Which brake disc kit?

Hi,

I've searched for this and haven't found a definitive answer. I'm planning on fitting full discs to my Chesil Speedster build. The problem is I can't decide between the various kits. There is very little information about the specification of the kits and am having trouble making any sort of meaningful comparison and was wondering if someone could help out with some advice.

I'm planning on running a 2.1 litre engine with around 150-160 bhp. I'll upgrade the master cylinder too.

I can't decide between the following two kits:

1. CB Performance Wide 5 kit
2. Airkewld BAD Wide 5 kit

I know the BAD kit comes with Wilwood 1 or 2 piston calipers and cross drilled discs. The CB kit has solid discs and their own calipers (I think). The CB kit is $550 and the BAD kit will be $880 -for the fronts only. For a car that weighs as little as the speedster is it worth spending the extra for the BAD kit or will the CB performance kit be enough? I want to be able to stop safely but don't want to go overboard especially given the light weight of the car.

Thanks in advance,

John

John--I opted for the . B. Performance kit. There are others out there and some cost 3x what I spent for the C. B. kit. I spoke with C. B. and asked what should be done to guarantee satisfaction and was told that the torque values MUST be observed as some troubles some folks had were traced to improper torque.

Mine had some casting problem with junk, or metal pieces blocking flow of the brake fluid so just inspect your set to make sure all passages ae clear.

Last, get the new master cylinder C. B. reccomends as well as the special valve that gives a proper full pedal.

This is a good-looking rear brake kit, very beefy and it stops a Speedster on a dime! Mine stops straight ahead with no pulling.

I guess that rear discs might be considered by some as overkill and most al the makers say that you just don't need them and maybe you don't, but I really like the safety factor the extra stopping power provides---plus, unlike drum brakes, discs are self-adjusting.

Good luck---let us know what you do!

You will be able to stop safely with the stock VW drums. Further, your horsepower, whether 36 or 236 doesn't have anything to do with stopping. If you hit the brakes at 70 it doesn't matter what engine you have. If the weight of the car is the same, the friction to slow it down is the same.

Of course disc brakes are more efficient than the stock drums in many ways. But if the drums can lock-up the wheels in a panic stop situation then it illustrates they can develop much more than the necessary stopping friction required for safety.

If your question is: Will you be able to stop safely with drums? The answer is yes.
If your question is: Will you be able to stop more efficiently with discs? The answer is yes.
If your question is: Will you be able to stop more efficiently and more safely with ABS? The answer is yes.

Pick the answer you like and apply it to the question you have.

John, I'm just in the process of installing an Airkewld BAD brake kit. Mine includes dropped spindles and my rotors have a Porsche bolt pattern.
What brakes you should buy depends on how you plan on driving your car. I'm rebuilding my IM into a canyon carver and I want the brakes to be as fade free as possible. I have upgraded brakes on my street/track Miata and I want comparable brakes on my IM. For me the choice was simple. I'm a big fan of Wilwood calipers and Airkewld is the only company than manufactures a brake kit for a type 1 using Wilwoods.
The kit's components are very well made, and no sanding or cleaning is needed. Having said that, I did manage to strip one caliper bracket thread. I emailed Pete, at AirKewld, and asked him to order me another bracket. Pete replied that he would send the bracket to me and only charge me for the shipping. Great customer service!
I also have the CB basic rear brake kit, and I think it's a good kit. Not on the same level as the BAD kit, but it's also a lot cheaper.
One important thing to remember is that your tires determine how well your car stops. Buy the best tire you can.

Paul If you own a speedster chances are that you have more than a little petrol in your blood. Put the biggest baddest brakes onto your car that you can afford. I put a tweaked turbo motor into my car putting out 250hp on the wheels. I drove the car for about a week before my brake upgrade was fitted. Scary, thats the only way to describe the old brakes. Yes if you cannot exceed 30mph, stay with the standard pathetic drums, The fronts must be ventilated, this will allow you to have some extended fun on a twisty mountain pass, or spend some time on track without running out of brakes.

I used a local kit for the rears, utalising a pirate copy of the golf mk1 gti rear caliper with mk2 front disks (solid). The fronts were decided on the availabilty of some beatifull red 4 pot porsche calipers complete with the porsche wording on them. (made by Brembo) I had a set of front disks from a 730i BMW modified (cut of the cast top hat and drilled to fit a custom top hat made from aly billet. The front hubs were part of a local front disk brake conversion (about US50 each). The whole setup probally cost in the region of US$1200.

This was a lot of money but I now have brilliant brakes. Dont let any one tell you that the rears dont do any work. After 7 or 8 laps on a track the back brakes are just as hot as the fronts!

knowing that every time you hit the brakes that the car is going to stop in a straight line is very important. My setup worked out perfectly without a brake bias adjustment althoug the pedal requires a pretty good push. One other area that is not negotiable are the braided stainless steel brake hoses, The rubber standard ones just flex to much.