Date:         Tue, 5 May 1998 20:27:02 -0400
Reply-To:     John Anderson <vwbus@MINDSPRING.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         John Anderson <vwbus@MINDSPRING.COM>
Subject:      Re: Retrofitting power steering-is it worth it?/BRAKES
Comments: To: Otmar Ebenhoech <Otmar@EVCL.COM>, vanagon@vanagon.com
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

>        I sense I need to know about this :-)
>        Are the 86 brakes better? Bigger? If so, I'll want them on my
>stretch, it will need all the brakes it can get. My weight estimates are


'86 on brakes feature Kelsey Hayes style calipers like all modern VW's, a
floating 1 piston caliper design, superior in many respects, but actually
though I've never looked closely inferior in the fact that a 1 piston
caliper has far less piston area, but that only matters to a heavier pedal,
makes me wonder if late boosters are bigger or anything though (probably
not)  Anyway what it does get you is a substantially larger pad area, which
is only positive, and I think a fairly thicker front rotor, still solid of
course.  Will it really help?  Who knows, MSDS used to sell a substantially
upgraded drilled rotor kit paired with some trick pads, to go along with 911
conversions or just people subject to fade in general.  Personally I've
never faded an early van, used to fade my Corrado with 11" vented rotors
occasionally, just got to know what you are driving and drive accordingly.
Will it be an improvement, certainly, quite perceptibly, I own both style
vans '85 and '87 (neither campers), and doubt it.  I have never faded the
'81 camper brakes either, driving a heavy vehicle is a matter of planning
ahead in all situations.  Others think it is a great improvement YMMV.  I'd
like someone to figure a nice front vented rotor conversion, that may really
help things out, if I had a problem to begin with.

John