312mm brake upgrade

[m4tty]

Hi all, recently bought a GTi and just seeing whats about for it.

I'm looking at the 312mm brake upgrade which sounds like the way to go, i've looked through the forum on the subject which has all been useful, but one thing either i've missed or its not been mentioned is about the brake lines. Are you using the standard lines on the new callipers or are you using braided lines?

Thanks in advance.
Matty

[Jeff GTi]

you can use your stock lines, but i decided to get goodridge braided hoses, defo a 10/10 choice from me, total confidence in my braking ability now, im running mk4 golf anniversary calipers and carriers front and rear with tarox disks (312mm fronts and 256mm vented rears) with tarox strada pads all round and goodridge braided stainless steel hoses all round

truely awesome stopping power

[pip_polo]

whats the actually difference when applying the brakes in the two?
i'm running standard brake lines as couldn't afford new ones, but quite an interesting question.
also Jeff, how much you pay for your pads/discs. (any links )

cheers

[Jeff GTi]

on applying the brakes with 288's the pedal feel is higher up and is sharp, but suffers quickly from brake fade, plus seems like you really need to press hard for the result you want

with 312 fronts and the 256 mm vented rears, the pedal goes in a bit more initially due to the master cylinder not being matched to the bigger caliper pistons, but it is a significantly stronger braking force, with little if any effort required to stop you

brake lines, once you have done good disks and pads, the lines are the weakest link, and with all the extra force you can apply, the lines expand like baloons under harsh braking, thus making you lose braking pressure,

with braided brake lines, they cannot expand, so the whole of the force is transferred to the calipers and then to the disks, no loss of pressure meaning even more braking ability

for prices pip, see awesome gti's website under the polo 9n3 section

[khfluk]

mine running on 312 and goodridge lines too, agreed that the difference between stock lines and goodridge is not significant under normal mild drive, but it feels a lot firmer when driving hard.

the rear i am still using the 232. does it make a huge difference on 256 vented? the only complain that i have for only changing the front is that it makes me feel uncomfortable when braking hard, probably the head dropping too much?

[Jeff GTi]

with the 256 rear vented conversion, the nose does not dive as its far more a balanced braking feeling, however, once you change the rear calipers too, the original polo master cylinder becomes mismatched to the piston sizes of the new calipers

this however does not affect the braking performance, you just need to press the pedal in a few more mm than you do with just the 312's on the front

having both the 312's up front and the 256 vented rears now, i would not go back to having just the 312's and 232mm setup again

you just have to re adjust to the brake pedal again, much as you would have had to when the 312's were fitted

hope that makes sense

[pip_polo]

Very good answers there Jeff, answered my questions anyway

I'm just going to rock the standard 312mm front and the standard 235 or what ever the back ear untill early next year when i might upgrade both again.

[M@Turner]

How much work is involved in order to carry out the 312mm conversion???

Just been looking on Ebay and you can purchase the kit for £235 delivered! (Calipers, carriers, discs and pads)

If its not too much of a ball ache to do, i could carry out the conversion at college and use it as a write up for my qualification! College has all the equipment i'd need so would save expence of having to pay someone else to fit! Surely hardest thing about this would be bleeding of the brake lines etc!

Also, think my rears will need replacing aswell, but with it been christmas, cash is a little short! Whats the best discs and pads to go for, just to see me through until next time, when i can then think about upgrading these!???

[Jeff GTi]

yeah why not, youll need to remove the carriers and calipers from the barke lines and drain the fluid

fit the new calipers and carriers, swap the disks over, put the new pads in the new calipers and refill and bleed the brakes and your done

be warned though, the 235 kits are not new, they are re conditioned calipers and carriers, so are old parts, though im sure you will get new disks and pads, but again, they will be the cheapest of the cheap stuff out there

brakes and tyres are your only lifelines in emergencys, is it worth cutting corners for the sake of a few more quid?

your call obviously, its your car and life, i chose new though, and tarox/goodridge setup

[M@Turner]

Cheers for reply jeff! Very helpful!

I wouldn't the cheapest of equipment, however not fussed about paying for the top stuff either so will probs go for mid price range stuff!

Got service due next month and MOT in january so if owt is mentioned about brakes in them, i'll look into upgrading/replacing!

Out of curiosity, how much did new calipers/carriers and tarox + goodridge hoses set you back?

[RITCHAT]

Make sure that you replace every nut and bolt removed with new ones especially the hub nut. An easy job to do and well worth it.

[khfluk]

thanks jeff

i am looking for a pair of 256 setup, but it's really hard to find them here in hongkong

[pip_polo]

for the 256 could you not use the front brakes off a polo?

[RITCHAT]

I have a set of brake calipers that will do the 256mm set up from a 9n 1.4tdi front so if these will do,make me an offer and I will find out what the postage costs are for you. cheers Sandy

[m4tty]

Cheers all for the reply