fendervg 33 Posted May 26, 2010 (edited) Hi all, looking to start a definitve thread on this and if the information is good enough we should make it sticky. A common mod is to fit MkIV Golf rear brake callipers to stop seizing and make them more reliable. The old MkII rears that were fitted to nearly all VAGs of a certain vintage are notorious for the handbrake cable mechanism freezing up, leading to pad squeal, seized callipers, or even worse, smoke. 288 mm front callipers are also a worthy upgrade as they increase pad contact area by a third, even for the relatively tiny disc diameter increase, and as far as my research goes, they will fit under 15" standard wheels, e.g. VR6 Speedlines. Both mods are 5 stud for VR6 in my case, although the rears can also be used on 8v/16v and G60 cars. We should put together a definitive list of the OEM part numbers for the components required for the conversion to act as point of reference for anyone wanting to do this - some will want to source parts secondhand and refurb, others will go for new. as the parts are all still available from the dealers. Nearly all VAG brake system parts are ATE or Girling. So basically we need: FRONT 1) 288mm callipers - ATE only, from late VR MkIII Golf, some Passats and possibly others. There are two types, banjo pipe and screw thread x2 From VR6 Golf3, banjo fitting 3A0615123 calliper with 54mm pistons lh 3A0615124 calliper with 54mm pistons rh From Passat,screw thread 4A0615123A calliper with 57mm pistons lh 4A0615124A calliper with 57mm pistons rh 2) 288mm front calliper carriers x2 4A0615125A calliper carriers 3) Calliper slider bolts and sleeves x 4 Guide bushes (For Golf VR6 1997/98) -VW Part no: 4D0 698 647 - you need 2 for each side 4) Carrier mounting bolts x 4 N90708502 Mounting bolt 5) 2 x front ABS rotors (where fitted) 6) Front flexi brake hoses - either Goodridge, VAG or DG Autotech x 2 VAG OEM 1H0611701B Brake hose front Goodridge full set braided SVW0604-6P and they are for a golf VR6 95on DG Autotech front hoses only: http://www.dgautotech.com/dgauto/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=53&category_id=25&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=96 7) Front 288mm discs x 2 3A0615301A Brake discs 8) Calliper rebuild kit - if buying used brakes Caliper Rebuild Kit (For Golf VR6 1997/98) -VW Part no: 3A0698471 - Set of seals = £12.51 inc vat, per side. This includes the Piston Seals & Piston Dust Covers 9) Front 288mm Brake pads 8N0698151 Front brake pads REAR 1) MkIV rear callipers x 2 Mk4 Golf Calipers = VW Part numbers: 1J0 615 423 & 1J0 615 424 = £76.50 + vat each 2) Rear calliper carriers x 2 (not neccesarily needed, as they should go straight on) 1H0615425 / 1H0615426 3) Rear Calliper carrier bolts x 4 ATE 4.0101-3601.2 or VAG N0139123 4) Rear Calliper slider bolts and sleeves x 4 8E0 698 470 B 5) Rear ABS rotors x 2 1H0501639 6) Goodridge Mk2=>MkIV Brake hose conversion kit (banjo fitting) x 1 Goodridge kit part number- SVW0506-2P ? 7) Handbrake cables and fittings VW part number: 1H0 609 712E = £11.32 + vat each x 2 8) Rear discs x 2 357615601B 9) Rear pads 1H069845G 10) Rear wheel bearings x 2 VW Part number: 191 598 625 You could also add brake fluid, splash shields, bleed nipples etc. but I think there is enought there to be going on with. I will do some research and update the thread as appropriate, and any help with part numbers will be much appreciated. I will add them in once they are confirmed as correct. Any corrections to the above or additional info/ideas is welcome. Cheers, Edited June 1, 2011 by fendervg Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
V-Dubstar 0 Posted May 26, 2010 I re-furbed both mk3 VR6 288's and mk4 rears recently. The mk4 rear carriers DID NOT fit onto my hub - there is a slight offset difference! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim Bowen 1 Posted May 27, 2010 i did make these threads a while back when doing mine, am sure the info could be made a bit clearer though. rears viewtopic.php?f=23&t=72885 fronts (the info is halfway down 1st page of thread) viewtopic.php?f=23&t=72642&hilit=288mm Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fendervg 33 Posted May 27, 2010 Cheers - I just want to get all the part numbers in one place. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
swiftkid 1 Posted May 28, 2010 right so the passatt 288mm brakes are a straight fit and bigger pistons? would this mean that you can literally replace the calipers, carriers and discs as a straight swap without cocking about with the mk2-mk4 hoses? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
V-Dubstar 0 Posted May 28, 2010 Mk2-Mk4 hoses are for the mk4 rear calipers mate, I assume u meant the late mk3 VR6 front hoses? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
swiftkid 1 Posted May 28, 2010 yea thats what i meant, i get confused with all these different types of hoses. How are the 288's dubstar, and how much has it cost you in total for everything? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
