HermanH's
PASSAT Site
Project: SNKVENM
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Project: SNKVENM |
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| Disclaimer: By reading this, the reader accept full responsibility in performing the following work at his or her own risk. I cannot assume responsibility for any damage, injury, dismemberment or death, as a result of you the reader, following my instructions. I supply this information freely, for those interested in knowing what is involved with such modifications on my own personal vehicle. If you find you would like to perform a similar modification to your vehicle, I urge you to first seek the advise of a qualified mechanic prior to undertaking any of the work. Some work will require physical strength that may be beyond your ability to perform |
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Tools Required |
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BIRA System 1 Brake Conversion
BIRA stands for "Braking Improvement Research Association." Their website is www.bira.org. I happened upon this site back in 1998 when I began modifications for my Passat. I knew at the time, that braking would become a big issue when chipping the 1.8T from 150hp to 200hp. I felt that the ease in which horsepower gains could be obtained, meant addressing the stopping power much sooner in my plans than I had anticipated. I began researching brake systems but found that Brembo was probably the most viable solution but expensive at about $2400 for the fronts. While the Wilwood calipers were far less, they use of silicone based brake fluids, which would require a complete flush of the Passat's system and possibly replacing seals for the new type of fluid. Then I believe a VW Vortex or ClubB5 member suggest I look into BIRA.org. I looked at what was being offered and was surprised to notice this is a grassroots type of organization. The basis for their braking systems were calipers found on Porsche sports cars. While the vast majority of the members (it costs $25 to join) owned Audi quattro equipped cars, it was apparent that the members had successfully found a viable solution to their racing needs. Low cost, ease of maintenance, plentiful suppliers for pads and rotors, and all nuts and bolts are OEM'd from either Audi or Porsche. And for those that didn't know, all Porsche calipers are made by Brembo. Dealerships for Audi and Porsche can be found in virtually every state and major city in the USA which makes obtaining spare parts quite easy. The key to BIRA and indeed, all brake conversion kits, lay in the caliper brackets. Once designed for a specific caliper, rotor thickness and wheel carrier setup, the brackets are the custom fabricated. All other parts come straight from the Porsche and Audi parts bin. The instructions on this page cannot divulge part numbers nor vendor information beyond Porsche and Audi. As a registered member, I cannot "give away the recipe" as they say. But hopefully, this write-up will give you an idea of what you'll encounter with such brake upgrades regardless of the manufacturer or 3rd party vendors. INSTRUCTIONS: Step 1. Jack up the car and
set on car stands. If you do not own a pneumatic impact wrench, you should
loosen all of the wheel lugs first. It'll make life a bit easier. Step 3. Remove the front carrier
bolts (2 x 17mm) as shown below: Step 4. Take a coat hanger
and temporarily suspend the caliper; remove the stock rotors. Step 5. Mount the new rotors
and Porsche caliper and BIRA brackets; prior to putting on
Step 8. Once you've ensured
everything clears, remove the wheels and the caliper. Step 9. Now install the stainless
steel brake line to the caliper, then mount the caliper onto the Step 10. Remove the old brake
line and caliper, and immediately install the other end of the stainless
steel brake line. You should have a drip pan to catch any fluids that
will be dripping. Step 11. Install the pads.
I elected to apply some Permatex "anti-squeal" on the back of
each pad. Be sure to push back the pistons a bit so the pads will clear.
