Recommended Rotors

[IvanAceOnA4]

2006 Audi A4 2.0T, what rotors do you guys recommend.

[canadianA4B7]

350 mm

[kt883]

Zimmerman Zcoat 320mm were $85/55CDN each, F/R from autopartsway.ca

They are inside and out dipped/coated with a zinc alloy rather than painted like most

[LINDW4LL]

I like Stoptech or Centric Premiums (125 series). Great quality at a good price. The Premiums are blanks, while Stoptechs are offered in drilled/slotted if that's your thing.

Zimmermans are known to be quality as well.

[EvolutionArmory]

What's wrong with OEM? I got 170K out of my front pads and rotors on my 2012 Jetta diesel and 160k on the rears. I turned it in to them with the original front brakes and they had plenty of life left.

OEM pads and rotors are gtg.

[kt883]

^because in my area at least, OEM's are double the price ($150 each for the fronts ) as Zimmerman (fronts $85 each) which as said above is a known good brand and OE supplier.

OEM pads are good but dusty so depends on what you want. Do you care about dust or can you live with it? Do you track?

[dalmation53]

had this on my last B7 for 50k miles and were amazing getting ready to buy a set for this car.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Front-Set-2-...hYb3r0&vxp=mtr

[EvolutionArmory]

I don't track my car, no. The op didn't indicate what his needs were so I just assumed daily driving.

I would rather spend the extra money and buy OEM for brakes. In my experience, they last longer and don't warp as much but that's just me.

[dalmation53]

I don't track my car, no. The op didn't indicate what his needs were so I just assumed daily driving.

I would rather spend the extra money and buy OEM for brakes. In my experience, they last longer and don't warp as much but that's just me.

why the fuck would you spend $600 on oem's when you can get brembos at $400 and 1,000,000 times better lol

[EvolutionArmory]

why the fuck would you spend $600 on oem's when you can get brembos at $400 and 1,000,000 times better lol

Qualify that statement. What makes Brembo stock replacement rotors 1,000,000 times better? Do you have any facts to back up that they are superior or are you just assuming they are because Brembo is a name in the performance world? A pair of OEM front rotors is only 60 bucks more than Brembo OE type replacements. I would rather have OEM because I know they last. That's just me. 170k on stock rotors is pretty darn good. Have you ever got 170k out of a set of Brembo rotors?

160k of that was done in 2 years in stop and go traffic.

[dalmation53]

Qualify that statement. What makes Brembo stock replacement rotors 1,000,000 times better? Do you have any facts to back up that they are superior or are you just assuming they are because Brembo is a name in the performance world? A pair of OEM front rotors is only 60 bucks more than Brembo OE type replacements. I would rather have OEM because I know they last. That's just me. 170k on stock rotors is pretty darn good. Have you ever got 170k out of a set of Brembo rotors?

160k of that was done in 2 years in stop and go traffic.

Lol i was going to reply but is not even worth it haha

Sent from my C5306 using Tapatalk

[vce1232000]

Most of Brembo products used to be manufactured in Italy. That statement is no longer true. It has been severely outsourced to other countries. Imo Brembo brake rotors are inferior to Zimmerman, Stoptech or Centric Premiums. Several things on cars you do not want to cheap out on when it comes to safety, Brakes and tires are top on the list.

[EvolutionArmory]

Lol i was going to reply but is not even worth it haha

Sent from my C5306 using Tapatalk

You won't because you can't, not because you don't want to :) That's cool. You say other brands are better. I disagree. I have a 97 A4 that has at least 75k on its OEM brakes, my last car had 170k on its OEM brakes and my B7 which just got brakes will probably never need to be replaced as long as I own it.

OEM brakes last from my experience. That's why the fuck I spend a few extra bucks on OEM. :) A few extra bucks up front saves me hundreds long term.

