S3 8V Brake Pads and Brake Rotors Debacle/Confusion

[Davethaboss]

I know, I know, I know.

This topic has been beaten to death so many times before. I have gone through what feels like 20 threads and came out more confused but somewhat informed.
I know there are a gazillion companies that make pads and rotors.

I have read good and bad on the EBC RedStuff and YellowStuff pads, respectively. The same can be said for Carbotech and a couple other brands. No one really mentions if their stuff is tuned or not when giving recommendations so it is hard to gauge who is talking about what.

Here is some context which a lot of other people share with me:

1. I am on Unitronic Stage 2 and I plan on going Stage 3 whenever their tune comes out (or if it does not I will probably go with an EFR7163 setup).

2. I daily drive 90% of the time with 10% track time. Of the 90%, I would say majority is spirited. Like most folks I do not and probably will not use a 2nd setup because I can not justify it for the amount of time I actually spend on track. Brake fluid is a given.

3. It is also worth mentioning, I live in an environment that changes between really cold temps and really hot temps relatively speaking.

4. Last but not least, I want reduced brake dust on my wheels like everyone else has conveyed. There is a lot of contention on this subject on which brand compromises the best.

I do not plan on going with 2-piece rotors because I do not see them being super useful if the car gets daily driven for most of the time. Others like myself are not looking for the perfect setup because it does not exist. We are all looking for a compromise.

Given these circumstances what would some of you folks recommend? I hope this provides more clarity and information in a specified manner. ( A similar thing was done with air intakes for example on which design was the best and best bang for buck.)

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[Spinnetti]

I've never had a bad result with super cheap ebay rotors and ceramic pads. Even on my endurance race car I run the cheapie ebay rotors (but $600 brake pads lol). For many cars $200 gets you a full set of both. I'm on factory rotors and pads and they last a long time. A lot of it comes down to your driving skill. If you are terrible in how you use the brakes, any brand will give poor results. If you are good at it, any brand will give acceptable results even for limited track use. I've taken my car to the track (Stage II+) on the stock rotors and pads and drove full out race speed and was really impressed how well the stock stuff held up - got a little hot but didn't fade. Don't over think it; most stuff is just fine. I think FCP euro offers a lifetime warranty, so why not just get from them for the piece of mind? If I ever have to replace my pads, Personally I'll get Porterfield R4-S as they are a fantastic street/light track duty pad. I did have particularly bad experience - including the pads coming off the backing with EBC, so will never buy their garbage ever again.

[soulflyer]

I hear you...

I have 200'000km (125'000mls) in my S3s and 50+ track days
Suspension is stock, Brakes are slightly improved with RBF600, Stainless steel lines, Stoptech Sport Slotted Rotors and Front air deflectors.

For daily driving in summer and winter: Power Stop Z23-1633 Z23 Evolution Sport Brake Pad, very low dust, perfectly fine pad, feels more aggressive than stock and is also lot cheaper, they don't squeal in cold temperature, I should know, its -25C (-13F) right now

Track Setup (I change pads for track days):

RE-71R tires
In 2016 I ran Pagid RSL29 pads which were great, lasted one summer daily driving with 3 track days, but are very expensive (at least here in Canada). Ever since I use EBC Yellowstuff front and back. I like their bite, they are thermally stable, they dust a LOT but they are reasonably priced and Amazon has them on special every so often... they usually last 3-4 track days without daily driving.

I hope that helped!

[Gberg888]

Never been a big fan of EBC pads. Ive seen poor life on both the reds and the yellows.

I ran carbotechs on my R32 track car and loved them paired with light weight rotors and calipers from Racingbrake.

I am currently running Hawk 5.0 on my S3 for daily duties. I like them so far.

[MikTip]

While this setup isn't for everyone... I like it allot!

Bigger brakes...better stopping power and 18 pounds lighter than the stock setup!

Huge selection of various pad compounds and replaceable rotor rings. Hawk HPS pads.

I went down the "make the OE brakes better" road...and yes there are various pad compounds and rotors available for the OE brakes...however for me and my tastes in brakes...the 370 Neuspeeds are it!

