VR6 - Potential differing brake calipers on the front?

[monVR6 0]

Hi all. VR has had some rumbling brakes so my local garage has investigated this for me. It appears there is rusting on the passenger side disc with a similar imperfection on the pads - so I am proposing to put new discs and pads on the front. But - the new pads (pagid) won't fit into the drivers side caliper and it seems there may be a non-Corrado caliper on that side. The garage said that only one type of pad is listed for my 95 VR6 - but there are two types listed for both Golf and Passat. Could someone have historically put the wrong caliper on one side - or are the pistons just not going into the caliper body properly? The mechanic is sure it is the wrong caliper but the part number is too corroded to confirm.

 

Options are to fit thinner pads - but I presume I will just be confronting the same problem at a later date - or just fit a new driver's caliper.

 

Any thoughts or comments? Could the calipers be mixed and therefore the wrong caliper fitted in the past?

 

Cheers all.

[Critical_Mass 10]

had this issue with the rears. i bought a new rear caliper for one side and when i bought new pagid pads one side (original caliper) fit fine. The new caliper the pads were too thick. Turns out, for the rear at least, there are 2 different pad thicknesses.

[monVR6 0]

Thanks Critical_Mass - this seems to suggest though that there may also be two caliper sizes too - otherwise presume the pagid pads would be too thick for both sides??? Can't see how the pads fit one side and not the other if the calipers are the same, unless wear on an older caliper(??) allows a thicker pad?

 

How did you resolve - did you just find thinner pads? Were they still pagid?

 

Cheers - this is really helpful

[Critical_Mass 10]

Ive never seen different front calipers before. But as you say it would suggest the caliper is different. Pic of caliper could help mate.

 

To resolve i put the thinner pads in. No real difference other than they wont last as long, but as its the rears, they dont wear quickly anyway. Eventually i will change the the calipers for the same type.

[monVR6 0]

Thanks - I'll try and get a pic up - but the car is locked in the workshops garage now. It is the fronts on mine, so maybe I put the thinner pads in and just accept they will wear quicker - I do a really low mileage anyway. It seems strange though as the car has always braked fine and looking back through my history, I don't think the calipers have ever been changed - so I can't see how they could be different one side to the other? As it happened to you too - perhaps they wear differently making the difference between pagid pads fitting one side and not the other?? T'is a mystery!

I presume the caliper pistons will naturally adapt to the pad thickness so braking will be even both sides? Do you think you have different calipers each side on yours?

 

Thanks again . .

[Critical_Mass 10]

i know i have different calipers on either side as i replaced one myself - the handbrake mechanism is in different place.

 

The piston will push out until up against the pads and will be fine.

[monVR6 0]

Brilliant that's cool - OK think I will go for the thinner pads and maybe look at the calipers next time - after all - having been made redundant a while back - big VR costs are a little down the list at present!

 

Thanks for all your help Gaz

[Stonejag 10]

I've got a couple of stock front calipers you can have for nowt if you come and pick them up. One has a damaged bleed nipple but the hex head is still accessible so a spiral bolt extractor should sort it. Any use?

 

Stone

[Critical_Mass 10]

So how much for the rears if you're splitting them Steve?

[Purple Tom 0]

The G60/VR6 are fitted with 280x22mm front discs with a Lucas/Girling type single piston sliding caliper, the piston diameter being 54mm.

 

The 8V/16V are fitted with 256x20mm front discs with a Lucas/Girling type single piston sliding caliper, the piston diameter being 54mm.

 

The calipers ARE interchangeable between the two vehicles, however the 8V/16V caliper is 2mm narrower as the 256mm disc is 20mm wide whereas the G60/VR6 is 22mm wide. I wonder if (as you say) historically someone has fitted the narrower caliper to your VR as unless you're aware of the difference then its quite easy to get them confused. I nearly made the same mistake when I upgraded the discs on my 8V a few years ago...here's a link

 

It shouldn't affect braking performance, unless you factor in the thinner pads heating up slightly quicker, but it would be worth investigating as it sounds like that could be the problem.

 

Tom

[monVR6 0]

Hi Tom - that's great - thanks for the detail - it certainly sounds like a possible (if not likely) scenario as the garage did say there was about a 2mm difference. More than a coincidence I would say - and defo something I will investigate.

 

Thanks again

 

Stone - thanks for the offer of the calipers - but I'm a bit far away for a collection - (you're Harpenden right) - although my parents are in Watford. I'll see how the work with the thinner pads work goes tomorrow first if that's OK - thanks though.

 

Just to say - you Corrado guys are so knowledgeable and helpful!!