Hello and happy new year!
I have a 2009 1.6 petrol Ibiza and recently did a 'big' brake upgrade on the front. I've seen a couple of posts on this forum asking about upgrading from the smaller 256mm setup to the 288mm, but never seen it done, so I hope this post can help anyone who's interested in doing the same thing.
Parts needed to do this job:
The 256mm brakes are completely fine most of the time, I even put on a set of EBC Redstuff pads and they worked really well. However with how I use the car the 288mm setup will be better suited, and I believe a worthy upgrade. Lastly, we all know bigger brakes are cool
.
Unfortunately I didn't take many pictures during the upgrade, but I have a few before and afters. This video is pretty much exactly what I did (except he went for the even larger 312mm carriers and brake discs instead).
Before, my brake setup looked like this:
Now, this is what it looks like:
Side by side with the smaller brake disc.
I'll be getting the front wheels aligned before I properly bed-in and test the capabilities of the new brakes, so I'll post an update of the car feels then (especially with the change in brake bias).
The job took a couple of days but wasn't too difficult. It can be done for cheaper if you buy the calipers and carriers together off another car, and buy generic brake pads too. Couldn't be happier with how this went and hopefully this helps others who want to do the same.
I have a 2009 1.6 petrol Ibiza and recently did a 'big' brake upgrade on the front. I've seen a couple of posts on this forum asking about upgrading from the smaller 256mm setup to the 288mm, but never seen it done, so I hope this post can help anyone who's interested in doing the same thing.
Parts needed to do this job:
- Steering knuckles without integrated carrier (I bought complete setups with the wheel bearings and dust shields already installed) - 6Q0407256S
- VW 288mm to 312mm calipers - 1K0615123
- Caliper carriers - 6R0615125
- Caliper carrier bolts - N 90708504
- Caliper slide pins (simply transferred them from the 256mm calipers) - 251 615 219
- Caliper retaining springs - 1K0 615 269
- Discs & Pads
Why did I do this?
This job came about after I had a wheel bearing go bad last month, so I figured it would be a good time to upgrade as the cost wouldn't sting as much. I've always felt like the front brake setup on my car was too small for the handling capabilities (1.6 N/A & 1.2 TSI are the quickest 6J models with the 256mm setup), so I always had this upgrade in the back of my mind. Sure, I could've just put some more track-orientated pads on with performance brake fluid and called it a day, but I wanted to do a substantial upgrade as I'd like to take the car on track soon.
The 256mm brakes are completely fine most of the time, I even put on a set of EBC Redstuff pads and they worked really well. However with how I use the car the 288mm setup will be better suited, and I believe a worthy upgrade. Lastly, we all know bigger brakes are cool
.Doing the upgrade
Unfortunately I didn't take many pictures during the upgrade, but I have a few before and afters. This video is pretty much exactly what I did (except he went for the even larger 312mm carriers and brake discs instead).
Before, my brake setup looked like this:
Now, this is what it looks like:
Side by side with the smaller brake disc.
How do the new brakes perform?
On the first drive I did notice the brakes had a bit more initial grab, but the main difference was when slowing down from +40mph; they just feel more powerful and reassuring. I'm not sure if this is due to the different calipers, the EBC Yellowstuff pads, or the extra leverage of having a larger brake disc. They still feel pretty similar to the smaller brake setup, but the main advantage of the bigger setup will come into play when I take the car on spirited drives/track.
I'll be getting the front wheels aligned before I properly bed-in and test the capabilities of the new brakes, so I'll post an update of the car feels then (especially with the change in brake bias).
What would I do differently?
I made the mistake of buying the calipers and carriers separately. The calipers are easy to get, the carriers however are very difficult to buy on their own for a good price. If I were to do the job again, I'd pay a bit more for Audi S1 calipers with carriers (I saw some for under £150 on eBay). 310/312mm discs can then be used and you wouldn't have to go through the rabbit hole of trying to find carriers for a good price!
The job took a couple of days but wasn't too difficult. It can be done for cheaper if you buy the calipers and carriers together off another car, and buy generic brake pads too. Couldn't be happier with how this went and hopefully this helps others who want to do the same.
