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***Definitive 147/156 GTA brake upgrade thread***
Definitive 147/156 GTA brake upgrade thread
Both the 156 and 147 GTA's were initially shipped out with 305mm front brake disks and corerespondingly sized calipers by Alfa.
Many customers reported warped brakes (you can feel a 'pulsing' through the pedal when braking lightly), so Alfa developed an uprated kit for both cars using a larger 330mm disk and larger caliper (rumoured to have been sourced from the ferrari parts bin).
No official re-call has been issued and so it has been left up to the individual driving the car to attempt to get the upgrade if their brakes warp. Different dealers seem to give conflicting advice with regards to this upgrade, and you may find some try to charge you for what should be a free upgrade providing your car is within its 3 year/60,000 mile warranty.
Following on from this sometime in 2003 model build the brakes on most 147 & 156 GTA's were upgraded automatically to the 330mm disks. These factory fitted kits can be noted by the fact that there is no longer a spare wheel in the boot, as this has been replaced with a puncture repair kit (as the original spare would not fit over the new larger sized front disk/calipers).
Confusion is still rife however as the Alfa website and brochures carried in dealers in the UK state that the 147GTA has "305mm front brake disks", but also a puncture repair kit instead of the spare wheel. Also some owners have chosen to retain the spare wheel even though it will not fit on the front of the car, (preferring to change the back wheel to the front in the event of a puncture).
Below I have added pictures showing clear differences between the 305mm and 330mm calipers both on and off the car, so that you can tell if your car has been upgraded.
My personal opinion is that this upgrade should be given out regardless of whether your brakes have warped or not. the fact an upgrade kit exists shows clearly that Alfa recogniose the standard brakes are not up to the task 100% of the time. Im sure that a lawyer would be able to comment better, but it would seem to me that if a fatality was caused as a result of standard brakes warping for the first time, alfa could well be held responsible.
Can those GTA owners that have been through the upgrade please post below the dealer and location that carried out their conversion, and any details about their experience so that we can pool information on this (how long it took them to agree, how many times the standard brakes warped, service manager name etc etc)
PLEASE NOTE-THIS ISNT RESTRICTED OT UK OWNERS ONLY
Please post up if you are from another country and have managed to get a free or part cost upgrade to your GTA 305mm brakes
Edit: Many thanks to Trailbraker PeterK and DavidC for the pictures which Ive labelled below
UK DEALER LIST:
WALES:
Victoria Park, Cardiff: 1 upgrade
SCOTLAND:
Arnold Clark, Perth: 1 upgrade
ENGLAND:
Reg Vardy, Darlington. Service manager John McVickers: 2x upgrades
Dixons, Leeds: 1 upgrade
Mangoletsi, Knutsford, Cheshire: 1 upgrade
County Motors, Carlisle: 1 upgrade
Fish Brothers, Swindon: 1 upgrade
DBS Desira, Hertford: 1 upgrade
Perry's Amersham: 1 upgrade
AUSTRALIA: No upgrades available at this time...
HOLLAND: No free upgrades so far but....
Maasland in voorburg have done a conversion for 300 Euro's for 1 owner
Wouters in Tilburg have completed a conversion, cost yet to be confirmed......
EDIT:
Part numbers for 305 to 330mm conversion:
F0077362692 BRAKE PADS X1
F0077362676 CALIPER X1
F0077362677 CALIPER X1
F0051733051 BRAKE DISC X2
F0060693782 PIPE X1
F0060693783 PIPE X1
F0060693576 BRACKET X1
F0060693575 BRACKET X1
If your car has the 17" multispokes then you also need a new set of wheels (either the original teledails or the upraded new style 17" multispokes from the facelifted 156 range)
These are the part numbers for the original teledials:
F006067673 WHEEL X4
Also you should really get the emergency repair kit (sealing 'goo', pump etc) for if you get a flat, but you can just keep the spare wheel, although if you get a puncture on the front youll have to put the spacesaver on the rear, then transfer the rear wheel to the front - laborious but ultimately more sensible than filling a wheel with 'goo I think...
F0060690948 EMERGENCY KIT X1
Last edited by ukoldschool : 08-10-2007 at 18:21.
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