S5 (2014) Brakes Upgrade

[AlvinR]

What are some affordable and worthwhile upgrades for brakes on a B8.5 S5? If I want to keep current calipers and go with better rotors and pads, what’s the best option available? I saw ECS Tuning wave rotors kit (about $1500) and the StopTech rotor kit (about $1k).

I don’t think I want to go beyond $2k for now. And most of the big kits are well above that.


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[Mrads]

Take a look at girodisc

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[AlvinR]

Take a look at girodisc

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Thanks. Looks good and puts me just under my $2k budget.


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[Mrads]

Lots of guys run/ran them in our local Audi club and these are what I will be putting on my RS5 as soon as it needs a brake job.

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[2by2handsofblue]

I got a 4 piston porsche calipers and girodisc slotted rotors.

https://www.sunsetporscheparts.com/o...Y2LWdhcw%3D%3D

we are the borg! resistance is futile.

[wangshuo1989]

xlr8 appears to have stoptech on sale, 380mm bbk for $2600, not bad at all

[2by2handsofblue]

The rotors are slightly used but it was a good deal.

we are the borg! resistance is futile.

[ps2cho]

Just go for the Porsche Maccan 4-piston with Zimmerman drilled rotors and it'll be more than adequate unless you're heavily tracking the car for about $1,000. Then pick as aggressive pad as you'd like.

[AlvinR]

Just go for the Porsche Maccan 4-piston with Zimmerman drilled rotors and it'll be more than adequate unless you're heavily tracking the car for about $1,000. Then pick as aggressive pad as you'd like.

Thanks. Any particular site you would recommend for purchasing?


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[Jayz691]

Thanks. Any particular site you would recommend for purchasing?


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I also went with Macan calipers on my b7, they're only $500ish brand new. I just bought from Porsche dealership. Just google the part #, and they'll come up, prices vary by a few bucks. The part # is in my pic. Other side ends in 124F, and has to end in F. Other option I think ends in C, but totally different caliper.0318191405_HDR.jpeg0405201926a_HDR.jpegScreenshot_20191212-233748.jpeg

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[RVJ]

I also went with Macan calipers on my b7, they're only $500ish brand new. I just bought from Porsche dealership. Just google the part #, and they'll come up, prices vary by a few bucks. The part # is in my pic. Other side ends in 124F, and has to end in F. Other option I think ends in C, but totally different caliper.0318191405_HDR.jpeg0405201926a_HDR.jpegScreenshot_20191212-233748.jpeg

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Looks really nice!

A couple of questions:

1. Did you have them powder coated?
2. Where did you get the Audi logo?
3. What did you do about the rears? I hate that open space that lets you see the brake pad.


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[Jayz691]

Looks really nice!

A couple of questions:

1. Did you have them powder coated?
2. Where did you get the Audi logo?
3. What did you do about the rears? I hate that open space that lets you see the brake pad.


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I painted them with VHT high temp paint. Got the logo's on eBay or somewhere, theure cheap. And I ran s4 rears. Fills the wheels out a little better than the stock a4 brakes. Not sure what ya mean about seeing the pads. You can get brackets from Voshmods to run 4pots in the rear also.0615191832.jpeg

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[2by2handsofblue]

I painted them with VHT high temp paint. Got the logo's on eBay or somewhere, theure cheap. And I ran s4 rears. Fills the wheels out a little better than the stock a4 brakes. Not sure what ya mean about seeing the pads. You can get brackets from Voshmods to run 4pots in the rear also.0615191832.jpeg

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What pads did u go with? Can you provide a link?
Thanks

we are the borg! resistance is futile.

[6ixof1]

I got the Q5 Brembo 4 piston setup, regular rotors with Hawk 5.0 pads. I've had the setup for around two years with no regrets. ECS sells a full kit.

brembo install 2.jpg

[AlvinR]

I got the Q5 Brembo 4 piston setup, regular rotors with Hawk 5.0 pads. I've had the setup for around two years with no regrets. ECS sells a full kit.

brembo install 2.jpg

That looks great. Does anyone change the rear calipers or just stick with stock?


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[2by2handsofblue]

I'm going to keep my stock for now. Maybe get slotted rotors for the rest when I need to change it.
Also I'm going to keep the porsche logo for my front calipers lol.


we are the borg! resistance is futile.

[Jayz691]

That looks great. Does anyone change the rear calipers or just stick with stock?


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I went with s4 rears. Little better than the stock a4 rears.

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[2by2handsofblue]

I went with s4 rears. Little better than the stock a4 rears.

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What's the difference? Are the rotors larger in size from a4 to s4?

we are the borg! resistance is futile.

