Re: V8 UFO Brake Conversion

[James Desveaux <desveaux@ucla.edu>]

Cliff:

No surprise on the lack of help from the dealers on this one.  When I bought
my '91 200TQW, I walked into Steve Taub Porsche-Audi (SoCal listers, stay
away from this one) and asked the parts managers about some part numbers on
hubs, axle shafts, etc for 200s and S4s.  He asked me why.  I told him
because I was thinking about converting the UFOs.  He said, 'I don't touch
brake changes.  I stay away from that.'  When I explained nicely that I
wasn't expecting him to assume liability, he turned away to his paperwork,
and told me he wouldn't speak to me about this anymore.  I've NEVER had an
experience remotely resembling this one at a car dealer.

For your V8, you'll need struts, hubs, calipers, and rotors.  My advice is
to find a nice used strut assembly from an S4 (I think an S6 will work as
well).  If you use the 200 setup from an 89 or 90, you'll need to change the
tie rod ends, since the tie rod ball joints are smaller on the earlier cars.

On springs, the V8 weighs more than any of these cars, but you might be okay
with S4 springs, since they're a bit stiffer than the 200 springs.  My
advice is to search around for S4 parts.  They will be newer and you won't
have to worry about tie rod ends.  THe springs from the earlier 200s most
likely won't cut it.  If you want to be absolutely safe on this, use the
springs from your V8.  Just make sure that the outfit that swaps the springs
has a giant spring compressor.

Oh, yeah, the hub spacing is a bit different (wider, according to Ned
Ritchie) on the S4s.  I did the swap 3 weeks ago and it was very straight
forward.  There is someone else on the list who just did this with his V8
last week or so.
For parts, try Autosports, Unlimited 1-800-624-3876.  Tim is the guy who's
their expert on this.  That's where I got my stuff, and they were honest and
straight forward.  I've got no connection to them, other than as a retail
customer.  It cost me about $1400 to do the switch with new rotors, wheel
bearings, pads, and brake hoses.  For most people, I suspect the cost would
be higher.  Good luck.

- Jim






At 11:39 AM 7/23/98 -0400, you wrote:
>Hi Everyone,
>
>I would like to convert the brakes on my 1990 V8 from the so-called UFO
>brakes to the conventional brakes. A couple of people have been kind enough
>to give me some pointers off the list but I am in need of more detailed
>information. I was told that I need the brakes, hubs, and struts from an S4
>and the steering arms from a 200. My dealer is of no help whatsoever and in
>fact is trying to discourage me from doing the conversion. Is the
>information that I have so far, accurate? If it is accurate, what year of
>S4 and 200 do I need? Why can I not use everything from a 200? Would I use
>the springs from my V8 or use the ones from the S4 or 200? Any help with
>these questions and any other information you might have, such as part
>numbers, would be most appreciated.
>
>