BIRA System 1 Brake Conversion - HermanH
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Disclaimer: By reading this, the reader accepts full responsibility in performing the following work at his or her own risk. B5one cannot assume responsibility for any damage, injury, dismemberment or death, as a result of you the reader, following our instructions. We supply this information freely, for those interested in knowing what is involved with such modifications. If you find you would like to perform a similar modification to your vehicle, we urge you to first seek the advice of a qualified mechanic prior to undertaking any of the work. Some work will require physical strength that may be beyond your ability to perform.

DIY Rating:   Moderate (3/5 wrenches).

People Needed:   1

Tools Necessary:

• 17mm deep socket, 1/2" drive
• 13mm socket, 1/2" drive
• 13mm socket, 3/8" drive
• 13mm open end wrench
• 15mm open end wrench
• 10mm deep socket, 3/8" drive (all OEM bleeder screws.)
• 11/16", 9/16" and 7/16" flare wrenches (for stainless steel lines)
• 10mm stubby allen/ socket, 1/2" drive (front caliper bolts)
• 7mm allen wrench
• 1/2" torque wrench
• 1/2" ratchet
• 3/8" ratchet
• Needlenose pliers
• Permatex "Anti-squeal"
• Lock-Tite "Blue"
• Spray can of brake cleaner
• Large glass container to hold wasted brake fluid
• About 3' ft. of 1/4" I.D. clear tubing for bleeding

BIRA stands for "Braking Improvement Research Association." Their website is www.bira.org. I happened upon this site back in 1998 when I began modifications for my Passat. I knew at the time, that braking would become a big issue when chipping the 1.8T from 150hp to 200hp. I felt that the ease in which horsepower gains could be obtained, meant addressing the stopping power much sooner in my plans than I had anticipated.

I began researching brake systems but found that Brembo was probably the most viable solution but expensive at about $2400 for the fronts. While the Wilwood calipers were far less, they use of silicone based brake fluids, which would require a complete flush of the Passat's system and possibly replacing seals for the new type of fluid. Then I believe a VW Vortex or ClubB5 member suggest I look into BIRA.org. I looked at what was being offered and was surprised to notice this is a grassroots type of organization. The basis for their braking systems were calipers found on Porsche sports cars. While the vast majority of the members (it costs $25 to join) owned Audi quattro equipped cars, it was apparent that the members had successfully found a viable solution to their racing needs. Low cost, ease of maintenance, plentiful suppliers for pads and rotors, and all nuts and bolts are OEM'd from either Audi or Porsche. And for those that didn't know, all Porsche calipers are made by Brembo. Dealerships for Audi and Porsche can be found in virtually every state and major city in the USA which makes obtaining spare parts quite easy.

The key to BIRA and indeed, all brake conversion kits, lay in the caliper brackets. Once designed for a specific caliper, rotor thickness and wheel carrier setup, the brackets are the custom fabricated. All other parts come straight from the Porsche and Audi parts bin.

The instructions on this page cannot divulge part numbers nor vendor information beyond Porsche and Audi. As a registered member, I cannot "give away the recipe" as they say. But hopefully, this write-up will give you an idea of what you'll encounter with such brake upgrades regardless of the manufacturer or 3rd party vendors.

The brake system on any vehicle is one of THE MOST CRITICAL and all precautions should be taken to ensure that they function equally if not better than before you began working on them.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Jack up the car and set on car stands. If you do not own a pneumatic impact wrench, you should loosen all of the wheel lugs first. It'll make life a bit easier.



2. Remove all wheels.


3. Remove the front carrier bolts (2 x 17mm) as shown below:



4. Take a coat hanger and temporarily suspend the caliper; remove the stock rotors.



5. Mount the new rotors and Porsche caliper and BIRA brackets; prior to putting onÊthe rotor, get a wire brush and remove as much rust and debris as possible, follow up withÊsome brake cleaner. Use two wheel lugsÊto secure the rotor and tighten all bolts (do not torque).



6. Check for any clearance issues between the centering dowels in the caliper andÊthe rotor;Êthe rotor should be centered relative to the 'caliper' not the pins, and not touching.ÊNote the washers on the wheel lugs; this prevents the threads from hitting the bearingÊhousing behind the rotor!



7. Now mount the wheels and check for clearances - here we easily have a 12mm gap:



8. Once you've ensured everything clears, remove the wheels and the caliper. Secure the rotor again with a couple of wheel lugs. Torque the carrier bolts to 90 ft.-lbs.


9. Now install the stainless steel brake line to the caliper, then mount the caliper onto the BIRA bracket. Torque the caliper bolts are to 75 ft.-lbs. using a 10mm allen-stub on a 1/2" drive.


10. Remove the old brake line and caliper, and immediately install the other end of the stainless steel brake line. You should have a drip pan to catch any fluids that will be dripping.





NOTE: 02/01/2002 - This is an addendum to this installation. It is recommended that you obtain a dial indicator and index the rotor to the hub. Indexing is a method to help compensate for tolerance issues with the rotor with respect to the wheel hub such that the final position yields a fairly true rotor, relative to the calipers. It only takes .005" of being out of true, to feel vibration in the brake system. Click here for a PDF file on indexing and rotor issues.

