How to: 944 Turbo brakes on a Super

[sbeetle73]

I too have purchased the 86 turbo front and rear components. As we all know the rear is not an issue. The front setup obviously poses many issues. Although I believe I may have found a solution, especially if you plan to keep the 86 turbo sealed struts. Paragon products make a kit to turn the turbo sealed struts to removable insert types with koni adjustable units. Also a hight adjustable kit can be used to allow for height adjustment. The kit uses a 2.5 diameter spring. So I believe this might be a solution. I haven't purchased or attempted anything yet, just looking into viable solutions. This kit will allow for the use of porsche shocks, user selectable spring lengths and rates, provide for extra tire clearance, height adjustability, and obviously safety. Now if anyone could make caster/camber plates with integrated bearings for our cars, this would be one kicka** setup. Let me know what you guys think? Just trying to help.

[Supa Ninja]

sbeetle73, do you think you can link me to more info about that strut set-up. If the price is right it might be incentive for me to convert to 2 bolt struts. BTW, I was on the Paragon Products website and got lost on there. Thanks.

Nick

[MattKab]

This looks like a winner... :agree:

[Wally]

I think that is a very good solution! Like it. Hope the price is acceptable, so I may consider it too some day

Thanks for the pics and suggetion!

Walter

[randyj]

sbeetle73,

I looked into this a while back and I called and talked to Koni tech support about this option. They use to have a web page to show you how to do the converstion. The conversion requires you to cut the top of strut tube off after draining the fluid from the shock by drilling a small hole in the bottom of the strut. The old strut parts are removed and are replaced with a specific strut insert made by Koni. After you have the old strut parts removed, you enlarge the hole in the bottom of the strut tube to allow a bolt to be inserted (I don't remember the size). The bolt screwed into the bottom of the new strut insert is what holds the insert into the strut tube. This strut insert is made by Koni and is only made for this Porsche 944 conversion. The length of the strut insert is too long to be used in the VW Super Beetle. It is the same as if you try to use a regular Porsche 944 Turbo strut.

Another problem is that the walls of the 86 and greater 951 struts are too thin to cut threads into to allow you to place a cap on it to hold a VW rabbit strut insert in.

Ground Control will make you a new set of struts that will fit a Porsche 951 spindle for $700+ (this is a year old price) that will be height adjustable and use a VW rabbit shock and springs of your choice.

I have not yet decided if I will go with that option.

Still looking,
Randy

Originally Posted by sbeetle73

I too have purchased the 86 turbo front and rear components. As we all know the rear is not an issue. The front setup obviously poses many issues. Although I believe I may have found a solution, especially if you plan to keep the 86 turbo sealed struts. Paragon products make a kit to turn the turbo sealed struts to removable insert types with koni adjustable units. Also a hight adjustable kit can be used to allow for height adjustment. The kit uses a 2.5 diameter spring. So I believe this might be a solution. I haven't purchased or attempted anything yet, just looking into viable solutions. This kit will allow for the use of porsche shocks, user selectable spring lengths and rates, provide for extra tire clearance, height adjustability, and obviously safety. Now if anyone could make caster/camber plates with integrated bearings for our cars, this would be one kicka** setup. Let me know what you guys think? Just trying to help.

[sbeetle73]

Thanks for the info, I was going to consider something from overseas but the euro is just way too strong compared to the canadian dollar, so it gets way too expensive, the ground control setup seems to be well priced. Anyone actualy have specs on the different type of shocks, length, rebounds etc, for orginal vw supebug 71-73 shocks, orginal vw supebug 74+ shocks, vw mk1 gti/rabbit insert, vw mk2 gti/golf insert, porsche n/a shock or koni equivalent and 86+ 944 turbo shocks. The following links provide explanations on the conversion of the porsche setup. Let me know what you think. Please note im only looking into possible solutions, im removing body from frame this weekend, so suspension is only on paper for now. Its amazing how any of this info (porsche brake conversion) wasn't available 2-3 years ago. Thanks

http://www.tech-session.com/kb/index...x_v2&id=69&c=4
http://www.tech-session.com/kb/index...x_v2&id=39&c=4

[Wally]

Good point Randy;
The only other possibility I could think of, is to use the struts of the most powerfull 944 Turbo's: The turbo Sport! : They have stock already height adjustable struts and Koni Yellow inserts!
The cost of a used set (if you cab find them) is still quite high, considering what you will still have to do with them (other springs for instance...

Thanks,
Walter

[randyj]

Here is another option to fit 944 Turbo Brembo calipers to VW Super Beetle spindles from VDub Customs in Canada. This was back in October of 2004 so check with them on prices.

Enjoy,
Randy



Understood. So basically, you want to bolt on the 951 brakes to your spindle. It's no problem. We can modify your hubs to fit the spindle, then fabricate a caliper bracket that would bolt into the original drum-backingplate holes. As an alternative, we can machine new billet hubs.

Option A (modify 951 hubs and caliper brackets) would set you back $C375.
Option B (billet hubs and brackets) would set you back $C875.

If you go with A, then I'd need your hubs and one caliper to work with (maybe also a disk if you have it). In B's case I'd still need a caliper towork with in order to start the fabrication/design.

I figure in both cases you'd have to afford a 0.15-0.3" offset increase per side.

Easy,
Lanner

[Wally]

Originally Posted by randyj

Ground Control will make you a new set of struts that will fit a Porsche 951 spindle for $700+ (this is a year old price) that will be height adjustable and use a VW rabbit shock and springs of your choice.

Randy

Randy,
Those will not be the front rabbit springs I hope? Rabbit rear springs should work very well tho, because of the smaller diameter and the lower spring rate.

Thanks,
Walter

[randyj]

Walter,

I am sorry, I didn't mean to imply that they used rabbit springs but you could if you wanted to. Ground Control will put new springs(Ebach I think) on the struts they build where you specify spring rate and length. I believe the ones that we were discussing were 2.5 inches in diameter.

Randy

Originally Posted by Wally

Randy,
Those will not be the front rabbit springs I hope? Rabbit rear springs should work very well tho, because of the smaller diameter and the lower spring rate.

Thanks,
Walter