Better brakes?

[craigvwdude]

Fellas,
Has anyone done a conversion for better braking from another car? To me, stock drum brakes suck, and the Empi disk conversions aren't much better.
Or maybe a more powerful master cylinder?
What are your thoughts or ideas?
I have a 69 beetle btw.
Thanks!
Craig

[V8Nate]

I put cb wide 5 disc brakes on my 66 and the kick ass! They are expensive though

[ps2375]

Mine has Ghia fronts and T2 rear drums, put on by my father back in the 70's. It stops very well.

[H2OSB]

I have 944 rear brakes and a crazy hybrid of 944 and 914 on the front, all with the stock 1303 MC.

H2OSB

[vwo60]

I have just finished these for my new build, custom billet front hubs, 944 rotors and RX7 series 5, 4 spot calipers, , on the rear I have turbo 944 turbo brakes with the Brembo 4 spot calipers.

[TZepeSH]

I have 944NA brakes, they are awesome. I will swap to 944T brakes (4 pot calipers) which shall be better from distribution point of view. Wally's feedback was that the best setup he ever had was Ghia front calipers (46? mm pistons) and 944NA rear calipers (54mm), brake distribution would be close to stock setup.

[H2OSB]

Ghia brakes have 40mm pistons, n/a Porsche 944 rear brakes use 36mm pistons.

Wally's testimony was my inspiration. I have 42 front, 36 rear. The only difference between my brakes and what Wally used are SLIGHTLY larger front calipers (42mm pistons) and vented front rotors.

Wally was not the only one to say that was a very well balanced set up. I was told the same by Steve Carter in Australia, as well as a friend in Fresno, Ca, Jamie Allen.

In addition to that, the CSP/Kersher second largest brake set up uses 20mm thick vented rotors and the rear calipers from the early 70s BMW 3.0CS, which has 42mm pistons. If that kit wasn't so expensive, I would have gone that route and foregone all the silly machine work and expensive bolts I had to buy to make my front set up work.

H2OSB

[TZepeSH]

Yes you are right, I got them wrong, it was too early and before coffee. The 54mm pistons were on FRONT 944NA. Makes sense with 40 or 42mm on front and 36mm on rear.

[H2OSB]

I knew you'd come clean on this. I'm fully aware you're up to speed on this stuff.

H2OSB

[craigvwdude]

So is any of these a "bolt on" deal, or major mods?

[TZepeSH]

Ghia or type 3 front brakes shall be pretty much bolt on. They had similar front beam to beetle with ball joints. 944NA rear disks are also bolt on on IRS beetles. Just a few aftermarket bits are needed to make the handbrake work ("swan" adapters from LN engineering or cable ends from Kerscher, and some spacers for cable). Use the 19.05 dual MC from beetle, it gives a softer pedal feel, but longer travel. Porsche 23mm pumps give a very short travel but really hard pedal (I personally don't like it).
I have 1303, so I don't know first hand on front brakes on your model. For me it was easy to adapt the Porsche spindles.

[craigvwdude]

Ghia or type 3 front brakes shall be pretty much bolt on. They had similar front beam to beetle with ball joints. 944NA rear disks are also bolt on on IRS beetles. Just a few aftermarket bits are needed to make the handbrake work ("swan" adapters from LN engineering or cable ends from Kerscher, and some spacers for cable). Use the 19.05 dual MC from beetle, it gives a softer pedal feel, but longer travel. Porsche 23mm pumps give a very short travel but really hard pedal (I personally don't like it).
I have 1303, so I don't know first hand on front brakes on your model. For me it was easy to adapt the Porsche spindles.

Funny mention "feel". My last beetle had a "hard" pedal feel. No matter what I did to that car, It just wouldn't stop with a darn. Everything brake related was new. That's the reason for my initial post. Seems to me, beetles just lack in the brake department.

[66brm]

I fitted a set of airkewld bad discs with four pot calipers to the front of a 54 t1 with t3 rear drums. It was powered by a large turbo engine and had a hard pedal as you describe but damn did the thing pull up from high speed fast when you really pushed

[Bruce2]

. My last beetle had a "hard" pedal feel. No matter what I did to that car, It just wouldn't stop with a darn.

Your brake pads are glazed. They need to be replaced.

[craigvwdude]

. My last beetle had a "hard" pedal feel. No matter what I did to that car, It just wouldn't stop with a darn.

Your brake pads are glazed. They need to be replaced.

They were brand new.