[tloft4]

you could both be right and both be arguing completely different things.... 170k miles on brake pads seems pretty far, but if you baby it the whole way or however you drive, and it works for you, thats fine. if you stomp on them like cross drilled slotted bbk etc at race speeds will they last that long? will they stop you at all? no need to get upset over opinions in either direction. going from stock pads/rotors --> ceramics on stock has taken away 99% of dust and driving is completely the same (to add a tiny bit of content here too)

[panman142]

+1 for Zimmerman if you want plain rotors. Can't argue their quality, my personal opinion oem is not worth it but I'm someone who prefers upgraded braking system vs oem.

To OP:

All in all we need to know how you drive the car and if it sees track time before any useful recommendation can be made


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine

[EvolutionArmory]

you could both be right and both be arguing completely different things.... 170k miles on brake pads seems pretty far, but if you baby it the whole way or however you drive, and it works for you, thats fine. if you stomp on them like cross drilled slotted bbk etc at race speeds will they last that long? will they stop you at all? no need to get upset over opinions in either direction. going from stock pads/rotors --> ceramics on stock has taken away 99% of dust and driving is completely the same (to add a tiny bit of content here too)

I'm not upset :) I just expect someone to be able to explain such a bold statement. I mean, a million times better is a lot....and for 200 less even. Lol

I look at it this way. Let's say a person can get 100,000 miles on OEM pads and rotors that cost 600 and can only get 50,000 miles on what I think are lesser pads and rotors that only cost 400. Those 400 dollars pads and rotors now cost me 800 to go the same mileage. Instead of saving 200, it actually costs 200 more. Spending more up front can save you hundreds.

[tloft4]

oh i fully understand your point of view, and why stop there. call it 100 labor each time too, if you do it yourself, be nice and value your time at 50/hr. either of which happens half as often in your scenario. but maybe overlook his hyperbole and consider if they function the same across driving styles, then what is better at both, and at a new style of driving, what ends up a better option. cause im with vce, safety cannot have a price tag attached. one of the biggest reasons i bought this car in the first place...

[EvolutionArmory]

Wow I've never posted something that got this much attention... I'm learning so much. It's nice knowing I started this


2006 Audi A4

So what kind of brakes are you looking to buy? OE type replacements or something better than that? If you are looking for OE type replacements, buy the best parts you can afford. Obviously, I recommend OEM Audi parts for that.

If you are looking for performance, be more careful when spending your money. There is a lot of hype out there from aftermarket manufacturers. From my experience, the only true way to get any noticible improvement in braking is with bigger rotors or a caliper with more pistons. The front rotors on our cars are pretty big for a 200hp car already. Any performance gain from a pad and rotor of the same size will be negligible, if there is any at all and it will be up to you to decide if it's worth the chance and investment.

When I got into the VW scene with my MK 2 Jetta in 1999, EBC brake pads were all the rave. Everyone had EBC pads and cross drilled rotors. They didn't really stop the car any better but the green pads and the holes in the rotors sure looked cool 😎

[dalmation53]

You won't because you can't, not because you don't want to :) That's cool. You say other brands are better. I disagree. I have a 97 A4 that has at least 75k on its OEM brakes, my last car had 170k on its OEM brakes and my B7 which just got brakes will probably never need to be replaced as long as I own it.

OEM brakes last from my experience. That's why the fuck I spend a few extra bucks on OEM. :) A few extra bucks up front saves me hundreds long term.

Bruh let me tell you something real quick. if you think the Oem brakes are the best because they last you are in a shit hole haha. They last you that long because you sound like the type of guy that drives 35 on a 55 zone. yeah they are good brakes indeed but there are better options for wayyy less. is like me buying a jetta for 20k when i can get an audi for 10k. get better quality and the name brand. I'm not sure how you haven't been flamed yet mr registered member

[typeslone]

I am a big fan of zimmerman z-coat blanks on any german vehicle. I'd have to walk over to the shelf and check an oem rotor to see the vendor, but zimmerman makes a bunch of the rotors for VAG. I usually recommend the zimmerman discs to all my customers as first choice. The top of the line centric premium rotors are pretty good too, they have a nice powdercoated hub for corrosion protection as well as a high carbon content in the metal. I normally recommend the centric premiums to customer who tend to have issues with "warped" rotors on a regular basis or customers who let their car sit for a while, the centric's don't seem to rust as bad or glaze over like other rotors do.

