Best Brake Pads

[j_obru]

What is everyone's opinion on brake pads. Want something better than stock and preferably with less brake dust without sacrificing stopping power. This is for a 2013 S6.

[saadcee]

There's a lot of discussion on this in several threads, you can search for more info, but I've found the consensus to be either EBC or Akebono. I'm going with Akebono on mine. I've read that they have equivalent stopping performance to OEM, without as much dust or noise.

[Dutch_A6]

What is everyone's opinion on brake pads. Want something better than stock and preferably with less brake dust without sacrificing stopping power. This is for a 2013 S6.

I've used Stop tech in the past, low dust and good feel same goes with Akebono ceramic pads. My last A6 was using Brembos and I really liked them to, no noise, no dust and good bite.

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[snohman]

There's been a few threads on this - as its been a notable issue regarding squeal and dust on OEM brake pads.

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...ght=brake+pads

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...-dust-by-OEMs)

The general consensus SEEMS to be that ceramic brake pads are the best way to go to minimize dust/squeal although you may feel like the braking power is slightly lower than OEM. Two brands that most people go with are Disc Italia (front and rear pads) and Akebonos (rears only). Also read several people going the EBC route as well. Haven't had to change mine personally yet (2015 S6 with 20k miles) but the low speed squeals and dust are definitely going to make me try an aftermarket pad next time around.

[RAF_S7]

EBC Redstuff.

No squeal, very low dust.

[elptxjc]

What are you guys doing with the sensors? Most aftermarket pads don't have provision for them. Are you cutting the wires close to the plug and just soldering the wires together to close the loop and avoid a dash light? Just curious. By the way, I saw on my car while coding some stuff this bit: 'brake pad warning active', and it was unchecked on my car. Wonder what that means, since our S6s have sensors, right? And obviously should be active. Thx.

[RAF_S7]

I changed my pads over mainly because of the squeal, not because they were worn. You can transfer the original wear sensor (there is only one sensor per axle)

[dannybear]

Other than reduced dust, what do you want better than the OEM pads?

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[pgraham76]

Akebono has treated me very well. The ultra premium ceramics with the ECS two piece wave rotors hardly dust and are really quiet. Always helps to put brake pad lube on the backs during install to keep them quiet for their whole life.

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[FourRings115]

Other than reduced dust, what do you want better than the OEM pads?

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The OEMs offer the best braking performance but they definitely squeal in cold weather light braking applications. After reading many reviews on here and elsewhere, I stuck with the OEMs when I replaced mine last fall primarily because I do track my car 2–3 times per year and don’t want to give up the performance just because of some brake dust or occasional winter time squeal.

[zcd2.7t]

This question comes up every couple of months. Even a cursory search would have found myriad answers...

For less than $120 TOTAL for both front and rear pads, Wearever Gold semi-metallic pads produce essentially zero dust, no squeal, and even held up to a day's worth of track abuse on my S6 at Road America. What more could you want from a brake pad??

Some here seem convinced that buying a "brand name" pad means better performance, but I've yet to see anything concrete that suggests that's anything but marketing fluff...

Ceramic pads certainly dust less than semi-metallics, but they neither feel nor work as well as the OEM pads. My Wearever Golds offer all the performance benefits of semi-metallics but with none of the drawbacks...

IMHO, of course.

[scott99c2]

I went to buy replacement red stuff pads for my S7 and the website says they don’t fit. This was ECS, any pointers?

[zcd2.7t]

Wearever Gold front pads: $35.99: https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/...463%7CL3*15694

Wearever Gold rear pads - $48.99: https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/...463%7CL3*15694

[kpriv]

I also went with the wearever golds on zcd's advice (thank you!). Advance is perpetually selling them for 25% off the already low price as well.

You can pick up the misc clips, sensors, and bolts that should be replaced from rockauto or other online audi parts retailers.

[Noizy Child]

I also endorse the wearever golds.

[Js59]

I also endorse the wearever golds.

Ditto. My had a bit of a "click" under moderate to heavy braking for the first week or two. Now they are great. Probably a bit less initial bit than OEM - but squeaking is gone - thank god!! It is winter here - so not sure about dust but can't imagine it being as bad as OEM.

OEMs chewed my rotors pretty badly - i wound up replacing them and dropping about $1,400 on the total change. Ugh . . .

