[Shad Laws]

Hello-

I'm getting all caught up in this whole 'Porsche brakes' for the beetle stuff. I just needed to get some kind of reality check. While it would be really neat to have 996 brakes on my beetle, I don't think they are necessary.

It all depends on your style of driving. If you plan to see road tracks routinely, where brakes glow red on every turn, then they are needed. If not, well, then there's many other setups that will do just fine :-).


I'm still in the research/looking phase, but will be acquiring a '58-'61 Ragtop. I will shortly thereafter install a Raby 2270 Type 4. I'm not sure on the HP yet, but figure between 100 and 140. (I think)

Obviously I will need to upgrade from stock, but what is enough? I really like the idea of Porsche brakes, but am not liking the fabrication and $$ needed.

What would you guys suggest? I definitely want to go disk all the way around, and want to keep a parking brake. I have mechanical abilities, but don't have any fabrication access/abilities. Above all, I want my beetle to be safe. (at least as safe as a Type 1 can be)

Well, what you "need" really depends on your style of driving. The simplest solution I'd recommend is getting Ghia-style front discs and CB "rotohub" rear discs. You can use the stock 4x130 bolt pattern or have them drilled for 5x130 Porsche. If you want a little more braking _power_, then get some carbon-kevlar pads for them. The stock master cylinder works fine here, too.

The reason to go for more has less to do with "safety" (i.e. at normal highway speeds) and braking "power" and a lot more to do with heat soak. If you want to do a lot of routine braking, say in autocrossing or whatever, I'd recommend going to the simplest Porsche upgrade: the normally-aspirated 944 setup. It's relatively cheap, and gives you four-wheel vented discs. You are forced to use the 5x130 bolt pattern, though.

If the reason you want Porsche brakes is to look pretty, then I suggest this: get whatever discs you plan to use cross-drilled (by a professional who knows how to chamfer to eliminate stress problems) and get some nice epoxy paint for the calipers. This treatment even on the solid discs makes them look gorgeous :-).

Take care,