Fresh MOT on the 4200GT, Friday, great.
Things of note, which I had noticed but thought I would ask.
Brakes do lack feel, but they still work bloody well, hows does everyone feel? Have read that this is the general consensus
Steering judder, At road speeds all feels fine but parking speeds on greater lock it does judder, garage said either pump, or rack. Fluid level is good, any thing else I can do?
Read a few threads saying they all do it, down to the LSD, what does everyone thing?
Only think I could test is jack up front of car and steer, see how it feels?
Probably wont get to drive the thing for a few months now
Rob
I cant see the LSD having much influence on your experience here TBH. Its too far removed form the steering end; and usually results in a scrubbing of one wheel on the back axle ...
The brakes, whilst you say they work bl00dy well, might be improved some; and their exact characteristics depend on the fluid being in good condition and bled proficiently. To all intents and purposes, it sounds like you are confident that these boxes are ticked.
Further, the condition of the discs and the pads will have their part to play. Many people report that the OEM pads are, well, wooden! EBC Yellowstuff, whilst messy, might help with feel and feedback. People also have reported anecdotally that they prefer the Ferodo DS2500 range further still..
My experience is the brakes are difficult to modulate..Stamp on them and they will work. Trail brake though and they get difficult to control IMO. Yield pressure and nothing happens. Yield more pedal and they appear to reliquish little of their hold on the discs ( read none!)..yield a tad more, searching for that slight reduction of braking power and they let go all of a sudden...Such has been my experience with them anyway.
Ive recently replaced all discs, serviced the calipers with new seals and oil, and changed to Ferodo pads...Its not hard to feel the improvement TBH.
Regarding EBC Yellowstuff - I was initially very happy with the improved feel and bite they offered. Before I changed the discs, the fronts were noticeably worn without being toast...but this improved feel , which seemed to bed in very quickly, was gone after a hundred odd miles...! Time to roll up the sleeves and get it done.....
Im not sure what to make of the calipers. I know a friend runs the same units on his TVR and claims they are great. 'Dont bother with race pads. Brembo are great' etc etc...Yes, Brembo are good. I have them on a few bikes. Top gear. That's not mine, or many SM'ers experience with the 4200/GS for some reason ...pehaps the sheer weight of the cars they are used on.
Which brings me to the disc diameter...
Maserati might have spec'ed a bigger disc using the same calipers and this would not have put the set up so close to its designed parameters...Its an expensive upgrade.
Nah..It's hard to get out of 2nd gear on UK roads. Either traffic or speed limits. Can you justify it ?