Brembo brakes? Good for JB?!

[JuggBug]

Okay, ready to get my brakes done and am considering Brembo's. I need some opinions/thoughts/suggestions as to whether or not these would be good for my bug because when it comes to brakes...I know nuffin'!

Splain to me please....

[Lnzbug]

I'm listening too. Chip needs another brake job and I was wondering how expensive bigger brakes are. The hubby will say I probably can still use these rotors but if the price is right...

[NYBugman]

Do you mean Brembo replacement rotors or a whole Brembo big brake kit?

Unless you are going to track this car on a regular basis or plan on putting down lots and lots of power, save the money on a big brake kit and stick with a more agressive pad in the stock caliper with an OEM rotor. The stock brakes actually are very good and benefit greatly from a more agressive street pad, like a Hawk HP+, EBC Green Stuff, or even the ever popular Mintex "red box".

If you NEED bigger brakes, then get the front rotors and caliper carriers for an Audi TT or a 20th Anniversary GTI. They will give you a 1" increase in diameter in the front, which is where most of the braking happens anyway. THe rears from a 20thAE GTI will work also, but you need the caliper from also. Your stock front caliper works with the TT/20thAE rotor because they're the same as the TT/20th AE calipers.

If you MUST MUST MUST have them, I suggest the kits from ECS Tuning. They put together an excellent kit for all budgets and desires, from Boxster 4-piston calipers w. TT rotors up to 14" rotors w. Porsche Cayenne 6-piston calipers.

P.S. Why is this in the Style section? This really is more of a technical question. Brakes should work first and look good last.

[Growler]

bigger brakes really aren't needed unless you spend time on the track like Technotrix'd does.

upgraded rotors (cross-drilled & or slotted) are nice for the bling purpose but have their own issues.

Brembo solid rotors with a nice low dust pad are a great upgrade for "normal" drivers who want nicer stuff than stock without breaking the bank.

when I last put pads & rotors on Growler, I got Pagid low dust pads and Brembo rotors all around from www.tdiparts.com

whole setup was less than $300 shipped with a new litre of super blue racing brake fluid (different color = easier to trell when its fully swapped) and the metalnerd rear brake piston rewind tool ($50 or so by itseslf)

this setup is great for the 2.0 and TDI beetles. Im sure there are similiar setups for the 1.8t. I do not know what size the brakes are on the new 2.5 motor cars however. it will be one of the two sizes and I would guess that for the 2.5 the smaller ones are what are fitted like on the 2.0 & TDI.

other great places to look for parts

www.PAP-Parts.com (a forum sponsor BTW)
www.worldimpex.com
www.autohausaz.com (free shipping on orders over $50)
www.bestpricecarparts.com
www.tdiparts.com
www.ecstuning.com

good luck! hope this helps ladies

[Lnzbug]

So I should save my money? I'm ok with that. I have no complaints with the stock brakes.

[JuggBug]

Okay, this is good! I'm liking all the info.

I am working with the guys at ABD Racing who have suggested the Brembo big brake kit. I know that there are no engine performance mods yet, but there will be, so in the meantime, I can absolutely get my stopping power up to snuff in anticipation.

More info...more info....

And yeah duh, this thread should be moved to 2.5 technical..but who else would look there but me?

Move thy thread if ye must!

[gilligan]

I put the brembo cross drilled rotors on my car......lots of dust in the beginning until you wear off the galvinized coating and the burrs raised from the cross drilling and slot installation, but now no dust and it stops on the dime "AND" gives you nine cents change. good for the bling factor too!!

[SMG]

Are your stockies worn out? You must be really hard on them if they are. :P

SMG

[SilverSportNOLA]

I put the OEM Big Brakes up front when I noticed a slight problem slowing down from 35MPH (over the century mark) one time. The TT/337/20thAE brakes to a great job on my Brembo solid rotors. Don't know your budget but I would say the same as the others about the non OEM big brakes, not really needed for the performance level of your car .... now if you just want bling, that's one way to go for a gal that doesn't like big semiprecious rocks.

[NYBugman]

Originally Posted by JuggBug

Okay, this is good! I'm liking all the info.

I am working with the guys at ABD Racing who have suggested the Brembo big brake kit. I know that there are no engine performance mods yet, but there will be, so in the meantime, I can absolutely get my stopping power up to snuff in anticipation.

More info...more info....

And yeah duh, this thread should be moved to 2.5 technical..but who else would look there but me?

Move thy thread if ye must!

Unless your engine mods include a turbo or supercharger and plenty of track time, you do not need a BBK. Now, I am a firm beliver in brakes, but bigger is not always better.

Big brakes are usually heavier than stock, unless they're using semi-exotic materials. Heavier means decreased fuel economy and worse handling. Now, this is usually offset by the increased performance of the car they are going on.

Brakes also neeto to get up to temperature to function at their best. The larger the rotor and the more exotic the brake pad the longer it will take for them to heat up. The counter to this is that under heavy and repeated braking the pad and rotor can absorb tons of heat and resist fade, which means more consistant braking lap after lap.

What I am saying is that for excellent street braking, you do not need massive calipers and huge rotors. A larger rotor will give your caliper more mechanical advantage because of the greater swept area. I think the best option out there is the TT front brake setup. You will never need more brakes than that unless you track the car.

