UPGRADE: Brakes for the track and the street

[s4nAri]

It is time to upgrade my brakes on my 2012 S4..

The brakes may be good for the street but I want to know what type of upgrades you have done to have better performance on the track in your S4. It would also be really helpful to give some specifics on your setup and opinions:

1-What brake set-up, brand and size?
2-Front only or also rear?
3-What pads do you use?
4-What pads have you used and didn't like and why did you swap out for another?
5-How long do the pads last (street and track)?
6-Do you switch out pads for the track or run one compound all the time?
7-Any issues with the setup (issues with balanced braking, brake modulation, squeal) -Super important-
8-Duct cooling
9-Total cost for parts and cost of labor (if outsourced)?
10-What are the Pros of your setup?
11-What are the Cons and what would you change?
12-How is the drivability as a daily driver? -Super important-
13-How many days do you track each year?

Some have upgraded just the rotors and pads (along with SS brake lines and higher temp fluid).
Others have gone the BBK route with separate pads for the track and street.

I am looking for better braking at the track but would like to still have the easy drivability on the street as a daily driver and simplicity since I probably won't be switching out the pads myself. I might be up for switching pads for track events but would like to find a setup that works great at the track and the street with one set of pads (or might I be compromising too much)..

I am leaning towards a big brake kit with my stock 19" peelers. Is a 360mm large enough considering track sessions usually last around 20 minutes. Will 380mm fit with the 19" peelers?
Will new rotors, pads, SS lines and fluid really be god enough at the track?

I have been part of this forum for around 10 years, please don't tell me to search because I have, but the information is all over the place and I feel it would be great to have a single concise thread for all those that are debating the Pros and Cons of a brake upgrade, along with all the options and combinations in one place for easy reference.

I hope that this thread might also be a good source for people that are looking to replace their worn-out pads and rotors that may not want to track their car.

Please feel free to add any pertinent questions that I might have missed.

[aaron1085]

[QUOTE=s4nAri;8761487]It is time to upgrade my brakes on my 2012 S4..

The brakes may be good for the street but I want to know what type of upgrades you have done to have better performance on the track in your S4. It would also be really helpful to give some specifics on your setup and opinions:

1-What brake set-up, brand and size?
2-Front only or also rear?
3-What pads do you use?
4-What pads have you used and didn't like and why did you swap out for another?
5-How long do the pads last (street and track)?
6-Do you switch out pads for the track or run one compound all the time?
7-Any issues with the setup (issues with balanced braking, brake modulation, squeal) -Super important-
8-Duct cooling
9-Total cost for parts and cost of labor (if outsourced)?
10-What are the Pros of your setup?
11-What are the Cons and what would you change?
12-How is the drivability as a daily driver? -Super important-
13-How many days do you track each year?

QUOTE]


I pulled the trigger about 2 years ago:
StaSiS BBK 328mm (because I wanted to run my 17" wheels on track tires to cut costs)
Only installed on the front, I simply upgraded the rear with SS lines, better pads and rotors
I've used StaSiS street/track pads for the respective duties. I plan to switch to Carbotech pads in a month or so as the StaSiS are wearing fast and very pricey.
No particular issues with the set up. The install was clean and fairly easy. My biggest gripe is an issue with heavy rain and a soft pedal during hard rain storms. Further, I have had to re-bed these rotors numerous times which if you ask me, for the price, is a bit surprising. (though StaSiS argues otherwise).
Use about 50% of the track pads per track day. Street pads have been on about 1 year and look just fine, so no complaints with those.
No duct cooling, however I have been looking into a DIY option
The kit ran me about $2300ish...install was a few hours so depends on your shop
The PROS are certainly the track ability. I wouldnt neccessarily say the brakes are "insane" on the track. Once they are warmed up, the fade is very minimal at best and I can really hammer on them for the day. I would say the CON is the daily driving and somewhat odd pad material transfer which causes re-bedding so often. I guess this may be considered a trade off to some, but it's annoying to me. They are SUPER easy to swap pads and clean, change out, whatever which is certainly nice. Further, they save some serious weight.
I do about 5-8 track days per year here in New England.

Hope this helped.