4-Wheel Wide-5 Disc Brake Kit, Front + Rear | VW Beetle 1968–1972 | Ball Joint, IRS, 5x205 Wide-5 (498640 + 22-2906-J)

4-Wheel Wide-5 Disc Brake Kit for the VW Beetle 1968–1972: Front + Rear

Short answer: To convert a 1968–1972 ball joint, IRS VW Beetle to four-wheel disc brakes with Wide-5 5x205 wheels, use the AC Industries front drum-to-disc kit 498640 (stock-height ball joint spindles included) up front and the EMPI rear disc brake kit with e-brake 22-2906-J (IRS 1968–1972 and 1968 swing axle, zero offset 5x205) in the rear.

Four-wheel discs stop harder, fade less on long downhills, and don't pull when a shoe glazes. Both kits keep near-factory track width.

What's in the kit

• Front: AC Industries Wide-5 front drum-to-disc kit with new stock-height ball joint disc spindles, 5x205 (498640)
• Rear: EMPI rear disc brake kit with e-brake and stainless braided lines, IRS, zero offset 5x205 (22-2906-J)

Choose Front + Rear for the whole car, or Front Only / Rear Only for one axle.

Exactly what it fits

• VW Beetle 1968–1972: ball joint front at stock height, IRS rear, plus 1968 swing axle cars. Converts 4x130 cars to 5x205.

Does not fit: 1973 and later IRS cars, Super Beetle, link pin cars, lowered ball joint beams, and 14" wheels.

What else you need

• Wheels: 15" or larger 5x205 Wide-5 wheels; 14" wheels will not clear the calipers.
• Master cylinder: for four-wheel disc, we recommend a 20.6mm dual-circuit master cylinder such as EMPI 16-9554-0, and no residual valves in the disc circuits.
• Brake lines: plan on new hard lines or a braided line kit.

Part numbers

Kit SKU: BDL-BRAKE-DISC-W5-BJIRS

Frequently asked questions

What disc brake kit does a 1968–1972 IRS Beetle need?
AC Industries 498640 for the front and EMPI 22-2906-J for the rear, both 5x205 Wide-5.

My Beetle is lowered. Will this work?
Not the front kit. For a 2.5" lowered ball joint beam, use AC Industries 498740 instead. Contact us and we'll set it up.