BRAKE CONVERSIONS

does anyone have any suggestions for brake upgrades? what are you using and how was the conversion?
Im wanting to change my stud pattern but to buy blank rotors and drums and then have them drilled is a ridiculous price, especially if you consider it will need to be done again sometime in the future when they are worn thin.... i have a sexy set of 16inch wheels that are 4x 114.3 pcd ( the now older and less common jap pcd) any done this???

I assume you are talking about a beetle,There is no cheap way to do brakes as a lot of peoples lives depend on them working . If you want to change the stud pattern then bite the bullet and buy the discs/drums in the pattern that you require,make sure the master cylinder, hoses and the rest of the system are in good condition and fit a small booster under the L/H/f. I use a VH44 which is available from brake specialists.

Do you want a brake conversion... or a PCD conversion?
If you want PCD change to run your wheels (let me guess - you bought them cheap?!) you have to bite the bullet..

Yes it is kinda expensive but you should get 60Kkm from new brakes and drums... maybe more. I manufacture a big brake conversion kit for Beetles but at $2K-plus on the car, it's not really intended as a budget upgrade 🙅

the 4 x 100 pcd would be much better. beetle rotors and hubs should be able to be machined off to make hubs and redrilled on the present axis without the holes interfering🤓 i think🙄

How much do you want to pay??

I paid about $700 for new rotors and drums in 5 bolt 130 PCD (Porsche)
That is top quality equal thickness ones - not the VW only thick on the 4 bolt holes so when you drill outside of this it is thin

That is about $175 a wheel - dont call that expensive

Not sure wht your suggesting Rocknrob but re-drilling existing isnt the best idea, especially if you are using bolts.
Sort of ok (but not legal) if you use the expensive knock in studs

what im saying is better value for money not cheap and to kill 2 birds with one stone i recently replaced the rotors on my second car before selling it as i know peoples lives depend on GOOD brakes and I couldnt sell it with dodgey brakes and the price was half that of the pcd change on blank beetle brakes, the wheels I have came of that car so I guess you thought wrong! the cars was the same value with or without the wheels so i kept them.
I realise there would be setup costs to start with before anyone starts guessing and stating the obvious.
Why would 4x100 pcd be better???????
if I wanted an easy fix i would stay with drilling blank brakes and i may still have to.... BUT what im asking is ! has anyone found another way? to not only change their stud pattern but potentionally upgrade their brakes.

Well most brake conversions including having to use custom drilled rotors or hubs, and like Bizarre pointed out, you need ones that are thick right the way across so that your studs/bolts go into enough metal.

Putting some sort of Porsche brakes on is about the only conversion I know where you don't use custom drilled rotors or hubs. 914 should work, while 944 / 944 Turbo is pretty common overseas, and although it's a bolt-on job at the back there's a fair bit of machining required up front, so it's not exactly a simple conversion. It also locks you into Porsche rims (5x130 PCD). I'm in the middle of 944 Turbo brakes going on my Jezebel, and although I love how it's going to end up it won't help with your 4x114.3 PCD pattern. (once I'm done I plan on creating a thread with all the info on it)

If you want to stick with your wheels I'd say seriously consider VWCOOL's setup - definitely better performance over standard, value for money I think is great, and am pretty sure he can do them in most any stud pattern you like.

👍

now thats more like it some constructive info... Thanks Sides. how ever someone out there must have done other things, I do remember many years ago seeing a beetle in a mag with mazda front brakes but thats all I remember.
Another reason for considering this option would be availability if for what ever reason I needed to replace a rotor ( cracked or warped.. what ever it does happen !) it would be nice to know I can replace with an off the shelf item not have to wait for a replacement to be made.
I will be going to my lab ( pick a part) to do some research on this and will report back... what a great place to try things, I have done this many times with various projects over the years, you pat $2 make as much mess as you want see what will fit what and the best part is you dont have to clean up!

If you are after a brake upgrade rather than a stud pattern change, I designed and sell these: Vented and slotted disc, CNC-machined hub and caliper bracket, beefy caliper

yeah the only reason i mentioned 4x100 is if you were going to try to redrill rotors/hubs4x114.3 you would have to drill thru the thin part if you drilled thru the thickened butresses the holes would overlap whereas 4x100 would miss...never done it myself and wouldn't go that way either🙅

If you are set on using those wheels, and don't want to 're-invent the wheel' so to speak, on a disc brake conversion that uses a disk/rotor with the requried PCD. Why not buy a few sets of blank drums/disks and have them all drilled and studded at the one time?. That will bring down maching costs, and will be more cost affective than development of a kit that uses requried disk. Trust me on this

Robs on the money, 4x100 is a good choice
im running it on my bug till i change over to porsche

95% of small to medium cars since the early 90s are 4x100 so theres cheap rims out there everywhere

i havent bought a new set of tyres for ages
i got 3 cars that are all 4x100 and it works out cheaper for me to pick up a set of 16-17" rims with good tyres than buy a full set of new tyres