[elptxjc]

Do you guys think those 'wearever' pads might be better on the rotors? My experience is all German automakers use soft rotors, so they're going to wear more no matter what (and yes, that sucks). Probably in part to increase sales of service and parts for dealers. But let's continue the talk about rotor wear. If rotors are soft, then it only makes sense a harder pad is going to wear it more, no? And between softer stock pads and harder (but less dust) ceramic ones, logic dictates the latter would wear the rotors more, no? If not, then a logical explanation why not would be appreciated.

[zcd2.7t]

Do you guys think those 'wearever' pads might be better on the rotors?...

I doubt that either pad style will show a significant difference in rotor wear. The pads will wear out before the rotors regardless, in my experience.

Rotors and pads are both “wear items” that will eventually need replacing.

[Barritia]

Wearever Gold front pads: $35.99: https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/...463%7CL3*15694

Wearever Gold rear pads - $48.99: https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/...463%7CL3*15694

I have always used their pads and rotors on my trucks with zero issue but never thought about the S6 so thanks for the heads up as mine are close to needing changed.

Any links or other advice on other bits you had to buy for the install? We’re they easy to change?

[zcd2.7t]

...Any links or other advice on other bits you had to buy for the install? Were they easy to change?

I didn't do the work myself. I swapped pads multiple times on my previous B8 S4, but have decided that my time is better spent elsewhere when it comes to automotive maintenance...

I seem to recall some sort of dampener thing for the front pads that was re-used on my car, but might have to be purchased new if damaged during the swap, but I don't have those details handy.

[VAGFAN]

I purchased my 2018 S6 in November of last year. The brake dust was terrible! Replaced them with Hawk Performance HPS 5.0. I’ve used Hawk products numerous times in the past and found them to stop very well, give off very low dust and no noise. I wouldn’t use anything else. Stock pads are quite dusty and wheels required washing twice a week to keep clean. Don’t know why anyone would keep using them, especially when replacement becomes necessary.
Side note, tried EBC yellow for my GMC pickup about 5 months ago. They sucked!! Major brake dust (more than factory pads even) and squealed constantly. Threw those in the garbage within the first month of use.

[Packy]

I put disc italia ceramic pads and their drilled rotors on my front axles. Awesome. slightly more bite, no noise and considerably less dust. The drilled rotors also look awesome too. I think I paid $1,180 for them. I'm at nearly 20K miles on them and no noticeable wear on the rotors, they use higher grade iron.

getting ready to do the same for the rear.

[Powah]

Ive got EBC reds with slotted EBC rotors. Tons less dust and no squeaks. Performance is amazing. Don’t believe the old reviews about squealing or yellows. We need reds on our car!


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[jrow26]

I went with EBC greens and ECS slotted rotors and I love them ... no noise , the break great, and no dust.. d to top it off they look amazing


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[Barritia]

I went with the Advanced Auto pads on front and rear with advice from some guys on the forum. $75 for front and rears and no noticeable difference in breaking power. No squeaking but still about the same amount of dust. Cars clean once a week anyway so dust not really an issue. Only at 30k miles so rotors are like new still so won’t change them until 60k miles.

[elptxjc]

Amazing. Don't you feel a 'lip' when running your fingernail over the rotor, on the very edge of the rotor? I'd be surprised if you don't, but let us know. If that's the case, and you still got dust on those Advanced Auto pads, then I'd hold on to my stock pads until it's closer to the time to change them. I'd only change them if dust is significantly less, but no noticeable degradation of braking performance and feel. And by that, the factory brakes and pads are disappointing, so it'd be hard to make them worse. Ha ha.

[j_obru]

Ive got EBC reds with slotted EBC rotors. Tons less dust and no squeaks. Performance is amazing. Don’t believe the old reviews about squealing or yellows. We need reds on our car!


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Where did you get the EBC rotors? I can’t find them.

[djpaw]

Went with Textar Stock, with Adams Slotted/Dimpled...was surprised with no dust !!

Bite is better than OEM from cold start and no squeaks......

Textar supplies stocks to BMW, Mercedes as well. OEM are usually Pagid, but they are very OEM like in terms of dust, squeak......

[zcd2.7t]

I’ve run a total of 5 sets of Wearever Golds on 3 different cars and they’ve all produced very little dust...

