Boxster Brakes on your 1.8T Beetle: DIY

[NYBugman]

So, I FINALLY got to install my Boxster brake kit that I pieced together over the course of a couple of months. I took some pics and wanted to write a little DIY to share my information with anyone out there who may be interested in doing the same thing to their car.

DISCLAIMER: I am not responsible for any problems that you may encounter should you do undertake this project yourself. Always work safely by using jack stands and a good sturdy jack (NOT the widowmaker!).

What you're going to need:



- 2 Brembo/Porsche Boxster brake calipers (1 left & 1 right). These are available from the dealership, online retailers like Pelicanparts.com, auto dismantlers, or eBay

- 2 Pure Motorsport Boxster brake caliper carriers & the supplied bolts (PureMS.com)

- 2 Audi TT/20thAE GTI/Jetta GLI front rotors (Tire Rack)

- 2 Banjo bolts for Boxster calipers (ECS)

- Brake pads of your choice (Hawk HPS from Tire Rack)

- Brake fluid of your choice

What you MAY need:

- New Porsche/Brembo pad retaining clips (Pelicanparts.com)

- OEM VW caliper carrier to spindle bolts (ECS)

- New bleed screws

Tools & Supplies:

- Loctite or other type of thread locker (other than a moderator)

- 18mm socket on 1/2" drive ratchet

- 11mm open-end wrench for bleed screws

- 13mm open-end wrench for banjo bolts

- Wire brush (manual or on a grinder)

- Brake cleaner

- Phillips screwdriver

- Flat screwdriver

- snips/wire cutters

- something to catch fluid in

- mallet/hammer

- patience

__________________________________________________ ________________________

I will assume you, the reader, knows how to safely put their car up in the air and remove the wheel(s).

1) Take the flat screwdriver and pop the brake pad wear sensor apart. You'll need it later

2) Detach the brake line from the caliper. Hang the line out of the way.



3) Remove the caliper from the spindle, carrier and all. You will not re-use the carrier in this project.

4) Remove the old rotor set screw with a large Phillips screwdriver. The rotor should come off, but you may need to help it along with the mallet. BE CAREFUL! The rotor is heavy and may fall.

5) Take the wire brush and brake cleaner and clean the hubs of any rust and corrosion. Here's a before shot:



6) Take your Pure Motorsport carrier and install it on the spindle. Torque to spec as per the Bentley manual.







7) Install your new rotor on the hub using the set screw.

8) Install your caliper onto the new carrier with the supplied allen-head bolts. I am not sure of the torque spec for these, but don't go too tight, as they are screwing into aluminum threads. Too tight and you'll strip the threads!



9) Insert your new pads into the caliper and lock them into place with the retaining clip and pin. You may need to grease the pin and tap it into place. The clip must be pushed down for the pin to hold pressure on it, which in turn holds pressure on the pads



10) Install your brake line onto the caliper. You MUST use the ECS banjo bolts, as Porsche uses a different pitch thread than VW. However, your stock or stock-length stainless VW lines will work for this project. I needed to use an extra copper washer (one of the old ones) to properly position the line and the banjo bolt. 2 on the caliper side and one on the bolt head side.

11) Take your old brake pad wear sensor connector from the old pad and cut it off. Connect the wires and tape/shrink-wrap them shut. This will keep any brake warning lights away, as the Boxster pads do not have provisions for the brake pad wear sensor. Install it and secure it out of the way with a zip-tie.



12) Double-check anything and everything. Check for leaks around the bleeders, crossover tubes and the banjo bolt.

13) You're done! Remember to bleed the brakes when you have completed your project. Bleed the outside bleeder first, then the inside. Remember to bed in the brakes with about six 60mph to 5mph runs.






Wheel caveat!

This kit is essentially the same as the ECS Tuning Stg.2 v.1 kit. Use their template to check if your wheels will clear the calipers. You may need a spacer, or you simply may not be able to use your current wheels. Wheels that I KNOW will work are:

BBS CH (18x8.5 et30)

Audi TT 5 and 6-spoke wheels (I use a TT 6-spoke as a spare tire)

Long Beaches w. an 8mm spacer (my winter setup)

__________________________________________________ __________________

And there you have it. Tomorrow I will post about how the car stops with the new brakes.

On the difficulty meter, I would rate this one at the same level as a brake job + brake bleed.

I noticed that the 4-piston calipers are lighter than the cast-iron OEM calipers. However, any weight savings are negated due to the heavier 12.3" rotor.

Finally, I put this kit together for probably $400 LESS than the ECS Stg.2 v.1 kit. I got the calipers for a fair price off of eBay, so that saved a lot of money. I also saved money by using a plain rotor and not a slotted or drilled rotor. I also had SS lines on the car already, and plenty of ATE blue fluid (my car is an automatic, so I don't have to worry about the blue dye hurting clutch seals. Use ATE gold if your car is a manual), so those didn't have to be purchased along with the rest of the parts.

I hope this helps some people out in the future. It took me quite some time to compile the info, so this should make it easy for others.

:thumbup:

[karn_porsche]

Oh, Love it!!! It's on my plan in future.

[NYBugman]

Bled and bedded them in. Stopping power is increased, but the big thing is that the pedal feel is much firmer and travel is shorter, and they're easier to modulate.

:thumbup: :thumbup:

[FineExampl]

That's damn cool man.

[NYBugman]

Finished product.

I'm looking forward to next season. We'll see how these do on the track

[Beetlemania]

Awesome writeup!