V-Dubstar 0 Posted May 28, 2010 Thought so mate :) Can't answer the question tho sorry mate, obv depends whether they're banjo connections or not... Yeh mate, we had some issues bleeding the system, so the pedal travelled quite a lot, felt very spongey, but 2-3weeks on I think it's starting to settle a bit, will get em bled again, but there's some definate positive response from them!! Put it this way, they're better than the 280's now but I think when it's bled again there should be an even better improvement :D Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim Bowen 1 Posted May 28, 2010 deffo worth getting 288mm fronts, i wasn't too impressed at first, but now i really notice i have much better braking power Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wy906 0 Posted May 28, 2010 deffo worth getting 288mm fronts, i wasn't too impressed at first, but now i really notice i have much better braking power Just had mine done, picking up the car this weekend, can't wait! :clap: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fendervg 33 Posted May 28, 2010 Cheers for the info, lads. I have updated the original post with part numbers. We still need some more for: ABS rotors Rear Pads Rear discs Rear bearings Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fendervg 33 Posted May 28, 2010 No more info ? Come on lads, get out your receipts and start posting ! Surely we have some more info out there. Just want to make the conversion easier off the shelf for myself and others. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fendervg 33 Posted June 2, 2010 I've just asked my mechanic here in Ireland to check prices and availability for the following from VAG - at present dealers here are doing a 25% discount over normal trade prices on brake service parts, so it will be interesting to see if this applies to older cars as well: Front: 1 x 3A0615123 calliper with 54mm pistons lh 1 x 3A0615124 calliper with 54mm pistons rh 2 x 4A0615125A calliper carriers, 288 mmm 4 x 4D0698647 Calliper guide bushes 4 x N90708502 calliper carrier mounting bolt 2 x 3A0615301A Front brake discs, 288 mmm 1 x 8N0698151 Front brake pads, set Rear: 1 x 1J0615423 rear calliper, lh 1 x 1J0615424 rear calliper, rh 1 x 1H0615425 calliper carrier, lh 1 x 1H0615426 calliper carrier, rh 1 x Goodridge kit part number- SVW0506-2P 2 x 191598625 rear wheel bearings 2 x Rear discs (standard corrado rear) 1 x rear pads (standard VR6) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fendervg 33 Posted November 13, 2010 Finally got round to getting these fitted - big difference. The 288 just fit under the speedlines, and fill out the rims nicely - the rears are reassuring, and hopefully they shoul dnot suffer from any seizinf like the MkIIs. Brake feel is very positive and definitely better. The only issue was the Mk2 to Mk4 rear hoses - the banjo nut was the wrong size and we had to get a new one from a hydraulic hose place. I went for all new parts, but you could get away with refurbed s/h items - especially the carriers, as these are very pricey. Definitely a mod well woth doing and still OEM - VR6s should probably have had 288s as standard anyway seeing as the Mk3 Golf Vr6 had them. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
V-Dubstar 0 Posted November 14, 2010 Finally got round to getting these fitted - big difference. The 288 just fit under the speedlines, and fill out the rims nicely - the rears are reassuring, and hopefully they shoul dnot suffer from any seizinf like the MkIIs. Brake feel is very positive and definitely better. The only issue was the Mk2 to Mk4 rear hoses - the banjo nut was the wrong size and we had to get a new one from a hydraulic hose place. I went for all new parts, but you could get away with refurbed s/h items - especially the carriers, as these are very pricey. Definitely a mod well woth doing and still OEM - VR6s should probably have had 288s as standard anyway seeing as the Mk3 Golf Vr6 had them. Yeh they're quite a snug fit between the Speedlines ey?! :lol: It was only the late mk3 VR's that had 288's (95 onwards) so it was too late for the Corrado then :( Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fendervg 33 Posted November 14, 2010 Yeah, I guess it was too late by then - still would have been nice if they'd had more stopping power from the get go. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fendervg 33 Posted January 20, 2011 Updated list with more part numbers for rear discs, pads and ABS rings. That should be pretty much it. Can we make this sticky if possible ? Thanks. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dude VR6 0 Posted January 20, 2011 Nice work :clap: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tony_ack 0 Posted February 9, 2011 I've also read that the 288 setup was also used on MK3 GTIs from late '95 onwards, so that should make second hand setups easier to find. Will the ABS rotors that are already on the Corrado fit on the 288 discs? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bournemouth James 0 Posted February 12, 2011 The abs rotors fit to the back of the hubs not the brake disc Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tony_ack 0 Posted February 12, 2011 The abs rotors fit to the back of the hubs not the brake disc Ah yes - I was thinking of the rears! Plus I also thought at first you needed new hubs, but thankfully you don't :-) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
harryc 0 Posted March 1, 2011 Does anyone know a good guide for mk4 rear calliper conversion? I have; Mk4 callipers Vr6 brembo rear discs New VW rear bearings Vr6 rear pads Do i need a new mk4 handbrake cable and cable clips? Do i use the vr6 rear carriers with the mk4 callipers? Any guide to removing and replacing the handbrake cable including new clips? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
harryc 0 Posted March 2, 2011 Also the part number for the mk4 cable isnt being recognised by my vw dealer? When I say hand brake cable clips which ones are these? The one s that attack the cable to the car or to the calliper? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim Bowen 1 Posted March 2, 2011 i used standard corrado handbrake cables with my mk4 calipers, am sure i put that in my guide somewhere with part numbers Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
harryc 0 Posted March 2, 2011 What about cable clips? Are these to attach the cable to the rear beam? Just ordered mk4 handbrake cables, will these be wrong? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites