Our Top Recommended Big Brake Upgrade Kits For Your Volkswagen Golf MK3
Most of HiSpec’s Golf MK3 range is not really a Mk3-only range. From 278mm through to 335mm, the listings are named “Volkswagen Golf Mk1/2/3”, one physical kit built around a front hub that carried across three generations of Golf. If you are searching for a brake kit for a Mk1 or Mk2, not a Mk3, the kits on this page are the ones you want too.
Below are the kits we would actually fit, from the two brands we stock for big brakes: Tarox in northern Italy and HiSpec Motorsport in Dartford. The full Golf MK3 range is on the site if you want to browse it raw.
- HiSpec's 278mm to 335mm kits are listed for the Golf Mk1, Mk2 and Mk3 together, all on the same front hub
- Tarox dual-list every kit under both the 2.0 GTI and 2.8 VR6 badges, at an identical price each time; the two engines share the same hub
- Watch this one closely: of the three Tarox disc sizes, the smallest is the most expensive and the biggest is the cheapest
- Every Tarox minimum wheel size below was looked up from their own site, not assumed from the disc size
What is on this page
- The two brands
- One hub, three Golf generations
- Wheel sizes for every kit
- HiSpec 278mm and 285mm Billet 4
- HiSpec 300mm and 310mm Billet 4
- Tarox 323mm 6 pot Sport: bigger and cheaper
- HiSpec 335mm Monster 4 and Monster 6
- Tarox 318mm 6 pot Sport
- What is in each box
- Every kit compared
- Common questions
- What we would actually fit
Two brands, two ways of listing the same hub
Both machine their own calipers from billet aluminium and build every kit for the specific car it is going on. On the Golf MK3 both brands have quietly confirmed that several different badges share one physical fitment.
Tarox
Built at the factory in northern Italy. Calipers are CNC machined from European billet alloy and hand assembled, discs are heat treated and hand balanced to 0.05mm. Every kit arrives complete: vehicle specific braided hoses and Corsa pads already fitted. Every Golf MK3 kit is listed twice, once for the 2.0 GTI and once for the 2.8 VR6, at the same price.
HiSpec Motorsport
Machined in Dartford from 6082 T6 billet aluminium, calipers and pistons both. Made to order in up to 28 working days, with the caliper finished in your choice of black, red, blue, gold or silver. Most of the range is listed for the Golf Mk1, Mk2 and Mk3 together, one kit for all three.
One hub, three Golf generations
HiSpec’s 278mm, 285mm, 300mm, 310mm and 335mm kits are all listed as “Volkswagen Golf Mk1/2/3”, not Mk3 specifically. That is not a typo repeated five times, it is HiSpec telling you the front hub did not change enough across three generations of Golf to need separate kits. If you are reading this with a Mk1 or Mk2, not a Mk3, the kits below are still the right ones. Tarox go a step further, splitting by badge instead of generation: every Golf MK3 kit they list covers both the 2.0 GTI and the 2.8 VR6, at an identical price under each name, because those two engines share the same front hub on this platform.
Wheel sizes for every kit
HiSpec publish a minimum wheel size on every listing. Tarox do not print one on the page, so every Tarox figure below was looked up from their own site for this guide, not assumed from the disc size.
| Kit | Disc | Smallest wheel |
|---|---|---|
| HiSpec 278mm Billet 4 | 278 x 22mm | 15 inch |
| HiSpec 285mm Billet 4 | 285 x 24mm | 15 inch |
| HiSpec 300mm Billet 4 | 300 x 28mm | 16 inch |
| HiSpec 310mm Billet 4 | 310 x 28mm | 16 inch |
| Tarox 305mm 6 pot Sport | 305mm | 16 inch |
| Tarox 318mm 6 pot Sport | 318mm | 17 inch |
| Tarox 323mm 6 pot Sport | 323mm | 17 inch |
| HiSpec 335mm Monster 4 / 6 | 335mm | 17 inch |
HiSpec 278mm and 285mm Billet 4: the way in
The smallest kits we would put on a Golf MK3, both behind 15 inch wheels, and both listed for the Mk1, Mk2 and Mk3 together. The 278mm is the older one piece disc design, the 285mm steps up to a two piece floating disc for a modest price increase. Same Billet 4 caliper on both: four pistons, machined from 6082 T6 billet aluminium. Pads and braided hoses are priced separately on both, so budget for those alongside the headline price.