Maybe one of these days I'll be able to do the same.

[NYBugman]

It should be noted that those people with a 2.0L or a TDI can do this upgrade as well, HOWEVER, you will need the spindles from 1.8T or VR6 in order to make it all work. The 2.0/TDI spindle has the caliper carrier cast right into the spindle, while on the 1.8T/VR6 the carrier is a separate part.

It has been about 3 days since these brakes have been on the car. Pedal feel is nice and firm. Effort needed to stop the car is reduced greatly. I have no shimmy, vibrations, or any other feeling that would be associated with something going wrong.

In the aesthetics department, it's just what I wanted. I sanded off the "Porsche" logo from the caliper and painted them gloss black. If you didn't know any better, you'd think it was a stock caliper. The 12.3" TT/20thAE rotor is large enough to make a visual impact, but not so big as to attract attention. The additional benefit from using an OEM rotor is that when I do need to change my brakes again, the rotor is readily available from the dealer, a local parts store, or any number of online retailers.

I am very pleased with the results.

[PostO]

Originally Posted by NYBugman

... I sanded off the "Porsche" logo from the caliper and painted them gloss black...

Awesome! Props to you for not being a poser. (Although those are real Porsche brakes, you know what I mean) I would've done the same thing.

Great writeup and sweet looking car. You mention the blue ATE brake fluid messing up clutch seals? Care to elaborate?

[NYBugman]

Originally Posted by PostO

You mention the blue ATE brake fluid messing up clutch seals? Care to elaborate?

I have heard that ATE blue will damage clutch seals. This is caused by the blue dye that is in the fluid. ATE Type 200 fluid is the sale exact fluid as ATE Blue, but without the dye. The reason for the color change is for racers to see exactly when all their old fluid is out and the new stuff is in.

Of course, the damaged clutch seals are what I have heard. Some people run ATE blue in the 5 and 6-speed cars without issues. Other people have had issues. You never get to see the cool blue color of the fluid, so just stick with ATE 200 or another good fluid, like the fluids from ELF and Motul.

And my choice to remove the Porsche logo was simply to not attract attention to them. Not that my car doesn't attract attention now, but I didn't want a big red caliper that said "porsche" for everyone to see when my car is parked on the streets of NYC. Basic black works just fine.

[PostO]

Originally Posted by NYBugman

I have heard that ATE blue will damage clutch seals. This is caused by the blue dye that is in the fluid. ATE Type 200 fluid is the sale exact fluid as ATE Blue, but without the dye. The reason for the color change is for racers to see exactly when all their old fluid is out and the new stuff is in.

Of course, the damaged clutch seals are what I have heard. Some people run ATE blue in the 5 and 6-speed cars without issues. Other people have had issues. You never get to see the cool blue color of the fluid, so just stick with ATE 200 or another good fluid, like the fluids from ELF and Motul.

And my choice to remove the Porsche logo was simply to not attract attention to them. Not that my car doesn't attract attention now, but I didn't want a big red caliper that said "porsche" for everyone to see when my car is parked on the streets of NYC. Basic black works just fine.

Thanks for the info. I've been running blue ATE since my last flush two years ago. I'm due for another flush and I have a couple of liters of ATE 200. The main reason I went blue was just as you mentioned, being able to see the color change indicating a good flush. I haven't noticed any leakage from the tranny area so I guess I'm lucky. I'll be good for another 2 years with the gold stuff tho.

I guess I was trying to say that I prefer the "stealth" look as well with regard to removing the Porsche lettering.

[garrett]

Hate to dig up a 4 year old thread but I'd rather not make a new one. Do any of you know if this will work for a 98 NB TDI?

Thanks

[turboturbo]

See post #7.

[garrett]

PartsHaus.com: Steering Knuckle Right - 1J0407256AJ

PartsHaus says the spindle is the same between TDIs and 1.8Ts :dunno

[TechnoTrix'd]

Dude thanks for finding this one! These are past gems that we need to bring up every once and a while.


Sent from my Autoguide iPhone app

[garrett]

Lookie what I got!



Paid a hundred bucks a side!!! Car-part.com is an awesome website

[garrett]

Volkswagen New Beetle 2.5L > Braking > ECS Stage 2 > ES#494 Banjo Bolt - Priced Each - E7GZ2L122A

NLA!!!!! No! What do I do now?

[garrett]

The part number on ECS Tuning comes up as a Ford part number, I called my local dealer and ordered 2 of them. Detroit warehouse only has 20 so if you want to do this mod in the near future, I would hurry and order them.
Call your FORD dealer and give them this part number:
E7GZ2L122A

It was like 8$.

[TechnoTrix'd]

Originally Posted by garrett

Lookie what I got!



Paid a hundred bucks a side!!! Car-part.com is an awesome website

Very cool!

Hey did you get the carriers with them as well? Or are you going to buy the same ones NYBugman did?

Sent from my Autoguide iPhone app

[garrett]

Originally Posted by TechnoTrix'd

Very cool!

Hey did you get the carriers with them as well? Or are you going to buy the same ones NYBugman did?

Sent from my Autoguide iPhone app

They mount directly to the Porsche hub so no carrier is required from Porsche, the one from PureMS is the only way to mount it to the Beetle's spindle.

The process is a bit more complicated for me because I have a TDI and thus need to replace my entire spindle with a 1.8T one. But it also gives me an opportunity to do my wheel bearings as well.

[garrett]

Anyone have the dimensions for the PureMS mounts?