11. Install the pads. I elected to apply some Permatex "anti-squeal" on the back of each pad. Be sure to push back the pistons a bit so the pads will clear. Then secure the "H" shaped anti-rattle clip and the locking rod which holds down everything. REMEMBER to insert the "jesus" clip in the littleÊhole in the rod, otherwise, you'll have pads somewhere on the freeway!



12. NOTE: with the Kerr Friction compounds, which I installed after this initial install, it is recommended that you put in new roller pins; the Kerr's do not have them; the pins should be 4mm diameter and about 3/4" in length.

13. On all of the calipers, I installed Speedbleeders¨, which essentially are bleeder screws with a check valve. These make bleeding brakes so much easier!!! I love em'.


14. Now all that's left is to bleed all corners, starting with the passenger side rear, thenÊdriver side rear, passenger side front (both sides of the caliper) and finally the driver side front (again, both sides of the caliper.)



NOTE: Porsche calipers have two chambers for the 4 pistons it uses so you have two bleeder screws per caliper. Also, this may be a good time to completely flush the system if you have had fluid in the car for a couple of years. After you've bled the brakes, top off the reservoir; flushing a system will take a full quart/liter of fluid so it's recommended you buy two quarts/liters.

15. Use some brake cleaner and spray the area around the bleeders and wipe dry. Press down firmly on the brake pedal a few times and then check each and every bleeder for signs of leakage; on the Porsche calipers, check both ends of the stainless steel lines.



It takes at least a good tank full of gas or about 400-500 miles before you can begin to brake hard on the pads and rotors so take it easy for a week and enjoy. Or if you wish, you can season the rotors and bed the the pads per BIRA instructions. Watch out for any signs of warped rotors; actually you'll probably feel it through the pedal. Here's some more pics of the finished installation:





Notes:   Here are some weights I took on my bathroom scale (obviously, there's some room for error):

Components	OEM	BIRA
Front rotors	30.5 lbs (11.3")	38.5 lbs (12.3")
Front calipers, pads & mounting hardware	13-13.5 lbs	9.5-10.5 lbs

One of the first issues that I had concerns with two years ago, was the size of the piston in the Passat's master cylinder. I've read stories of some individuals having brake pedal travel going further than necessary before braking could engage. Due to the constant running changes at VWoA, I had a lot to be concerned with, however, after the installation, my fears never materialized.

My initial impressions are very positive. The pedal travel is no worse than before; pedal feel is very firm, like new, but the pads are not "grabby" as the OEM pads; I've been told the Mintex Red Box pads will eventually wear in nicely and provide very good grip on the rotors.

3-22-2002: For the last couple of months, the system was exhibiting what felt like a warped rotor or rotors. During this time period, I learned a number of things to help rectify the situation starting with the assumption that perhaps the rotors are NOT warped. It's possible, but I tried to first determine if I had installed the system correctly and had tightened all of the bolts sufficiently. Along the way, I also discovered a little thing called "indexing", which is simply referencing the rotor to a lug hole. By turning the rotor one hole, you can possibly find a position which will minimize the feel of any variance in the run-out. Any run-out of about .005" or more can be felt at the pedal. I was able to get both rotors to within .002-.003". However, while this helped slightly, the problem was still there. I finally paid a visit to < AHREF="http://www.newdimensions.com/">New Dimensions in Santa Clara to help me figure out the problem and it turned out to be simply "pad deposition". Essentially, after a few high-speed stops, ND clearly pointed out the pad deposits (pad deposition.) This is more than the normal layer which is typical during the bedding process. They recommended NOT using the Mintex Red Box and going with something that can take the heat/pressure and vehicle weight. I ended up going with the BIRA recommended dealer, and bought a set of Kerr Friction Pads, Street Compound. Upon installation (god, it's so easy to replace pads with the Porsche calipers!) I immediately felt a dramatic difference in the way the rotor/pads felt. I was only able to do some initial bedding of 3 stops from 65 to 10mph but already, I've worn away most of the outer layer and generally speaking, feel 75% better than before. I can still feel a slight bit and I'm hoping that by the time I'm done with bedding the pads with 8 more stops, that I'll have eliminated all of the old pad deposits and FINALLY get a decent feeling brake system. Many thanks to Jason at New Dimensions for his great work.

7/22/2004 - I am updating this page due to the long awaited 12.3" 2-pc rotors from ECS Tuning! These are 312x26mm, directional vaned rotors with aluminum hats. The weight of these units are just under 12 lbs. each, making them lighter than even the 11.3" OEM rotors. The rotors were bought back in late Feburary of 2004 but did not install them until about early June. To date, I've noticed these rotors have given back approx. 1mpg better fuel milage over all, and acceleration is just slightly better than before. The biggest thing so far though, is the rotors are SMOOTH. The shuddering I was having on the A8 rotors have completely disappeared. This may be because these rotors are true "floating" rotors which allow the steel to expand freely, thus reducing warpage.

Another big benefit of the ECS rotor was the rotor was cadnium plated so there is absolutely no rust in-between holes or on the hat.

 

 




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