Just to back up what I said, I track my bug. My Father and I have a 1980 911 SC that we take to Porsche Club of America driving events. We both are friends with very skilled racecar drivers and we have had endless brake discussions. It always comes back to for the street, you really only need a more agressive pad. Anything else is overkill and strictly for looks.

It's your money and your car in the end, but I personally think it's overkill for a stock 2.5 Bug that will probably never see a road course.

[JuggBug]

This is all great info you guys, thanks! There will one day be a turbo charger in JB's future, but I don't intend on 'track time' as JB is strictly my little hobby and just for having kick fun on the road.

My main concern is just making sure I do the upgrade once and do it the right way. I knew you guys would have lots of info and suggestions for me! It really helps a lot and I greatly appreciate it!

[Mr.Yellow]

Yeah with volkswagons, the breaks they come with are already more then enough for tooling arround town and having a little fun every once and a while. so what i recomend is if you want a shorter stoping distance get some high performance pads for example the Green Stuff.

[NYBugman]

Originally Posted by JuggBug

This is all great info you guys, thanks! There will one day be a turbo charger in JB's future, but I don't intend on 'track time' as JB is strictly my little hobby and just for having kick fun on the road.

My main concern is just making sure I do the upgrade once and do it the right way. I knew you guys would have lots of info and suggestions for me! It really helps a lot and I greatly appreciate it!

if you are going to turbo the car I would research into beefing up your transmission and seeing how much power it can take before it blows up. I do not know how strong the 6-speed tiptronic is and not many people have that trans coupled to a powerful engine to my knowledge. I would be concerned fore its longevity. When it comes to automatic transmissions, sudden torque and heat kills them, and turbos create both of those things. The more power you put into an engine or trans the hotter the oil or trans fluid gets. For the trans you should upgrade to an external fluid cooler if you want to keep it safe.

Now, I can appreciate you wanting to do the job once and right, but I also want to see that you are spending your money wisely. If you really want the Brembo kit, then by all means purchase it and enjoy. Brembo's are world-class brakes and you will be satisfied, but they are a lot of brake that quite honestly, you will never see their full potential on the street.

I maintain that the best street upgrade is TT brakes and a more agressive pad. You do not need huge rotors and calipers to get great stopping power. In fact, one key component is braking is what tires you have. The best brakes in the world can't do their job correctly unless the car itself has excellent grip.

Furthermore, you should use a better brake fluid. ATE Blue or Gold for cars with automatics and ATE Gold for cars with manual transmissions. I have heard many times that ATE Blue will eat away at the clutch seals in a manual car since the hydraulic clutch works off of the brake fluid. The only difference between the 2 fluids is the blue dye. They were made to that racers could switch between the 2 to make sure that they had flushed their brake systems completely.

[dan]

hey jugg, just a little FYI

I bought all the parts today to do the TT swap, cost me exactly $303.76 including shipping.

I dont know what the Brembo Kit costs, but I'm thinking you can do the TT swap and have gobs of loot left over for engine mods/ styling mods, etc...

The carriers are on ebay

the zimmerman rotors and mintex red pads came from rockauto

[SMG]

There will be supercharger options within a few years for the 2.5's, I'd consider that if I were you. You'd be looking at well over 200hp on minimal boost. A 2.5T would be retarded fast and more than you'd ever need, let alone more than the tranny could handle.

SMG

[Billsbug]

Originally Posted by dan

...zimmerman rotors and mintex red pads came from rockauto

Cheap, easy, looks gr8, stops gr8.

[bugged]

You might want to look at the R32 brake kits from Autotech. For the price of a Brembo front brake kit, you can get front and rear R32 brakes for about $1900. I found used R32 front brakes on Ebay for $450.00 and ordered the rear brake kit with wheel bearings and new splash shields for $895.00 from Autotech. Going to slap these on soon, will let you guys know how it goes.

[Billsbug]

Originally Posted by bugged

You might want to look at the R32 brake kits from Autotech. For the price of a Brembo front brake kit, you can get front and rear R32 brakes for about $1900. I found used R32 front brakes on Ebay for $450.00 and ordered the rear brake kit with wheel bearings and new splash shields for $895.00 from Autotech. Going to slap these on soon, will let you guys know how it goes.

That's a gr8 deal! 13.3" fronts and 10.2" rears. So these are plug and play on the NB? http://www.autotech.com/prod_brakes_...unedrotors.htm

[JuggBug]

Originally Posted by bugged

You might want to look at the R32 brake kits from Autotech. For the price of a Brembo front brake kit, you can get front and rear R32 brakes for about $1900. I found used R32 front brakes on Ebay for $450.00 and ordered the rear brake kit with wheel bearings and new splash shields for $895.00 from Autotech. Going to slap these on soon, will let you guys know how it goes.

Thanks you guys...keep all the info & suggestions coming! Me and Baldy had actually talked about the R32 swap because their hot brakes too. Let me know how it works out okay?

[Billsbug]

http://www.apracing.com/roadcar/brakekit/index.htm

http://www.wilwood.com

http://www.stoptech.com