I'm gonna slip in a 16v lump in my Mk2...

my 1st question is: when upgrading the rears, what have people used? - GT drums/Golf discs etc...

how have you solved the problem with mk2 not having a bias valve? - did you use a GT one, go aftermarket, or none at all?

if I used G40 calipers up front and Golf discs/calipers out back, would it work on the standard M/C? - Would it be too much to handle without going down the servo route?

Basically, I'd like to know what people have done on Mk 2 Polos when upgrading from the VW parts bin...Whats the best set up?

Any help is greatly appreciated - Thanks!

You don't really need discs on the back. If you do go down that route then you just need the Scirocco pressure limiting valves. The later cars had the same valve as the 16V Scirocco which had the rear discs as standard.

Golf MK3 1.8 stuff.

Front - vented 239's.

Rear - the bigger,wider 200mm drums.

Edit - forgot braided hoses.

Press the pedal hard enough and i can lock all four wheels on 185's,but more importantly,the brakes are nicely balanced and virtually fade resistant.

Edited 27 January, 201115 yr by MikeyMK

Mk2 hold gti 16v setup. 256 fronts, rear discs and a 22mm master cylinder. No servo or bias valve. Going to take a risk, and not add a bias valve. However, since I have a gt rear beam, the set up is there for a valve if I choose to go with one

My set up is total overkill i know, but it was cheap and I fancied doing it as a project. Will have to make new hard lines though to accommodate the master cylinder though. Mikey's idea has the advantage of widening the rear track too

Golf MK3 1.8 stuff.

Front - vented 239's.

Rear - the bigger,wider 200mm drums.

Press the pedal hard enough and i can lock all four wheels on 185's,but more importantly,the brakes are nicely balanced and virtually fade resistant.

yes. exactly... really don't need anything more... this is my setup, using ebc pads and discs and its awesome...

don't go for discs on the back else you gonna end up spinny...

Shouldn't spin if they're set up ok. I'm assuming that if I use a gild brake set up, it won't spin the golf doesn't

the 22mm master cylinder doesn't fit the mk2 polo because of the lack of servo.

VWII calipers up front with vented discs, braided hoses and new standard parts everywhere else transformed my brakes. I don't think you'll need anything more than that. And it's a nice easy swap.

I know spen's done a rear disc conversion on his mk2 saloon, and he's had loads of trouble with it. Which leads me to think that they are far more trouble than they're worth.

What trouble has he had? The MS does fit, just needs to be modified a little

What trouble has he had? The MS does fit, just needs to be modified a little

In what way?

Is it just the Stub axles and all internals needed to run 200mm Drums?

Shorten the input shaft from the brake pedal. Or you could put a spacer in. Hard lines need to be modifies replaced too since they connect to the MS different

Is it just the Stub axles and all internals needed to run 200mm Drums?

All bolts straight on,but yes you need the complete assemblies including stub axles/wheel bearings.

The drums and shoes on the ones i found were quite new,nicely bedded-in for me. Cost ten quid from a breakers.

Your existing handbrake cable clips straight on,existing brake line screws straight in. All you'll have to do is adjust the handbrake cable (by the adjuster under the handbrake lever in the car),and of course bleed the fluid,as you would when servicing the drums anyway.

Sweet! :) Cheers..

Shouldn't spin if they're set up ok. I'm assuming that if I use a gild brake set up, it won't spin the golf doesn't

ha... my old one did... several times, however i did buy it for £150 , and it was never the finest example of a golf gti... always found i a bit dicey if i was a little fast into a corner.. never have that issues with either of the polo's i've had.. this coupe s on kw handles better by miles than the old golf...

How much was your kw kit chief?

How much was your kw kit chief?

i think something like £400 from venom... its a beaut.. not particularly low but rides real nice.. its wicked on the shit roads around here, makes the car feel real fine.. like something far more than what ti is..

My setup for my g40 was:

Audi 80 callipers and carriers 239mm vented

22mm master cylinder

Braided hoses

Standard pads

Take away the master cylinder and this will all fit the mk2 easy. I'm sure the audi brakes have a larger piston thaan the vw11 ones...

They were definatly better, had no probs coming down hard from 135mph on a trackday

Thanks for all the replies guys - its been helpful!

Observing your discussion - I have come to the conclusion on the set-up i'll use: G40 239mm discs/calipers up front and Passat 200mm drums out back.

It seams to be the most sensible upgrade I can do without it being ott. I should imagine this will be perfectly matched for the AFH power output. - I'm not sure if I'll really need to upgrade the m/c on this stuff tho...

What trouble has he had? The MS does fit, just needs to be modified a little

Does the reservoir clear the bulkhead or do you need to run a remote one?

Shouldn't do, though I haven't actually fitted one yet. I was going to use two individual ones, not the single, large one. Though someone did mention he had to modify the bulkhead to fit the m/c but I'm not sure which bit was fouling. It may have been the reservoir. You will need to modify the hardlines though, since they connect to the m/c totally different

What problems is spen having with his then?

I'm assuming the G40 calipers have the same piston size as the standard Mk2 ones...And I should imagine the Passat drum slave cylinders can't be that much bigger than my original ones either.

...For this reason, I might not bother with changing the the m/c...unless the the Mk3 GT/G40 m/c is bigger than the Mk2 Coupe S one - and it bolts straight up with no problems.

Shouldn't do, though I haven't actually fitted one yet. I was going to use two individual ones, not the single, large one. Though someone did mention he had to modify the bulkhead to fit the m/c but I'm not sure which bit was fouling. It may have been the reservoir. You will need to modify the hardlines though, since they connect to the m/c totally different

What problems is spen having with his then?

All I know is that the handbrake gave him alot of headaches as it just didn't want to work properly.

That's not a too big problem. Youngprodigies had come up with a solution to that apparently. As long as then problem isn't serious!

Hi,

 

Sorry to drag up an old thread but I need some help.

 

I live in New Zealand and parts are hard to come by, I have a '86 polo, and want to upgrade the brakes. I am sorted with what I need for the front, but I've found a pair of reconditioned drums from a mk2 golf and wondered if they would fit the back without too much hassle? 

 

Thanks in advance.

With Golf stub axles and rear bearings to match they should bolt straight on a coupe shape.

But probably 14" 4x100pcd wheels for clearance?

Breadvan might need arch surgery as Golf drums are wider.

 

Have you got a brake pressure regulator? Sensible if lowered as it adjusts front/rear bias.

Rears don't have to work very hard, but they must not grip harder than the fronts.

I'm lucky enough to have a servo and a BPR. My recent roller brake test at MOT got something like 210kgf each for front brakes (239mm vented VwII ) and about 120kgf each for standard rear brakes (180mm x 30mm drums).

Okay, thanks for that.

 

Its a 1986 Polo C Hatchback with a 1 litre engine, it was imported to NZ in 1990 from England, it looks very standard and is running 13 inch wheels, I've looked under the back bumper and couldn't see anything resembling a bias valve.

 

 

Would this https://www.vwheritage.com/171698600-rear-brake-overhaul-kit-mk1-golf work for the back without changing any stub axles? 

 

I am going to the scrapyard and see if I can get some VWII type calipers off something there at the weekend. I'm guessing they'll be on some mk3 polos and mk3 golfs.