Audi 80 Avant 1.9TDI brake upgrade

[gcogs79]

I want to replace the solid front disc setup on my avant. What options have I got in terms of replacement calipers? Can I get away with just new calipers and discs or will I need to change the hub carrier/shock too? If someone could tell me what my options are. My mate mentioned porsche 928 calipers but not sure how many other parts would need to be changed for this level of upgrade. Help appreciated...

[zollaf]

you can fit some vented discs from a coupe along with the calipers and they will bolt straight on.
thing is, why ? the standard brakes are more than capable of stopping the car.
people complain of brakes not working as they should and sometimes they need a good service, new pads of good quality, new caliper that arn't seized and new discs that are shiny not rusty.
i run vented ebs turbo discs that i robbed from my old coupe along with standard ferrodo pads and she stops pretty damned well. certainly no need for anything else.

[gcogs79]

Thanks for the reply. To be honest, I just bought the car off ebay as a bit of a project. Its getting a full inspection this weekend so i can get my shopping list sorted. I just wondered, if the calipers and discs needed changing, if there was a cheap upgrade I could do to make it a little safer on the motorway. I plan to tow a trailer as well once im satisfied everything is safe.

Any other areas I should be giving the old once over. Ive already got, heater, wiper, central locking systems to restore from non/partial function.

[zollaf]

then leave the brakes alone and replace like for like as they are more than perfectly safe. the same brakes are fitted to every other 80 apart from the v6's and s2, so for the little 1z they are fine.
front suspension bushes are worth checking as are the front subframe bushes.

[scotty33]

I guess the 'problem' here is solid discs. As Z says they stop fine but not the best for resisting brake fade. If feel the need, can get hold of a setup from a 16v or V6 car which are 280mm x 22 thick, 56mm piston. Another option is the 2.8 V6 (or coupe 20v) which uses 276mm x 25 thick with a twin piston caliper equivalent to a single 60mm piston (same spec as standard S2).
It is possible to graft in Brembo monoblock calipers, brackets exist because the RS2 used a setup derived from porsche. The problem is sourcing discs in 4 x 108 bolt pattern. Ford early focus RS discs are that pattern and 324mm (which is usually a bit too big) but usually need machining down to suit the specific bracket/caliper/hub setup