[2by2handsofblue]

I got the Q5 Brembo 4 piston setup, regular rotors with Hawk 5.0 pads. I've had the setup for around two years with no regrets. ECS sells a full kit.

brembo install 2.jpg

Do you have parts number for the hawks pad?

we are the borg! resistance is futile.

[6ixof1]

[QUOTE=2by2handsofblue;14140897]Do you have parts number for the hawks pad?


Hawk Street 5.0 Pads HB806b.624
I kept the stock calipers on the rear but upgraded to Hawk 5.0 as well. SS brake lines all around. Installed May 2018 and still have a lot of life left. I started out with the HP+ but I didn't like the cold bite characteristics.

[Jayz691]

What's the difference? Are the rotors larger in size from a4 to s4?

we are the borg! resistance is futile.

A4=288×12 solid. S4=300×28or30 vented.

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[Mrads]

[QUOTE=6ixof1;14142212]

Do you have parts number for the hawks pad?


Hawk Street 5.0 Pads HB806b.624
I kept the stock calipers on the rear but upgraded to Hawk 5.0 as well. SS brake lines all around. Installed May 2018 and still have a lot of life left. I started out with the HP+ but I didn't like the cold bite characteristics.

Hawk HPS 5.0 are my go-to pads for all my vehicles. Quiet, relatively low dust, get linear performance. I also tried the HP+ and my only complaint was the same as yours - cold bite.

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[2by2handsofblue]

I'm going to try the akebono pads

we are the borg! resistance is futile.

[Mrads]

Akebono are good pads. Very low dust which is nice. Their cold performance isn't great but they hold up pretty well when they're hot. You need to get some heat into them on those winter days before you do any spirited driving or your could get a nasty surprise. Ask me how I know. Luckily my surprise didn't result in an accident but it easily could have.

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[wangshuo1989]

I'm going to try the akebono pads

we are the borg! resistance is futile.

akebono pads are great, I have them on the car since 50K miles. Now it's at 80K miles and front pads still have 7mm left. I do 50% highway 50% city

[2by2handsofblue]

akebono pads are great, I have them on the car since 50K miles. Now it's at 80K miles and front pads still have 7mm left. I do 50% highway 50% city

Is 7mm still a decent amount? I do a lot of short city/suburb driving. Work and back.

we are the borg! resistance is futile.

[2by2handsofblue]

akebono pads are great, I have them on the car since 50K miles. Now it's at 80K miles and front pads still have 7mm left. I do 50% highway 50% city

How is the dust? It should be really low from what I read.

we are the borg! resistance is futile.

[Mrads]

How is the dust? It should be really low from what I read.

we are the borg! resistance is futile.

As I said earlier, very little dust.

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[Jayz691]

I run akebono on the rear, and currently brembo ceramic on front. The akebono gives much less dust, and the dust is much lighter, and less noticable. And I have black wheels.

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[irish07]

Is 7mm still a decent amount? I do a lot of short city/suburb driving. Work and back.

we are the borg! resistance is futile.

New pads are generally 10-12mm and the pad sensor comes on around 3mm.


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[hahnmgh63]

The Macan caliper is a superior caliper with opposing pistons but for a large good cheap brake I think one of the best options is going with a A8 D4 front calipers and their 380mm rotors. They are a very large Aluminum 2 piston caliper.

[Neil F]

Akebono are good pads. Very low dust which is nice. Their cold performance isn't great but they hold up pretty well when they're hot. You need to get some heat into them on those winter days before you do any spirited driving or your could get a nasty surprise. Ask me how I know. Luckily my surprise didn't result in an accident but it easily could have.

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I’ve had akenono for just over 60k. Virtually no dust (stock pads I felt I had to get out and clean the wheels at every stop lol). I thought maybe there was a slight difference on initial grab. I think it is easier to modulate. I have no issues with stopping. The stock grabbed too hard. I’ve had the akebonos throught 3 winters and no issues with stopping when cold

[iAwesomE]

Here’s the following I have done
- Macan 4piston calipers
- stoptech slotted rotors
- RBF 600 fluid
- hawk 5.0

The stock brakes are fine, but heavy as hell. These Macan calipers are much lighter, and dissipate heat better, look more aesthetically pleasant, in my opinion.
I was looking at several different options, including retrofitting the b9 RS5 calipers before I pulled the trigger on these. At the end of the day my choice was coming down to the maintainability. It is my daily, and I use the brakes alot in the city with occasional twisted mountain spirited driving .
The rotor and pad sources for these Macan calipers are abundant and cheap. The ability to change brake pads in 5 mins is great when you need it.

Also, changing out brake fluid to higher temp is definitely recommended.

