Brake Upgrade Questions and Info wanted :)

[treed2 at wsu.edu (T. Reed)]

> Hey Guys...
> Done with the motor swap and now onto the next important upgrade: The
> Brakes!
>
> I found some stock 16V calipers and carriers that I just "bought"(MO
> on-route ;)
>
> I though I will refresh the whole braking system while at it.
> Tomorrow I'm going to pull all the lines and replace them with new
> ones(bought a spool of brake line and got the necessary bending and
> flaring tools). First I'm going to replace the rears since the lines
> look like crap covered in rust and it seems like someone already replace
> part of them.

Take your time and $ and do it right.. that's all I'm gonna say.

> SO...
> Here's a couple of questions that might help me a bit on my quest for
> better stopping :)
>
> 1.- I remember a slight mention of the Audi Aluminum Master Cylinder.
> What advantages would be on using this unit over the stock piece and
> what year and model can be found on?

There are a # of different MCs you can use including the corrado one.

But the only thing that will be affected by any of them is pedal feel and
travel. A bigger mc (25mm-ish) will give you a stiffer pedal with less
travel. An 8v mc with 16v brakes gives you slightly more travel. I would
stick with the 16v mc for 16v brakes. The factory setup is really quite
good.

An overly stiff pedal will make it easier to lock your brakes and give you
less control. A pedal that's not stiff enough will not give you full
braking capability. Like I said stock is damn good; I recommend staying
with it.

> 2.- I was thinking about replacing the factory rubber brake hoses with
> Braided Stainless ones. Where can I find them for a good price?

Potterman- www.parts4vws.com

This is probably old news but make sure you get the ones with clear vinyl
hose over them so they don't get dirt stuck inside the steel braids and
slice through the lines.

> 3.- What brake pads do you guys use and what would you recommend. I was
> going to used EBC pads but I figured that I would double check with the
> list first.

Ferodos kick ass if you can handle the dust. Once again, Potterman.

> 4.- While doing all this I want to drain and replace all the brake fluid
> in the system. What grade should I use? Remember I like to go fast then
> to stomp on the brakes in the last second.

ATE super blue is good stuff but stay on top of changes (every 1-2
years) because it sucks water out of the atmosphere. Castrol gtmla is a
good bet as well. Just make sure you dont use dot 5 (silicone) fluid.

> 5.- Are Cross Drilled and Slotted Rotors worth to go after or just get
> the stock replacement parts?

Depends. If you're having lots of fade already it might be worth it. I got
some stock brembos instead, I've never had fade and I have more braking
surface area because they're not slotted or drilled.

Stay away from drilled, they tend to crack. Slotted or standard, your
call.

-Toby