[coupegt7]

Running Pagid (German) on my 12 Q7, low dust, stops w/o issues

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[rnp614]

Any recs on whether or not Red Stuff EBC pads can handle an occasional HPDE without giving up the ghost?

[zcd2.7t]

Any recs on whether or not Red Stuff EBC pads can handle an occasional HPDE without giving up the ghost?

My experience with them at an HPDE would say they can't.

[rnp614]

My experience with them at an HPDE would say they can't.

Recs would be which then?

[zcd2.7t]

Recs would be which then?

IMO, there's no pad that's suitable for street driving that will truly hold up under aggressive driving at a typical multi-day HPDE.

The best compromise I've found so far are the Wearever Golds that I recommended earlier in the thread. They're semi-metallic as opposed to ceramic, so they deal with elevated brake temps better, but they're still not "track pads".

The true track-ready pads I've used were horrendous on the street - noisy, super-dusty and even a bit unpredictable when cold.

The other item to keep in mind is that the stock brake fluid may not like the temps seen at an HPDE either.. I switched to Castrol SRF for my recent HPDE and in combination with the Wearever Golds had acceptable performance on the track and zero after-effects after the event....well, except for a ton of brake dust from the actual track driving, but once cleaned up, the pads are back to their normal, "very-little-dust" street operation.

Also, though I haven't tried them, a few have run the OEM S6 pads on track with good results. If they weren't so dusty, I wouldn't have replaced them in the first place...

HTH.

[rnp614]

IMO, there's no pad that's suitable for street driving that will truly hold up under aggressive driving at a typical multi-day HPDE.

The best compromise I've found so far are the Wearever Golds that I recommended earlier in the thread. They're semi-metallic as opposed to ceramic, so they deal with elevated brake temps better, but they're still not "track pads".

The true track-ready pads I've used were horrendous on the street - noisy, super-dusty and even a bit unpredictable when cold.

The other item to keep in mind is that the stock brake fluid may not like the temps seen at an HPDE either.. I switched to Castrol SRF for my recent HPDE and in combination with the Wearever Golds had acceptable performance on the track and zero after-effects after the event....well, except for a ton of brake dust from the actual track driving, but once cleaned up, the pads are back to their normal, "very-little-dust" street operation.

Also, though I haven't tried them, a few have run the OEM S6 pads on track with good results. If they weren't so dusty, I wouldn't have replaced them in the first place...

HTH.

Truthfully the stock pads performed reasonably well on the track I just wonder if something would last a little better. I’m not even all that concerned with dust to be honest. I was under the impression that wearever golds would crack/crumble with HPDE type use? Definitely plan on changing brake fluid when I change the pads.

[zcd2.7t]

I was under the impression that wearever golds would crack/crumble with HPDE type use?...

Not sure where you got that impression, but that wasn't my experience at all.

What performance characteristics are you actually looking for?

[rnp614]

Just need something that won't die on me if I do an HPDE or two that I can use for highway commuting most of the time really.

[zcd2.7t]

Just need something that won't die on me if I do an HPDE or two that I can use for highway commuting most of the time really.

Question asked and answered.

[rnp614]

This question comes up every couple of months. Even a cursory search would have found myriad answers...

For less than $120 TOTAL for both front and rear pads, Wearever Gold semi-metallic pads produce essentially zero dust, no squeal, and even held up to a day's worth of track abuse on my S6 at Road America. What more could you want from a brake pad??

Some here seem convinced that buying a "brand name" pad means better performance, but I've yet to see anything concrete that suggests that's anything but marketing fluff...

Ceramic pads certainly dust less than semi-metallics, but they neither feel nor work as well as the OEM pads. My Wearever Golds offer all the performance benefits of semi-metallics but with none of the drawbacks...

IMHO, of course.

The price just feels so wrong!

[4ringsandaglock]

Per this thread, picked up Wearever Gold's for all 4 corners and had them installed last week. I've put 2-300 miles on them so far and very, very happy! Bite is almost stock, push hard and they bite hard, minimal dust, no squeal. My shop even express concerns before putting the pads on about noise, but zero squeal so far.

They have my vote so far. Agreed with rnp614 that at less than $70 dollars for both sets, the price feels wrong. We should probably delete this thread so Carquest doesn't catch on! :-p