Unless they insist on cross drilled/slotted rotors for some odd reason, I tend to steer customers away from them. I've tried to zimmerman sport cross drilled rotors on my B7 and while they were pretty quiet when the brakes were applied, they ate thru oem and akebono pads awfully fast. I've also had to many customers complain about brake noise on other brand drilled and slotted rotors.

[typeslone]

Most of Brembo products used to be manufactured in Italy. That statement is no longer true. It has been severely outsourced to other countries. Imo Brembo brake rotors are inferior to Zimmerman, Stoptech or Centric Premiums. Several things on cars you do not want to cheap out on when it comes to safety, Brakes and tires are top on the list.

I am with VCE on this statement, in VAG world, brembo makes very little for our cars actually. A ton of their replacement rotors still do not have coated hubs either so I try not to use them unless its the only option. Zimmerman and ATE make a large portion of the oem brake discs for VW and Audi. While Centric is not an oe supplier, their top shelf stuff is excellent quality. Not 100% certain but I am pretty sure Centric is still the parent company to Stoptech.

[EvolutionArmory]

Bruh let me tell you something real quick. if you think the Oem brakes are the best because they last you are in a shit hole haha. They last you that long because you sound like the type of guy that drives 35 on a 55 zone. yeah they are good brakes indeed but there are better options for wayyy less. is like me buying a jetta for 20k when i can get an audi for 10k. get better quality and the name brand. I'm not sure how you haven't been flamed yet mr registered member

Look man, I'm not going to make this personal and I'm not going to argue with someone who thinks someone's post count or how long they've been a member of a forum is a gage of their experience level. I've been in the VW tuner scene since the 90's, I've run a Audi/VW tuner shop and worked for 2 VW/Audi dealers before I decided to start my own consulting firm and build custom firearms. I've been around the block with these cars and know what works. You know hype. You think that a name brand makes the parts better. Tell me this. How can Brembo OEM style replacement rotors that are the same size as OEM Audi rotors make a noticeable difference? You bought into hype. The only ways I know of that make a noticeable difference in braking performance is to add more braking surface with a bigger rotor or to add more clamping force with more pistons.

Do you really think that Brembo EO type replacement rotors are made out of some special compound that makes them better than Audi? How can a Brembo brand OE replacement rotor be a million times better if it's the same size and made out of similar materials. I'll answer that for you. It can't. I'm sorry you buy into hype. I'm also sorry that you can't back up your claim with data. If I'm wrong, prove me wrong. But do it with more than my post count. I was actually wondering how many posts it would take you to throw down that card. Lol

I'm glad you got that out of the way quick.

[dalmation53]

Look man, I'm not going to make this personal and I'm not going to argue with someone who thinks someone's post count or how long they've been a member of a forum is a gage of their experience level. I've been in the VW tuner scene since the 90's, I've run a Audi/VW tuner shop and worked for 2 VW/Audi dealers before I decided to start my own consulting firm and build custom firearms. I've been around the block with these cars and know what works. You know hype. You think that a name brand makes the parts better. Tell me this. How can Brembo OEM style replacement rotors that are the same size as OEM Audi rotors make a noticeable difference? You bought into hype. The only ways I know of that make a noticeable difference in braking performance is to add more braking surface with a bigger rotor or to add more clamping force with more pistons.

Do you really think that Brembo EO type replacement rotors are made out of some special compound that makes them better than Audi? How can a Brembo brand OE replacement rotor be a million times better if it's the same size and made out of similar materials. I'll answer that for you. It can't. I'm sorry you buy into hype. I'm also sorry that you can't back up your claim with data. If I'm wrong, prove me wrong. But do it with more than my post count. I was actually wondering how many posts it would take you to throw down that card. Lol

I'm glad you got that out of the way quick.

