What do you think of my set up

[vwnewb88]

I looked into doing coil over conversion and in the states there are really no good, in my opinion, rear coil set ups. Maybe there are actually just non that compare to those available in the UK and such.

The brakes are from CB performance, the only problem is like i said im waiting for the motor, so sitting in the garage the brakes feel great just haven't really tested them

And yes by 4 point i mean rear hoop and two rear struts i considered going to a full cage but it's going to be my daily driver (i commute about 7 miles a day so very limited driving aside from weekends) so i did not want to hassle of dealing with a full cage on a daily bases.

And the struts i got in trade before i ever planned on doing with my anything with my bug, i traded them for an old rusty chevy block, but ideally i want to go to the top line maxx strut extreme

What brand of traction bar do you recommend, i was looking into them, but i was having trouble figuring out which ones to get size/brand wise

Sorry again for the long post but EvilC your post was very helpful.

[evilC]

I thought the QA1 rear coil overs were good quality? The kersher front coil over struts are some of the best and besides we are a global market now and access to European or American bits is easy peasy.

If they are the CB rear disc conversion they use a Golf rear caliper I think, that means that the single piston size is smaller than anything you will get for the front so the brakes will have a severe front bias. This issue comes up time after time. Crnch some numbers on the caliper/master cylinder ratios and you will see what I mean.

You could install a 6 point cage with links to the A & B pillars that will stiffen the chassis considerably. The 6 point cage has no appreciable effect IMO on the access to the vehicle unless the front legs are too far back. Wally's cage is a brilliant example of what can be done with an off the shelf unit. A door bar can be had as a removeable item. Besides the two rear struts will be difficult to transport passengers especially as you intend to connect them to the frame horns.

The Empi struts are such poor quality pieces of kit that I would have a pang of conscious if I traded them on flea-Bay. Just because you feel you might have a good deal doesn't mean you have to use them. IMO a true Germanlooker is about the engineering skill. Remember " God is in the details".

TB means 'torsion bar'. The 23.5mm bar is a standard Porsche 944/924S bar and the 25.5mm one is the 944 M030 spec. The 23.5mm bar should be readily available from breakers whereas the 25.5mm bar is a little rarer. Some people like the look of coilovers on the rear so that may be a viable alternative to uprating the rear suspension.

Clive

[vwnewb88]

I know what TB means lol. But as far as the roll bar, im not putting the back seat back in so im not worried about passengers, and i know we are a global market now, but i was looking at buying the lowering spring plates from Red9design.com and the shipping was more then the product, and those are fairly small compared to the rest of the stuff i need/want.

But as far as the breaks go since i will only be pushing about 160hp would you recommend stay with the drum in the back?

[oasis]

Originally Posted by vwnewb88

... since i will only be pushing about 160hp would you recommend stay with the drum in the back?

My '71 was under 160hp (although I never got a chance to actually dyno it). I went with disk rears because I knew I would have moments when I wouldn't just cruise about but actually engage in some spirited driving.

Now having said that, I'm not sure I needed the rear disks. Even if my next car is more robust, I'm not sure I will need rear disks. My driving patterns will probably remain the same (although more robust hp may lead to more robust driving when I'm in the mood).

I chose disks because I could afford it at the time (a big consideration) and I felt better about it since disks are better.

In the end, the front brakes are most important as they do 70% of the braking and how stout your set-up is going to be is more dependent on your driving than your hp.

Others may disagree, my opinion only.

[evilC]

There is nothing intrinsically wrong with the rear drums:
+ve
1) Low/moderate speed braking they are more efficient than discs
2) Good hand brake(parking/emergency brake) function.
3) Unaffected by rain or spray

-ve
1) Retain heat with repeated applications that accumulates and ultimately causes fade.
2) Retain water when driving through shallow streams/fords.
3) Requires periodic adjustment

For normal day to day driving a drum braked rear is a good option. However, for quick driving where repeated application will ultimately see the brades overheat and fade the disc brakes are the preferred route. Disc brakes are not so good as hand/parking/emergency brake nor as good with slow speed work. The 160bhp you envisage will probably not tax the day to day use but anything competitive will be close to the limit even with competition linings - they bring their own concerns as well. The type 3 drums are a standard upgrade on the bug and would offer a noticeable improvement.

A bug requires around a 50/50 brake balance set up since the front end has only 35-40% of the static weight, that means that the caliper sizes should be equal front/rear with the standard master cylinder.

Using a Porsche set up front and rear is near to an ideal solution since you can tailor the caliper sizes to match the balance you are looking for, big powerful brakes are standard and the handbrake is a drum that is efficient. If you are intent on a fine handling/braking super then substitute a 944 front/rear suspension and brakes.

Clive