- 278mm at £785.44, 285mm at £1,188.53, both inc VAT
- Fits behind 15 inch wheels
- 278mm one piece disc, 285mm two piece floating disc
- Pads and braided hoses priced separately, five caliper colours
- Made to order in the UK, up to 28 working days
HiSpec 300mm and 310mm Billet 4: the 16 inch pair
Both fit behind a 16 inch wheel and sit about twenty pounds apart. Same Billet 4 caliper and two piece floating disc construction as the 285mm kit, just bigger. Garreth’s call: unless a specific wheel says otherwise, take the 310mm for the extra disc diameter, the price difference is small enough not to matter. Pads and hoses are priced separately on both.
- 300mm at £1,233.29, 310mm at £1,254.77, both inc VAT
- Both fit behind 16 inch wheels
- Two piece floating discs, 28mm thick
- Pads and braided hoses priced separately
- Five caliper colours, made to order in the UK, up to 28 working days
Tarox 323mm 6 pot Sport: bigger and cheaper
Of the three Tarox disc sizes on the Golf MK3, this is the one to take, and the reasoning is unusually simple: it is both the biggest and the cheapest. The 305mm kit costs £2,078.89 inc VAT, the 318mm costs £2,050.00, and this 323mm kit costs £1,748.98, over three hundred pounds less than the smallest disc in the range. We checked this more than once because it looked like an error; it is the actual published pricing. Complete as always from Tarox: braided hoses and Corsa pads already fitted, listed for both the 2.0 GTI and 2.8 VR6 at the same price.
- £1,748.98 inc VAT, complete, the cheapest AND biggest of the three Tarox kits
- Listed for both 2.0 GTI and 2.8 VR6, same kit either way
- Fits behind 17 inch wheels
- Corsa pads and braided hoses included and fitted
- 6 piston caliper, hand assembled in Italy
HiSpec 335mm Monster 4 and Monster 6: the track pair
HiSpec’s biggest kit for the Golf MK3, listed twice over just like the smaller sizes: once generically for the Mk1/2/3 and once specifically for the Mk3 VR6, same kit, same price, either name works. Pads and braided hoses are priced separately here too, so factor that in before comparing against the Tarox kits, which include both. The Monster 6 gives up to 63 per cent more piston area than the Monster 4 for the same pad size, worth it on a car doing regular track days.
- Monster 4 at £1,534.62, Monster 6 at £1,671.90, both inc VAT, pads and hoses extra
- Both fit behind 17 inch wheels
- 335mm two piece floating disc, 28mm thick
- Also listed under the Mk3 VR6 name at the same price
- Five caliper colours, made to order in the UK, up to 28 working days
Tarox 318mm 6 pot Sport: the middle option
Sitting between the other two Tarox kits on disc size but not on price, the 318mm costs more than the bigger 323mm above. There is a reasonable case for it anyway if you want a disc size between the two instead of the outright best value: same B32 caliper, same complete kit with pads and hoses fitted, same 17 inch minimum wheel as the 323mm. For most buyers we would still point at the 323mm first.
- £2,050.00 inc VAT, complete, costs more than the bigger 323mm kit
- Listed for both 2.0 GTI and 2.8 VR6, same kit either way
- Fits behind 17 inch wheels
- Corsa pads and braided hoses included and fitted
- 6 piston caliper, hand assembled in Italy
What is actually in each box
Tarox include pads, braided hoses and brackets on every kit, fitted at the factory. HiSpec’s Billet 4 and Monster kits both price pads and braided hoses separately here, the same pattern we are seeing across the newer HISC- listings in this series. Add roughly £120 to £150 for a set of pads and hoses before comparing a HiSpec price against a Tarox one.
