Calipers: Big one or lightweight?

[redhot]

I guess you have to start off with prioritizing a bit;

1) Stopping power
2) Cooling ability of the brakes
3) Weight of the system
4) Ease of installation and those other things

A lightweight bug with around 195wide tires does not need much stopping power to lock-up the wheels. The original system copes with that.

So cooling; Kerscher etc addresses this in them a simple way; ventilated discs, and note; still using standard spaced-out calipers.

The weight bit is interesting; but then you also have to keep close attention to the rest of the setup; wheels, tires etc...

[SilverBullet]

This is were I found the tarox brakes setup. For all T1,2,3.
www.deikaferservice.com

[Bogara_ZO]

Originally Posted by redhot

I guess you have to start off with prioritizing a bit;

1) Stopping power
2) Cooling ability of the brakes
3) Weight of the system
4) Ease of installation and those other things

A lightweight bug with around 195wide tires does not need much stopping power to lock-up the wheels. The original system copes with that.

So cooling; Kerscher etc addresses this in them a simple way; ventilated discs, and note; still using standard spaced-out calipers.

The weight bit is interesting; but then you also have to keep close attention to the rest of the setup; wheels, tires etc...

i have the same preferences as above. but with~150hp, 17" wheels and spirited driving require more effective brakes than the original ones. The main problem is the non-porsche pattern, and I'm looking for alternative solutions to find the best setup for 5x112 pcd.

[Humble]

I think, realistically for a beetle, a ~12" (~300mm) vented rotor is about the biggest rotor you would need. 10-11" would be about perfect. For calipers, lightweight 4-pots would be best, but even 2-pot on each corner would be fine. Matching the calipers to the MC would be the biggest challenge if you choose to mix and match from different manufacturers. Another thing to consider is consumables like brake pads, high end calipers may need specific non-standard pads.

Going with a wilwood 4-pot 11" setup similar to a miata would be a great starting point and you would still be able to use 15" wheels (the best for cheap, sticky tires). My second suggestion would be a 944 turbo setup (12" rotors, 4-pots) with a 911/930 MC, with easier to find parts, possibly cheaper too.

[Bogara_ZO]

Originally Posted by Humble

I think, realistically for a beetle, a ~12" (~300mm) vented rotor is about the biggest rotor you would need. 10-11" would be about perfect. For calipers, lightweight 4-pots would be best, but even 2-pot on each corner would be fine. Matching the calipers to the MC would be the biggest challenge if you choose to mix and match from different manufacturers. Another thing to consider is consumables like brake pads, high end calipers may need specific non-standard pads.

Going with a wilwood 4-pot 11" setup similar to a miata would be a great starting point and you would still be able to use 15" wheels (the best for cheap, sticky tires). My second suggestion would be a 944 turbo setup (12" rotors, 4-pots) with a 911/930 MC, with easier to find parts, possibly cheaper too.

Thanks for the input Humble!

As I'm located in Europe I'm willing to mix european car parts. The brake pads is a very good point, that's why I'm trying to use calipers from popular cars. Actually I found a place where they make custom rotors, so maybe I should order a set with standard beetle bearing for the front with my BMW Brembo calipers that originally was used with 316x28 vented rotors. They may clear some 16" as well...the only thing I'm not pleased is the weight: each one is nearly 4 kg, that is a lot! so maybe I should pick up a Porsche caliper that - based on Clive's measurements - weights < 3 kg each

I will check the mentioned wilwood setup as well

[Humble]

Something like the wilwood superlite 120-11129 4-pot that takes a 1.1" thick disc. There's tons of rotors and rotor hats to choose from, a long list can be found at summitracing.com and you can order there or get the part numbers and order locally.