £59.00
Mintex 1144 Rear - £76.00
Full set, fitted to car - £200

 

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Thorney Motorsport VX220 Brake Upgrade Stage 2 - Fast Road and Track

Whilst the Mintex pads are perfectly able to cope with occasional track work, the move to a track specific pad is a significant step up and recommended for those people who regularly track their car. For this we recommend the Pagid RS14.

Braking power and feel is much improved and resistance to fade much better. The downside is that they squeak like stuck pigs – ignore any advice that this can be avoided because it can’t – live with it.  It's a small price to pay for the extra feel. The Pagid is specifically supplied with the VXR220, however it is a track only pad and (in theory) should not be used on the road, however many do and all without issue (including us). The Pagids also can take a little time to warm up (a couple of applications should do it) but its not a major issue.

The higher temperature resistance from using a track specific pad means brakes tend to lock up less and you get more feel through corners (a VX Achilles heel).

Pagid RS14 Front - £130
Pagid RS14 Rear - £140
Full Set, fitted to car - £375

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Thorney Motorsport VX220 Brake Upgrade Stage 3 - Full AP Brake Kit

No-one had developed a brake kit for the VX220 (or as it turns out the Elise) so we approached AP Racing to come up with a custom designed kit for the car. We worked with AP for over 5 months developing what we consider the ultimate brake set up for the cars.

Normally brake upgrades should be done in pairs (front and back). However, the front brakes are so woefully under powered compared to the rears on a stock car that a front only kit was the desired option (the torque balance was that bad).

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These brakes have been designed purely for the VX220 (although they will also fit the Elise S2) using a custom designed caliper and set up and took over 5 months of development. They provide a whole new meaning to the concept of brake feel (an achilles heel of the VX compared to the Elise) and work perfectly with either the VXR or the VX220 ABS set up. The kit comprises:

We recommend an upgrade to the rear pads to Mintex or Pagid at the same time as purchasing the AP kit.

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The calipers will fit standard NA and VXT wheels, Speedlines, the new OZ and the VXR wheels without the need for spacers and bolt straight onto the standard Vauxhall hub.

Available in red or black.


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