Then secure the "H" shaped anti-rattle clip and the locking
rod which holds down everything. REMEMBER to insert the "jesus"
clip in the little hole in the rod, otherwise, you'll have pads somewhere
on the freeway! NOTE: with the Kerr Friction compounds, which I installed after this initial install, it is recommended that you put in new roller pins; the Kerr's do not have them; the pins should be 4mm diameter and about 3/4" in length. Step 12. On all of the calipers, I installed Speedbleeders®, which essentially are bleeder screws with a check valve. These make bleeding brakes so much easier!!! I love em'. Step 14. Now all that's left
is to bleed all corners, starting with the passenger side rear, then NOTE: Porsche calipers have two chambers for the 4 pistons it uses so you have two bleeder screws per caliper. Also, this may be a good time to completely flush the system if you have had fluid in the car for a couple of years. After you've bled the brakes, top off the reservoir; flushing a system will take a full quart/liter of fluid so it's recommended you buy two quarts/liters. Step 15. Use some brake cleaner and spray the area around the bleeders and wipe dry. Press down firmly on the brake pedal a few times and then check each and every bleeder for signs of leakage; on the Porsche calipers, check both ends of the stainless steel lines. It takes at least a good tank full of gas or about 400-500 miles before you can begin to brake hard on the pads and rotors so take it easy for a week and enjoy. Or if you wish, you can season the rotors and bed the the pads per BIRA instructions. Watch out for any signs of warped rotors; actually you'll probably feel it through the pedal. Here's some more pics of the finished installation:
One of the first issues that I had concerns with two years ago, was the size of the piston in the Passat's master cylinder. I've read stories of some individuals having brake pedal travel going further than necessary before braking could engage. Due to the constant running changes at VWoA, I had a lot to be concerned with, however, after the installation, my fears never materialized. My initial impressions are very positive. The pedal travel is no worse than before; pedal feel is very firm, like new, but the pads are not "grabby" as the OEM pads; I've been told the Mintex Red Box pads will eventually wear in nicely and provide very good grip on the rotors. 3-22-2002: For the last couple of months, the system was exhibiting what felt like a warped rotor or rotors. During this time period, I learned a number of things to help rectify the situation starting with the assumption that perhaps the rotors are NOT warped. It's possible, but I tried to first determine if I had installed the system correctly and had tightened all of the bolts sufficiently. Along the way, I also discovered a little thing called "indexing", which is simply referencing the rotor to a lug hole. By turning the rotor one hole, you can possibly find a position which will minimize the feel of any variance in the run-out. Any run-out of about .005" or more can be felt at the pedal. I was able to get both rotors to within .002-.003". However, while this helped slightly, the problem was still there. I finally paid a visit to New Dimensions in Santa Clara to help me figure out the problem and it turned out to be simply "pad deposition". Essentially, after a few high-speed stops, ND clearly pointed out the pad deposits (pad deposition.) This is more than the normal layer which is typical during the bedding process. They recommended NOT using the Mintex Red Box and going with something that can take the heat/pressure and vehicle weight. I ended up going with the BIRA recommended dealer, and bought a set of Kerr Friction Pads, Street Compound. Upon installation (god, it's so easy to replace pads with the Porsche calipers!) I immediately felt a dramatic difference in the way the rotor/pads felt. I was only able to do some initial bedding of 3 stops from 65 to 10mph but already, I've worn away most of the outer layer and generally speaking, feel 75% better than before. I can still feel a slight bit and I'm hoping that by the time I'm done with bedding the pads with 8 more stops, that I'll have eliminated all of the old pad deposits and FINALLY get a decent feeling brake system. Many thanks to Jason at New Dimensions for his great work. 7/22/2004 - I am updating this page due to the long awaited 12.3" 2-pc rotors from ECS Tuning! These are 312x26mm, directional vaned rotors with aluminum hats. The weight of these units are just under 12 lbs. each, making them lighter than even the 11.3" OEM rotors. The rotors were bought back in late Feburary of 2004 but did not install them until about early June. To date, I've noticed these rotors have given back approx. 1mpg better fuel milage over all, and acceleration is just slightly better than before. The biggest thing so far though, is the rotors are SMOOTH. The shuddering I was having on the A8 rotors have completely disappeared. This may be because these rotors are true "floating" rotors which allow the steel to expand freely, thus reducing warpage. Another big benefit of the ECS rotor was the rotor was cadnium plated so there is absolutely no rust in-between holes or on the hat. |
17mm deep socket,
1/2" drive Misc Tools, liquids
or compounds: |
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Related
Links
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BIRA.org |
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