You can make this personal or not personal. either way we are both behind a computer trying to find out which rotors are better because it looks like you like to go to the dealer and spent money on expensive rotors. that is fine if you do that is your money and your car. I don't care. what I do care is telling another member he needs oem rotors just because is not really necessary. that I have a problem with. give people options, if OP wants to go to the dealer and buy rotors fine with me. if he wants to buy $20 rotors again fine with me. atleast people here get educated and they choose what they want according to their budget.

[EvolutionArmory]

I never said ONLY buy OEM. I made a suggestion that OEM may cost a little more upfront but will last longer IN MY EXPERIENCE and that I choose to only buy OEM brakes.

You were the one that said a cheaper specific brand was "1,000,000 times better" and asked why in the world someone would spend more money. I asked you to qualify your statement, which apparently, you can't. No big deal. Let's move on.

I'm just trying to have an adult conversation.

[Theiceman]

Okay lets everyone take a deep breath .. I think there are some valid points here by everyone so lets start by making sure we are on the same page.

OE - original equipment, provided as on your car as it was shipped to you , comes with the assurance of car manufacturers high standards and has the car manufacturer identification. ( 4 rings in our case ), usually only available at the dealer and some aftermarket suppliers.

OEM- original equipment manufacturer, made by the same manufacturer as your OE but not necesarilly ( but could be ) to the same exacting standards, will not carry the car manufacturers stamps, available at many aftermarket suppliers.

So what armoury is saying if you read his posts carefully and understanding the acronyms is you can buy OEM or " OE style" . these are usually at a greatly reduced cost and provide good quality. Some can argue that OE parts are built to a much higher standard and in general I do agree. ( I love getting parts with the 4 rings on it ) but in the case of round pieces of steel im okay with any manufacturer, some will just rust faster than others but I can live with it.

Now depending on what you want you can get third party systems like what Dalmation is saying that can slot nicely between OE and OEM pricewise, and even approach OE prices or go beyond. These tend to be in the form of mods or upgrades that can outperform stock ( OE ) .

As far as rotors go I usually go with Zimmerman or ATE, they are priced competitively and offer some good value. For the record if you gave me a blind test and had me brake on different rotors, I probably could not tell you which was which.


Now lets get back to some car talk !!!! coz im picking up my downpipe today and will need some advice, I cant have you guys in here "over discussing" rotors :)

[dalmation53]

I never said ONLY buy OEM. I made a suggestion that OEM may cost a little more upfront but will last longer IN MY EXPERIENCE and that I choose to only buy OEM brakes.

You were the one that said a cheaper specific brand was "1,000,000 times better" and asked why in the world someone would spend more money. I asked you to qualify your statement, which apparently, you can't. No big deal. Let's move on.

I'm just trying to have an adult conversation.

I don't have to prove it my man. Most Non-OEM brake parts meet or exceed OEM specs. If you say you know then you should know that. drilled and slotted rotors barely get hot. go for a spirited drive on blanks and then touch them an report back lol. try that on drilled rotors you can literally touch them. and that in my book if brakes don't fade on spirited driving is a win. most of the people that have Audi,VW or Porsche drive like assholes. if you want blanks on your audi all good they work and do the job but are they good for track or spirited driving? are they?

[silver07b7]

I can't speak from experience, but I was planning on going with these when it comes time to do my brakes. I specifically want rotors that are lighter than OEM, and these are 25% lighter.

https://jhmotorsports.com/shop/catal...-a4-p-349.html

Anyone have experience with these?

[EvolutionArmory]

I would argue that drilled or slotted rotors add marginal stopping performance, if any at all, on a car like ours. It's hype. Plus, holes and slots fill up and wear down. A pair of slotted or drilled rotors can actually make your braking performance worse and lessen pad life when they get a few miles on them and aren't cared for properly.

I would argue that stainless braided brake lines would add more stopping performance than a drilled or slotted rotor in the long term on a car like ours.

Like I said in one of my other posts, buy the best brake parts that you can afford and be careful when spending your hard earned money on a "performance" upgrade that may or may not actually add any performance. I have also talked people out of buying drilled or slotted rotors.

