Changing the brakes on a Land Rover Defender

Changing The Brakes On A Land Rover Defender

Here at LOF, we often get asked for help on what to order when changing the brakes on a Land Rover Defender (90/110/130) So we thought we would add some key info to help everyone!

A few pointers to note:

• Defender 110″ rear brakes are the same as 130″ rear brakes- including the discs and calipers
• Discovery 1 rear brakes are the same as Defender 90 Rear brakes- including the discs and calipers
• If your vehicle is a 90″ with a low spec, it may have solid front discs instead of vented (Easily checked by looking at the outer edge of the disc and noting vents centrally)
• Solid front discs as above, and vented front discs run different calipers
• If your vehicle has solid fronts, and you plan on changing the calipers- its worth converting it to Vented calipers and a Vented brake kit
• Solid disc front calipers (SEB500440 / SEB500450) are more expensive than vented! (SEB500460/ SEB500470)

When changing the brakes on a Defender, you will have to remove the wheel hub from the stub axle, therefore it is advisable to change the wheel bearings at the same time, as a matter of course.

Changes in rear 110 / 130 brakes (circa 2000 model year)

On the Defender 110/130 the brake discs and calipers vary in offset depending on year (from chassis number WA159806) This can be hard to determine and complicated to ensure you have the right discs. Therefore in our opinion, it is worth upgrading your earlier axle to “late spec.” By using late Defender 110 Discs, Pads and calipers, you can eliminate any error. The change in Land Rover part number from FTC3846 to SDB000330 is down to the off-set of the disc, and matches in the offset of the Caliper. Hence by using a SDB000330 Late brake kit + SMC500260/270 calipers, it brings everything up to date and matching.

Defender 90 Solid Front brake discs

As mentioned above- early Defender 90’s and low spec non ABS 90″ defenders came with solid front discs rather than vented. When the time comes to change the brakes and calipers on these vehicles, it makes sense to upgrade! Why? Because the solid front calipers are circa £20 more expensive than vented front calipers. Thats why we have not listed AP brand solid fronts! If you wish you upgrade your brake kit, you will simply need to order the following, which bolts on without modification: A Vented front brake kit & Vented front calipers

Defender 90 Rear brake upgrade

On the Defender 90, the rear brakes run a slightly smaller discs and smaller calipers with small bore pistons. Here at LOF we offer a “Defender 90 Rear brake upgrade”  Which offers the chance to convert from 90″ rear discs and pads, to late model Defender 110 brakes. This makes a marginal increase in performance and also helps with Defender 90’s used for heavy towing. The cost compared to using a 90″ rear set up is minimal hence why it is a good option!

If you would like any more help or advice regarding brakes, feel free to get in touch @ Sales@LOFclutches.com