Hi guys
Got a reasonably stock 1500 bug and am having trouble with the brakes, looks like they will have to be renewed,
As they suck pretty bad I would like to hear people's opinions on upgrading 4 lug brakes.....
There's lots out there but with limited first hand experience it can be hard to decipher through all the info...
Thanks
Mike

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Basic upgrade, slotted discs up front, type3 square back drums on the rear, decent fluid & bleeding the lines works wonders, stock brakes rocked on my super when rebuilt & adjusted correctly

the UK VW forums seem to be onto a couple of replacement 4 pot caliper suppliers that bolt straight on. Sounds simple enough.
Otherwise, try and drive a 4 lug beetle that has all brakes working properly, as they work impressively well when everything is in good order, and it might just be what you are seeking. Plan to replace all flexible rubber hoses as well. Make an effort to get a dual circuit master cylinder for right hand drive cars, as there is a bunch of cheap left hand drive units on the market and its a bodge to fit one.

But if you are chasing high speed performance, resistance to brake fade, etc then stock wont cut it.

I found even with my 1776, stock brakes are pretty good with road tires, if well maintained.

Just do a full renew. Service the master cylinder, front calipers, and new rear pistons.
Maybe go the later style front calipers (can't remember spec) but they have a sqaure pad with more material options
Maybe new front discs (slotted if you want) if required
new flexiable lines is a must
Flush all the metal lines
have a look at front pads. QFM do some nice higher performance pads, they will put new material onto old backing plates. Call Luke at brakes direct.

and remember, the stock brakes are not power assisted, so you cant compare the braking effort vs braking response with modern cars. They will work well, but you just have to push a bit harder.

These are being run on a few buggies with good reports.http://www.meyersmanx.com.au/Disc-Kit-Rear-4-Stud-VW-130mm-PCD-Long-Axle-IRS-P98.aspx

Stock brakes should work just fine.

First thing to do is fit new flexi hoses and bleed the entire system with new fluid and adjust the rear shoes and handbrake properly.

If they still aren't great then either/and the MC seals are failing and the calipers need rebuilding.

If however you want to upgrade then tarox do a 6 pots that bolts in place of the std caliper, guy on here does a kit using HSV calipers (VW060 or STiDub).

If you do upgrade you don't want to go too mental on the fronts as you'll change the brake biasing and the car may not stop much better or be more of a handful when braking hard.