[Theiceman]

I can't speak from experience, but I was planning on going with these when it comes time to do my brakes. I specifically want rotors that are lighter than OEM, and these are 25% lighter.

https://jhmotorsports.com/shop/catal...-a4-p-349.html

Anyone have experience with these?

wow id definitely put those in the "upgrade" dept. That is some serious coin for a couple of rotors, do you track your car ?

[Kevin C]

I would look at it from a risk management standpoint. Its nice to keep your car with all factory parts. Factory parts went through a full qualification test that helps to weed out the bad ( not always). Many after market parts get minimal testing. We know how to design this part and make one for your car. They have a much lower risk than the factory, the factory warrants parts and labor vs most aftermarket parts just warranty the part is self and not collateral damage its failure could cause.

Short story is unless a part is known to be a problem from the factory you should expect a factory part to be a proven part. Low risk but you pay a bit more.

Aftermarket. Typically they make a part to fit and will test fit it but they don't run life tests on a specific vehicle like the factory does.

This might matter if its a critical part like a water pump. You lose the bearing the timing belt goes out and your motor is toast. Brake rotors? A typical failure mode is they either have a thickness variation or run-out and you get rough braking. They are also easy to change.

Why would I choose aftermarket? Lower cost, low risk and you can get them with superior anti corrosion coatings. Personnel experience is that the metallurgy on quality aftermarket rotors is as good as the factory parts ( and in some cases better) and they have better corrosion resistance so they look better.

A have Brembo's on the back of my A4 that have been great (not coated but for a close out price of $11 each, pretty hard to beat). I put a set of Bosch rotors on my wife's Honda with great successes. Perfect fit, lower cost, coated and they showed up next day with Amazon prime.


I like factory parts but I'm not going to beat myself up over it. When I picked up my A4 a couple of years ago its was totally stock and only dealer serviced. Not a single aftermarket part on the car. Still, I do feel a tiny bit bad when I put a non OEM part on but if I'm getting a better part at a lower price its seems like a no brainer.

[EvolutionArmory]

I don't have to prove it my man. Most Non-OEM brake parts meet or exceed OEM specs. If you say you know then you should know that. drilled and slotted rotors barely get hot. go for a spirited drive on blanks and then touch them an report back lol. try that on drilled rotors you can literally touch them. and that in my book if brakes don't fade on spirited driving is a win. most of the people that have Audi,VW or Porsche drive like assholes. if you want blanks on your audi all good they work and do the job but are they good for track or spirited driving? are they?

A manufacturer can say anything they want under the sun. The question is, do they actually meet or exceed OEM standards? One thing that is for certain, OEM meets OEM standards.....because they set the standard. You follow me?

A company like Brembo makes parts for a wide range of cars. Some of the parts they make in house and I'm sure many of their parts are subcontracted out to another vendor because how on earth could they make so many parts for such a wide range of cars? How can you be sure that these subcontracted parts meet or exceed OEM standards.

Now let's get back to the subject of them being better for less money. When have you ever paid less money for something that is actually better? If a company advertises something is better and charges less money, they don't really have a good idea about business. Lol Do you think they are passing some savings on to you out of the goodness of their hearts? No they cost less because they are made for less and made to some arbitrary standard that they can't or don't have to qualify or hold to like an OEM part supplier has to.

[silver07b7]

wow id definitely put those in the "upgrade" dept. That is some serious coin for a couple of rotors, do you track your car ?

I don't track my car, but I want the car to feel less sluggish while driving around town. It seems like one downside with the A4 (I'm new to A4s) is that you can't squeeze too much power out of them, so I'm trying to get more performance by losing unnecessary weight.

[EvolutionArmory]

I don't track my car, but I want the car to feel less sluggish while driving around town. It seems like one downside with the A4 (I'm new to A4s) is that you can't squeeze too much power out of them, so I'm trying to get more performance by losing unnecessary weight.

While saving weight could make a difference on a modified track car, I think you are looking at it from the wrong angle. You can squeeze a ton of performance out of these cars by simply having the car chipped and the performance gain per dollar by chipping the car would be much higher than what you would get from any weight savings these rotors would give you.

