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The standard Golf R brakes are fine for a standard Golf R. Add 60 or 70PS and use the car on track or on a fast road, and they start to fade after a handful of hard stops because there is not enough thermal mass to soak up the heat. A big brake kit adds disc diameter and pad area so the same energy is spread over more metal. We fitted a Forge kit to a Mk7 R and this is what it changed, and what it did not.
When you talk about modifying cars, many people will think about making more power or maybe changing the aesthetics. These are both great options but when your car is running big power you need to make sure you can still stop the car reasonably quickly. This is something that is obviously very important when tuning your car, however few people will think about it when deciding what their next big modification will be. We had a customer approach us asking for a brakes upgrade for his Golf R which we tuned stage 3 previously. For this, we ordered the Golf R Forge Big Brakes Kit which we installed ourselves.
Golf R Forge Big Brakes Kit Fitting
The kit includes a set of discs, callipers, pads and braided brake lines for each side. As you can see visually the kit is stunning and would improve the look of any Golf R’s wheel arch. But along with this, it really does stop the car. If you’d like to have a look at more forge products, check out their website.
Stripping And Replacing The Brakes
Firstly, the old callipers come off the car, followed by the old discs. For this particular brake kit, the backing plate for the discs is also removed so that everything can fit as intended. The old brake fluid is left to drain before attaching the braided brake lines.
Once this is complete, we fit the brake line, callipers and disc as shown. I think you’ll agree that even just looks alone, this kit is already x10 better than the OEM set up.
The callipers go in next, making sure they are even so that there is not excessive wear on one side. The silver pad retainer then covers the top to hold everything in place when it is in the correct position.
Once fully fitted, this is what you get. The vented discs look great and make for much better airflow through them, therefore cooling them down. The EBC Yellow brake pads that come with the kit are great for fast road or track use. Finally, before we put the wheels back on, we added 11mm wheel spacers on the front and 30mm on the rear to give the car a more aggressive stance. Our customer was very happy with the way these performed on his nearly 500 BHP Golf R.
If you have a car that is in need of a brakes upgrade, enquire with us today to see what we can do.
Questions we get asked
Do I need a big brake kit on a Golf R?
Not for road driving on a standard car. If you have tuned it and you drive it hard, or you use track days, the standard setup fades sooner than you would like. Fade is heat, and a bigger disc holds more heat before it becomes a problem.
Will bigger brakes make the car stop shorter?
On the first stop, barely. Tyres decide stopping distance, not calipers. What a big brake kit gives you is the same stopping performance on the tenth stop as the first, which on a track day is the difference that matters.
Will they fit under my wheels?
That is the first thing to check and the most common problem. Bigger calipers need clearance, and some standard and aftermarket wheels will not take them without a spacer. Tell us your wheels and we will confirm before anything is ordered.
Do I need to change the master cylinder or fluid?
Not the master cylinder with a properly matched kit. Fluid, yes: if you are generating enough heat to want bigger brakes, you want a high temperature fluid too, or the pedal will go long from boiling fluid regardless of the disc size.
Are pads and discs enough instead?
Often, for a fast road car. A better pad compound and a good fluid solve most road fade for a fraction of the cost. We would rather sell you that first and see how you get on than sell you a kit you did not need.
Do you fit them?
Yes, along with the geometry check afterwards. We are in Maidstone, Kent. Send us the car and the wheels you are running and we will tell you what fits.
