Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Three Wheeler & Super 3 Brake pads

Hi all, hope everyone is enjoying this lovely weather.
I'm looking to improve the brakes on my 2012 M3W, I'm sure the pads have been in since new, its only just clicked past 3k miles. There isn't any initial bite at all and they need a rather firm push, I;m just looking for some initial bite and a bit more stopping power so only want to upgrade the pads, discs appear to be in good order. Any suggestions from anyone?
Cheers,

Martin

Well, it’s hardly been anywhere in the past 14 years, so I am surprised that the brakes work at all!
If it were mine, I would remove the pads and insert a scrap of hardboard (or similar), in their place and operate the brake pedal to get the pistons moving out, then push them back in and repeat a couple of times. The pads can be given a de-glaze with some abrasive paper, and replaced in position.
A road test on a quiet road should then show whether they are still defective or not. If still not quite there, get some heat into them first….drive at a steady pace and gently apply the brakes a few times to warm them up then accelerate to about 40 mph and apply brakes firmly to get down to about 10 mph; immediately repeat this process about 4 or 5 times, then drive without braking for about 10 minutes. That’s a process to use whenever brake pads are changed to get them to bed in properly.
Good luck.

its getting plenty of use now I've got it, trying to make it a bit better. I'll get the pads out over the weekend, but i'll end up replacing them due to their age, just want something up to date as stuff has improved since mine was built

The rear brake is going to want some attention too. It's very prone to the slave cylinder seizing up so it would be a smart move to check it and almost certainly fit a new one. Replacing the fixed block that sits between the other ends of the rear shoes would be a good move while in there.
If you haven't already found the Alternative Parts List then get a copy downloaded, there's a lot of useful information in there. https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/u0m0...but1a4r93py8ad6&st=6t88h7em&dl=0
If the front brakes are in good condition then you can overcome the front tyres grip quite easily with them so upgrading them might not achieve very much.

thanks for the replies, there's no way the brakes would lock the front wheels at the moment, so I'll look to change the fluid and deglaze the pads, I'll also take a look at the rears at some point soon.

I had bought brake pads with the same dimensions as the pads mounted on my three-wheeler. I noticed that the brake lining was offset by two mm, so I added some welding to realign the lining. The second set of pads was bought because I can resize them to the correct dimensions. The two sets of pads cost around 35 euros. There's no rush; my original brake pads have 50 percent wear with more than 120,000 km. It's possible that at 13 years old they are less effective at braking, as I generally brake very little (a friend who did track days told me that braking is the enemy of speed).

I managed to finish and fit the brake pads after a few modifications and I am surprised to have the chance that it brakes so well (or even better) on the first press of the brake pedal so it should improve even more after break-in, the pads were 13 years old and had more than 120,000 km on them.

I really don't think that "upgrading" the front brakes will achieve anything. As others have said, a good working standard system will lock the fronts wheels fairly easily. I would suggest you check that the pistons in the calipers are all working, change the brake fluid and check the rear wheel cylinder is not seized or leaking. I don't use the brakes much in normal driving, just taking your foot off the accelerator slows you down quite a lot with engine braking. There isn't a big choice in brake pads to fit the M3W and harder pads will not help, standard ones are fine if the system is working correctly.

Most significant improvement in M3W braking is changing the rear drum for a disc as sold by M3W Services in UK & France - the feel and perceived braking power is much better. See April 2022 MWTC for an article by Phil Gardner.

The front brakes have never really bothered me; I find the rear braking lacking. I had considered installing a 23mm cylinder to increase the rear braking force. The rear cylinder had been replaced and greased internally and behind the rubber boot. I still have a complete, brand-new rear brake system. The front brake pads seem softer than the originals; the organic compound must contain some graphite because it easily blackens the palm of my hand. I change the brake and clutch fluids with a pressure washer set to two bars.