VWR brakes, very disappointed, but hoping to feel better !

[kev@kpm]

a couple of things, i have fitted no end of these brakes to various cars. now, the first set i was given to fit when taken from the box, my immediate thought was that they had either been built incorrectly or were designed to be fitted at the rear of the disk, (trailing)

rather than spend time trying to get hold of VWR, (believe me i know how difficult this can be!!) i went straight to the guy who is responsable for their build, who i luckily know through racing, he has no reason to "fob" me off and pretty much said the same as above, which i found a little odd. taking his word  i carried on as requested and  i have to say we have never had an issue with pad wear or performance. we run these brakes on two of our 6 vw cup cars and personally i think they are a great product for the money.

as for the tt arms saga, i was in a position at the start of the year where i didnt have alot of choice, after shattering an alcon disk, i had no spares to race with. our only hope was to fit a second hand set of vwr brakes complete. simple......

untill i found the fouling issue on the ball joint, (i must add this was about half 11 at night and i lost my sense of humour completely) as it was my own car i took a tt bottom ball joint and machined it back untill there was no "casing" left. having learnt how thick the bodys were we then removed only the neccecary material for the brakes to clear, which in our case was only fractional.

this car has run all season with no issues and you would expect the cornering forces it is seeing on the circuit under race conditions to be far greater than you would see anywhere else. sorry to ramble on but i hope this is of some help.

[Carrera2RS]

Very helpful indeed 

How much meat have I got to play with on the ball joint ?

[kev@kpm]

Ok so there is no reason yours should be any different from ours however, don't just keep grinding away untill they fit!!!! It is only the bottom outer radius that we reduced by about 2mm. Very difficult to explain, let me take a picture when I get to work, it will explain all. Was in two minds whether to mention this because it sounds like a proper lash up. Ours were genuine tt joints, and there was more than enough meat to play with. Picture to follow.....

[kev@kpm]

right some piccies



the above shot from underneath, gives the best indication of how much we removed, very important you dont break the pressed in sealing plate at the bottom side.



the shot above from the front where we had to relieve it further round than the following shot from the rear.



we really didnt have to take much off at all but other cases may differ, since these were fitted we even tried fitting various different pattern joints but as yet have not found one any smaller in body than the genuine ones. if i can be of any further help let me know.

[Carrera2RS]

Awesome pictures and very clear 

[vRSAlex]

Also be aware that the tt ball joints usually fit under the wishbone rather than on top. This may push them further towards the disc.

[QD MBE]

Great on a track only car.

I think that you would have difficulty explaining to your insurance that you had removed material from a VAG developed component, thus weakening the structure.  Albeit only marginal, still modified.

What happens when the ball joint fails?  IMO there are some things that interrupt the safe modding path, and DIY removal of material from a vital component without any development is one of them.

Stress paths, loading etc, also being subjected to the direct heat of the brake disc might have a effect on the ball joint?

[RagingKileak]

I've read this thread and I think I understand it.

The conclusion? I'm not gonna buy VWR; that is all.

Matt

[Carrera2RS]

All now on, Simpson Motorsport also chamfered the excess metal on the inner face off the disc to get sufficient clearance for heavy suspension movement and full wheel lock 

They have excellent pedal feel and stop as I would expect and hoped. The car now has brakes ! Moving from an M5 with 6 pot AP's then an E92 M3 I was shocked how crap stock brakes are. I can now take speed off the car in a very stable reassuring way, something I had very much missed.......

[the bruce]

 

Congrats !!

Also be aware that the tt ball joints usually fit under the wishbone rather than on top. This may push them further towards the disc.

This doesn't affect how the ball joint clears the disc. 

[Carrera2RS]

Bruce,

Thanks for all your help 

Plus I also had my arch screws removed and folded back to retain and slightly lift the inner arch. I have zero 'touches' since. They were never a major problem and no tyre whitness marks but over big dips at certain lock I would hear a small 'kiss' whcih was annoying 

I am very nearly there now 

[_Nathan_]

Another thumbs up for Simpsons, top guys, my car lives there 

[Carrera2RS]

Just to update.

So far very impressed, braking has feel, bite and immense stopping power. This is what should be fitted to a performance hot hatch IMO. I never forgot pushing the middle pedal for the first time in a Porsche RS, it reminds me how poor most cars are at stopping and shedding speed.

Forget the emergency stop at 20mph, it's the ability to shed 30-40 miles an hour off your speed when you want to quickly and competently with feel and control. Previously hit the middle pedal when you need too and it was worrying in comparison.

Don't overlook your brakes guys 

[Tfsi_Mike]

Useful thread thanks for the update!  I would definitely consider this setup in the future

[gobbleplease]

Yip defintooly the best mod you can do on the gti, a set of decent stoppers !

You mentioned rubbing on your arch ? Out of interest roughly how much lower are you ? Does your bbk require a spacer ? And are you running standard pescaras ?

Cheers Bryan