Alfa has done the rear brake system upgrade for all 156 models from 251mm to 276mm since Feb 2002. Intuitively, I thought I should do the same to match the upgraded front system. And I believe that Alfa does it for good reasons.
With all the issues found from upgrading the front brake system to the gta 330mm, I narrowed my choices down to 2 solutions.
- replacing the knuckle with a gta one so that I can use the original caliper bracket
- replacing the entire system to a bolt-on 305mm system that is used on Mito QV
Having tried a few weeks looking for a gta knuckle, I had no luck to find one. I was not surprised, 156 gta is such a rare items and becoming a collection model. Supply of used gta specific parts are rare too. I decided to opt for the solution 2
After the GTA 330mm brake system upgrade was done on the 2.0TS for almost 1 year, I decided to take it off. the following reasons are the factors:
- the increased weight
- The increased brake power
- the noise
The increased weight resulting from front brake system upgrade
In part 2, I weighted the components. While the weight gain of the new system is mild on paper, I can feel the weight added to the steering wheel when turning. Nevertheless, this is not the main reason.
The real impact is on the response/perception of turning into a corner. Since the weight is added direct to steering rod and wheel, the first moment of turning into corners, it is not as quick as before.
