914 Brake improvements???

[B_rad_Sport]

I have a 1975 914 that needs some help with the braking department. What are some good options available? If I put SS lines, good brake pads and fresh rotors, will the brake pedal feel firm and the car will actually stop quickly?

[Barber Dave]

B-ra-d-Sport:
I feel the same way. I am going to larger front calipers
320 BMW,S.S. brake lines and a 19 mm master cly. A common swap on this board ( come on guys jump in ) in beleve there is a how to ,in the Tech. section. Dave

[Tidybuoy]

I switched to the BMW 320i calipers in the front. It was an easy upgrade but the calipers have to be ground about 1/16th of an inch at the mounting bolt areas - this was much easier to do than I was expecting (this only has to be done on '73 & newer cars).

The upgrade makes my brakes feel great. I don't know if my old 914 brakes were normal but the BMW difference was like, 500% improvement.

Vern

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

You'd be surprised... A 914 with its brakes in 100% good working condition can stop quite well--since it only has ~2100 lbs to haul down from speed, you don't need massive 15" rotors and eight-pot calipers. Brad Anders, in his 1970 two-liter transplant, tells me that he regularly outbrakes BMW 3-series cars on the track...

If you go through the whole system, and rebuild or replace everything, you'll probably have pretty good brakes.

The stock rubber lines are fine, until they get about 30 years old. A new set will likely last another 30 years... Stock calipers F&R are pretty well matched with the rest of the car, and the stock master cylinder (17mm) is quite well matched to the calipers. If the rotors are not too thin and not warped or oddly worn, a set of aggressive brake pads (e.g., Hawk Blue or Porterfield "street" compound) should give you some good braking.

The stock proportioning valve seems to be tough to get all of the air out of. This is the cause of many complaints about soggy/bad/spongey brakes. It can be bled, if you're careful, or you can replace it with an aftermarket adjustable one if you have the time, location, and knowledge to tune it. The popular aftermarket ones don't seem to trap air, which is awfully nice. Plus you may be able to get the rear brakes to do a bit more work, which should help shorten your stopping distances.

Or you can start upgrading, as mentioned above. Going five-bolt is always an option, and you get vented rotors which excel at heat dissipation.

One final thought: Brakes only stop the wheels. Tires stop the car.

--DD

[orcadigital]

I definately agree with Dave on this one...

My brake upgrade options are pretty limited for my class in PCA, but with stainless lines, regular bleeding, high temp fluid (Ate Blue right now), and Porterfield Race compound pads, the car stops quite nicely. I ran Ferodo's initially (not bad, though took a bit more to heat up when street driving), and then Pagids, which i liked a lot, but the Porterfields are a whole different game.

Grant

[M. Hendrix]

You either have worn out brake parts, or a poorly bled system.

Been there.


M