# Question with OEM brake upgrade, mk3 spindles vs 10.1 spindles.....



## Grabbit (Apr 27, 2001)

I'm trying to make a hybrid big brake kit for my mk2 so I have options for which hubs, outer cv and bolt pattern to run but in a nut shell I'm trying to find out what accounts for the offsets being different in the "hats" on 4cyl vs VR6 brake discs. First off I know we are talking about two different sizes of brakes, different bolt patterns, different ball joint styles, different hub splines and all that but at the same time there are some similarities...outer tie rod, wheel bearing, strut mounting. So, that being said I'm trying to determine if the reason the VR discs do not have a "hat" (meaning the hub mounting point is almost coincident with the outer face of the disc) is due to the caliper? carrier? Hub? or the spindle itself? Basically will a DE caliper bolt up to a 4cyl spindle? 

It looks like in these two pictures from GAP, they show the same mounting point for the caliper relative to the hub itself, leading me to believe the calipers will bolt up.

4cyl








VR6









I would love to have a VR and a 4cyl front spindle side by side to see if the difference is in the spindle itself.


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## germancarnut51 (Mar 23, 2008)

You need to decide whether you are going to go with 5-bolts or 4-bolts, AND what the maximum caliper and rotor size you are going to run will be.

You also need to decide on a budget, because that will control whether you can afford to stay with standard MKIII ABA steering knuckles and simply buy custom made 11.3" rotors to run 11.3"DE" brake calipers, or need to do a little part swapping to be able to use standard 11.3" brake components.


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## Grabbit (Apr 27, 2001)

germancarnut51 said:


> You need to decide whether you are going to go with 5-bolts or 4-bolts, AND what the maximum caliper and rotor size you are going to run will be.
> 
> You also need to decide on a budget, because that will control whether you can afford to stay with standard MKIII ABA steering knuckles and simply buy custom made 11.3" rotors to run 11.3"DE" brake calipers, or need to do a little part swapping to be able to use standard 11.3" brake components.


 Well the issue isnt with the bolt pattern, that is actually a relatively easy fix. I'm trying to see if its going to be possible for me to bolt oem 11.3 "DE" calipers & carriers to stock 10.1 spindles provided i also get the correct disc, this is where my question about the offsets come in, is it really in the spindle mounting point or in the hub. I already am running OEM VR hubs, outer cvs in stock 10.1 spindles with redrilled 10.1 discs......


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## germancarnut51 (Mar 23, 2008)

Grabbit said:


> Well the issue isnt with the bolt pattern, that is actually a relatively easy fix. I'm trying to see if its going to be possible for me to bolt oem 11.3 "DE" calipers & carriers to stock 10.1 spindles provided i also get the correct disc, this is where my question about the offsets come in, is it really in the spindle mounting point or in the hub. I already am running OEM VR hubs, outer cvs in stock 10.1 spindles with redrilled 10.1 discs......


 Then OE 11.3" rotors, and 11.3" brake calipers with carriers should bolt right up. 

Why on earth would you ever go to the expensive of changing over to VR wheel hubs, and VR outer cv joint, and then redrill 10.1" discs when you could have bolted up 11.0" or 11.3" rotors and calipers, and not spent money to have 10.1" rotors redrilled to 5-bolts? What were you doing, running 14" wheels? 

Wait, how did you get the 10.1" rotors to work? The offset would be too much. You would have had to stick spacers betweene the VR wheel hubs, and the 10.1" rotors to space them out so the rotors would run in the right plane.


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## zcxerxes (Nov 13, 2005)

germancarnut51 said:


> Then OE 11.3" rotors, and 11.3" brake calipers with carriers should bolt right up.
> 
> Why on earth would you ever go to the expensive of changing over to VR wheel hubs, and VR outer cv joint, and then redrill 10.1" discs when you could have bolted up 11.0" or 11.3" rotors and calipers, and not spent money to have 10.1" rotors redrilled to 5-bolts? What were you doing, running 14" wheels?
> 
> Wait, how did you get the 10.1" rotors to work? The offset would be too much. You would have had to stick spacers betweene the VR wheel hubs, and the 10.1" rotors to space them out so the rotors would run in the right plane.


 That's the exact same thought I just had when I read that.


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## Grabbit (Apr 27, 2001)

Ok, well to answer the question, at the time early 2003, the availability of 11.3 setups were small and the parts were pricey, also at the time the brake setup I had was already on the car and I had the intentions of running smaller drag wheels/tires once the swap was completed. Thanks for the help though. :beer:


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