Front Macan 4 piston Brembo
IMG_4846.jpg
IMG_4847.jpg
IMG_4868.JPG


Painted the rear calipers to match the front as well.
IMG_4763.jpg
IMG_4764.jpg



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[old guy]

a few comments on the Akebono pads. I really like how clean they keep the wheels. They have a decent feel for normal or somewhat spirited driving. Just don't push them too hard. Clicky click® Here's a cut and past from a previous post:

"I typically go with Hawk HPS/5.0 pads on my A4 B6. They have proved to be a decent pad for aggressive driving. Downside is that they are a little bit dirty and a bit harsh on the rotors.

I use my A5 a mostly a highway cruiser so I decided to give the Akebono's a try. They have a very nice feel, decent bite and extremely low dust. My wheels are so much easier to clean. However, I do have a word of caution/concern with the Akebono's.

Last month I met up with one of my old gearhead buddies who had never ridden in the A5. So we took a quick trip down to Mexico for a back road run;-) I cranked it up into the low triple digits until I was quickly running out of straight road. I braked very aggressively down to around 35 mph. I then traveled at that speed for less than 1/4 mile to a stop sign.

When I braked for the stop sign I was shocked. The pedal engaged at the normal height but I had almost zero stopping power. I had to push extremely hard on the pedal to keep from rolling completely through the intersection. So we headed back to the US at a very moderate speed and after about 15 minutes the brakes had cooled enough to feel normal again. There seems to have been no adverse effects on the pads since that incident.

So be advised that you can overrun the Akebono's with only one aggressive braking event. Granted, it was an extreme event. I was fortunate that the intersection was clear and I didn't get T-boned."

[Mrads]

I’ve had akenono for just over 60k. Virtually no dust (stock pads I felt I had to get out and clean the wheels at every stop lol). I thought maybe there was a slight difference on initial grab. I think it is easier to modulate. I have no issues with stopping. The stock grabbed too hard. I’ve had the akebonos throught 3 winters and no issues with stopping when cold

I agree that Akebono are a decent pad. I have ran them in several cars but they rarely stayed on the car for their entire life before I pulled them for a better performing pad. They are a good choice for a long lasting, low dust, decent performing pad.

They are not my preferred go-to for predictable, linear braking performance without excessive pedal pressure. I used to do a huge amount of highway driving through the Rockies and found the Akebono not to my liking. I don't mind a bit more brake dust. I find it a reasonable compromise for better performance.

Honestly, most of the reputable non-OE pads (Hawk, EBC, StopTech, Akebono, etc.) will be good for a daily driver with an occasional spirited drive thrown in for entertainment. Some are better than others for "harder" driving styles.

Your driving style, daily commute and preference for dusting, life-span and performance characteristics will determine your choice of pads.

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[Leedaar]

Here’s the following I have done
- Macan 4piston calipers
- stoptech slotted rotors
- RBF 600 fluid
- hawk 5.0

The stock brakes are fine, but heavy as hell. These Macan calipers are much lighter, and dissipate heat better, look more aesthetically pleasant, in my opinion.
I was looking at several different options, including retrofitting the b9 RS5 calipers before I pulled the trigger on these. At the end of the day my choice was coming down to the maintainability. It is my daily, and I use the brakes alot in the city with occasional twisted mountain spirited driving .
The rotor and pad sources for these Macan calipers are abundant and cheap. The ability to change brake pads in 5 mins is great when you need it.

Also, changing out brake fluid to higher temp is definitely recommended.

Front Macan 4 piston Brembo
IMG_4846.jpg
IMG_4847.jpg
IMG_4868.JPG


Painted the rear calipers to match the front as well.
IMG_4763.jpg
IMG_4764.jpg



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Where did you get the S5 decals for the brakes? I been wanting to repaint my black brakes to yellow but need the decals.

[Mrads]

Where did you get the S5 decals for the brakes? I been wanting to repaint my black brakes to yellow but need the decals.

I found mine on eBay. I am sure there are other places to find them but eBay was quick and easy. Make sure your get the high temp decals.

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[old guy]

I found mine on eBay. I am sure there are other places to find they but eBay was quick and easy. Make sure your get the high temp decals.

After I applied my high temp decals I followed up with some high temp clear gloss paint to better seal the decals to the calipers.

[iAwesomE]

Where did you get the S5 decals for the brakes? I been wanting to repaint my black brakes to yellow but need the decals.

Ebay as the others have said.
This seller specifically is where I got mine. He’s the only one I found to have an option of red stripe white lettering with surround black accent (exactly what I want)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/201656882100


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[2by2handsofblue]

New pads are generally 10-12mm and the pad sensor comes on around 3mm.


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Thanks

we are the borg! resistance is futile.