944 NA calliper size

[Shad Laws]

Hello-

If I'd read your previous post re mc selection for front to rear bias I would have seen that. In fact you even gave the ratio using a stock Beetle mc, so I can now see why people choose to use the 944 one, 23 front and 19 rear.

Yup!

The front is actually 23.81mm, which is closer to 24mm...

The standard for calipers is the mm, but for MC's, it is still the inch. MC's are always in increments of 1/16". 19.06mm=3/4" and 23.81mm=15/16". <shrug>

Is using a 944 mc a fairly straight forward swap? I know it requires fitting studs to the mc, but is the bolt pattern the same as a beetle one, or are new holes needed to be drilled

The bolt pattern is the same.

However, the hydraulic port configuration is different, although it uses the same size and thread of fitting. First, there are no ports for brake light senders. Second, the front and rear positioning is reversed: now the forward part of the MC is for the rear brakes and the rearward part is for the front brakes. While the front brake lines can easily be re-routed to the appropriate part of the MC, the rear brake line is too short! I solved the problem simply by putting a tee (same kind as used for the rear brakes on a stock VW) on the rear brake line. Then, I screwed a brake light sender into one of the spots and a short brake line into the other, which goes to the MC. Voila!

The other thing is that IIRC, the rubber grommets for the reservoir are the wrong size for the VW fittings. Of course, my application was a late T3, where everything is different to start with. YMMV on this one, but whatever the case, the modification is simple.

Oh, and the 944 MC is a nice, lightweight aluminum instead of a rusty, heavy iron :-).

Take care,