| In the box | HiSpec | Tarox |
|---|---|---|
| Calipers | Billet 4, Monster 4 or Monster 6, 6082 T6 billet aluminium | Billet alloy, hand assembled |
| Discs | One piece (278mm) or two piece floating (285mm and up) | Two piece floating, balanced to 0.05mm |
| Brackets and hardware | Included | Included |
| Braided hoses | Priced separately | Included |
| Pads | Priced separately | Corsa pads, fitted |
| Caliper finish | Black, red, blue, gold or silver | Black, red, blue, green or gold anodised |
| Built in | Dartford, UK, up to 28 working days | Northern Italy |
Every kit on this page compared
| Kit | Disc | Fits | Smallest wheel | Pads / hoses | Price inc VAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HiSpec 278 Billet 4 | 278mm, 1P | Mk1, Mk2, Mk3 | 15in | Extra | £785.44 |
| HiSpec 285 Billet 4 | 285mm, 2P | Mk1, Mk2, Mk3 | 15in | Extra | £1,188.53 |
| HiSpec 300 Billet 4 | 300mm, 2P | Mk1, Mk2, Mk3 | 16in | Extra | £1,233.29 |
| HiSpec 310 Billet 4 | 310mm, 2P | Mk1, Mk2, Mk3 | 16in | Extra | £1,254.77 |
| Tarox 323 6 pot Sport | 323mm, 2P | GTI, VR6 | 17in | Included | £1,748.98 |
| HiSpec 335 Monster 4 | 335mm, 2P | Mk1, Mk2, Mk3 | 17in | Extra | £1,534.62 |
| HiSpec 335 Monster 6 | 335mm, 2P | Mk1, Mk2, Mk3 | 17in | Extra | £1,671.90 |
| Tarox 318 6 pot Sport | 318mm, 2P | GTI, VR6 | 17in | Included | £2,050.00 |
Prices include VAT and were correct on 15 August 2026. Tarox minimum wheel sizes looked up from their own product pages per kit.
Common questions
Will these kits fit my Golf Mk1 or Mk2?
Most of the HiSpec range on this page will: the 278mm, 285mm, 300mm, 310mm and 335mm kits are all listed for the Golf Mk1, Mk2 and Mk3 together, on the same front hub. The Tarox kits are listed for the Mk3 specifically, under the GTI or VR6 name.
Why is the biggest Tarox kit the cheapest?
It genuinely is on this car: the 305mm kit costs the most, the 318mm is in the middle, and the 323mm, the biggest disc of the three, is the cheapest. We checked this figure more than once before publishing it because it looked wrong. It is the real published pricing, and we have featured the 323mm as the best value pick because of it.
Does it matter if I buy the GTI or VR6 listing?
No. Every Tarox kit on this page is listed twice, once under each engine name, at the same price and the same specification. Buy under whichever one matches your car, the physical kit is identical.
Why are pads and hoses extra on the HiSpec kits?
HiSpec price the hardware bare so you choose the compound to match how the car is used. Both pads and braided hoses can be added at the same time, we will quote the finished build level so you can compare it properly against the Tarox kits, which include both as standard.
How long before it arrives?
HiSpec kits are made to order in Dartford, allow up to 28 working days. Tarox kits are built for the specific car at the factory in Italy and lead times vary through the year, so ask when you place the order and we will give you the current picture.
What we would actually fit
On 15 inch wheels, the HiSpec 285mm Billet 4 over the older 278mm, the two piece disc is worth the small step up in price. On 16s, the 310mm Billet 4. Once you are on 17 inch wheels, the Tarox 323mm is the one to take between the two Tarox options, it is both bigger and cheaper than the 318mm sitting next to it, and complete out of the box. If you would rather stay with HiSpec at 17 inch, the Monster 4 is our default, Monster 6 once the car is doing proper track days, budgeting for pads and hoses on either.
Ring us on 0115 9893488 with your Golf’s generation and badge, and your wheel size. Confirming which kits share a hub across generations is Cameron’s corner of the business, so give him the details and you will get a straight answer.