Unless of course you drive a 3.2 which has very little aftermarket support, but even then I don't think 600 dollar rotors would lighten up the rotational mass to make a lick of felt difference.

[silver07b7]

While saving weight could make a difference on a modified track car, I think you are looking at it from the wrong angle. You can squeeze a ton of performance out of these cars by simply having the car chipped and the performance gain per dollar would be much higher than you would get from any weight savings these rotors would give you.

I already have the APR stage 1 tune and that keeps a smile on my face but I'm still looking to lighten up the car, especially in the rotating mass department. All I want to do for weight reduction is lightweight rims (Enkei RPF1's probably) and lightweight rotors, I'm not looking to strip the car out or anything.

[EvolutionArmory]

I still don't think you would benefit much from the weight savings. Where I think they would help is if you were doing other weight saving things in conjunction with the rotors. I don't think 1 lightweight option would be that noticeable but if you did the light weight rotors, light wheels, no interior, lightened pulleys and other weight saving things, all those small items would add up to some noticeable weight savings.

JHM makes nice stuff so I'm not saying don't buy it, I'm just saying you might not really notice a difference. You either will or you won't but you'll have to figure out if it's all in your head or if it's real.

[dalmation53]

I feel like going with slotted/drilled will not make a difference, unless you are running larger calipers and a complete better brake system. If anything having slotted/drilled rotors on a stock break system , you would most likely lose braking performance.


2006 Audi A4

LOL huh? I don't think you loose braking performance but i will not add a benefit either. only benefit comes when breaking hard that they won't fade and cool off quicker.

[supple]

It's been said before and above:

If you are looking for something practical and cost efficient get some blanks (centric, brembo, zimmerman, etc) from ebay and probably shy away from no name machined ones, although my buddies never had any issues with them. If you're feeling cool, grab the ones that have a coated hub so it doesn't turn brown sitting there.

If you are looking for looks and maybe a slight (probably negligible as a non-track car) bump in performance go for slotted. If you want to look super stance cool, get ones drilled as well but drilled in most practical cases are more likely to wear faster (potential for stress cracks at the holes over time)

Most performance you'll gain in your braking will most likely be a good set of pads, proper flush and maybe lines anyways.

[panman142]

It's been said before and above:

If you are looking for something practical and cost efficient get some blanks (centric, brembo, zimmerman, etc) from ebay and probably shy away from no name machined ones, although my buddies never had any issues with them. If you're feeling cool, grab the ones that have a coated hub so it doesn't turn brown sitting there.

If you are looking for looks and maybe a slight (probably negligible as a non-track car) bump in performance go for slotted. If you want to look super stance cool, get ones drilled as well but drilled in most practical cases are more likely to wear faster (potential for stress cracks at the holes over time)

Most performance you'll gain in your braking will most likely be a good set of pads, proper flush and maybe lines anyways.

This.

Pads pads pads. Thats the name of the game, yeah decent rotors are a must but if it comes down to it go cheaper on rotors and get nicer pads. (like plain rotors with nice pads vs slotted/drilled and stockish pads)

My setup currently that I absolutely love is this:

-S4 front rotors drilled/slotted
-rear drilled/slotted
-stainless lines on all corners
-Brass caliper guides on front calipers
-EBC Redstuff Pads**** Absolutely love them, if installed and broken in correctly should not cause any noise.

Let me know if you want me to send you links to this stuff.

[vce1232000]

Imo slotted crossed drill rotors are a waste of money. They cool thou. But I rather have braking then cool. Especially when that application is applied to no frill low quality E-Bay rotors. Thats a bad recipe for disaster results. From my experience is that they eat up pads no matter what brand. Ive also ed a brake slight brake shimmy when applied hard.

If you want more braking . More caliper pistons are the way to go. It mite not get you less braking distance. But it sure will decrease your time in stopping the same distance imo.

[tloft4]

It mite not get you less braking distance. But it sure will decrease your time in stopping the same distance imo.

well since distance = velocity*time if you start at the same speed and lower the time, you inherently will travel less far