[Davethaboss]

I've never had a bad result with super cheap ebay rotors and ceramic pads. Even on my endurance race car I run the cheapie ebay rotors (but $600 brake pads lol). For many cars $200 gets you a full set of both. I'm on factory rotors and pads and they last a long time. A lot of it comes down to your driving skill. If you are terrible in how you use the brakes, any brand will give poor results. If you are good at it, any brand will give acceptable results even for limited track use. I've taken my car to the track (Stage II+) on the stock rotors and pads and drove full out race speed and was really impressed how well the stock stuff held up - got a little hot but didn't fade. Don't over think it; most stuff is just fine. I think FCP euro offers a lifetime warranty, so why not just get from them for the piece of mind? If I ever have to replace my pads, Personally I'll get Porterfield R4-S as they are a fantastic street/light track duty pad. I did have particularly bad experience - including the pads coming off the backing with EBC, so will never buy their garbage ever again.

You can really buy anything off eBay nowadays. I know guys buying downpipes for their M3 and M4's lol.

It is really weird because early threads praised the EBC's and now it seems people have moved on from them.

Do the Porterfield R4-S's give off less brake dust? I know this is has to do with the compound of the pad typically which leads me to the next point. I saw a guy here recommending the Ferodo Eco-Friction pads against the EBC's and Carbotech ones. What is your take on those?

I am going to be doing some additional research as I would like to know where specifically each brake pad differs. I am sure buying any of them will do the job but as with most things I buy for the car I try to get an understanding of all the options in order to differentiate and educate myself on what to look for in the future on other vehicles for example.

You have any recommendation for rotors and reasons behind them? You have always been very helpful here Spinnetti so I appreciate your input.

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[Davethaboss]

I hear you...

I have 200'000km (125'000mls) in my S3s and 50+ track days
The car runs a JB4. Suspension is stock, Brakes are slightly improved with RBF600, Stainless steel lines, Stoptech Sport Slotted Rotors and Front air deflectors.

For daily driving in summer and winter: Power Stop Z23-1633 Z23 Evolution Sport Brake Pad, very low dust, perfectly fine pad, feels more aggressive than stock and is also lot cheaper, they don't squeal in cold temperature, I should know, its -25C (-13F) right now

Track Setup (I change pads for track days):

RE-71R tires
In 2016 I ran Pagid RSL29 pads which were great, lasted one summer daily driving with 3 track days, but are very expensive (at least here in Canada). Ever since I use EBC Yellowstuff front and back. I like their bite, they are thermally stable, they dust a LOT but they are reasonably priced and Amazon has them on special every so often... they usually last 3-4 track days without daily driving.

I hope that helped!

You gave me some more info to look into.

Funny enough in my descent into the rabbit hole I very rarely saw anyone talk about Stop Tech or Power Stop. You have any complaints about them? It is a weird thing because I have seen people overlook them assuming because they are cheap they are inferior to other products.

Were you able to conistently track AND daily the car on the Z23-1633 pads? Very curious to know.

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[Davethaboss]

Never been a big fan of EBC pads. Ive seen poor life on both the reds and the yellows.

I ran carbotechs on my R32 track car and loved them paired with light weight rotors and calipers from Racingbrake.

I am currently running Hawk 5.0 on my S3 for daily duties. I like them so far.

The Hawk Performance stuff is hard to navigate through sometimes but is there a particular part number that you are using right now? I imagine you are dealing with less brake dust than other brands with this pad.

Are you confident tracking the car with those or do you have a different set?

What rotors do you use for the daily driving setup?

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[Davethaboss]

While this setup isn't for everyone... I like it allot!

Bigger brakes...better stopping power and 18 pounds lighter than the stock setup!

Huge selection of various pad compounds and replaceable rotor rings. Hawk HPS pads.

I went down the "make the OE brakes better" road...and yes there are various pad compounds and rotors available for the OE brakes...however for me and my tastes in brakes...the 370 Neuspeeds are it!

I did think about them because I plan on going Stage 3 / Turbo Upgrade soon. Two-Piece might be neccesary at that point.

I am very unhappy with the stock setup at the moment and luckily it is time to change them!

Out of curiosity how much did you spend for your setup if you don't mind me asking?

I see another person is praising the Hawk Performance stuff. It seems like the community is gravtitating towards these more from what I have seen...

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[MikTip]

I did think about them because I plan on going Stage 3 / Turbo Upgrade soon. Two-Piece might be neccesary at that point.

I am very unhappy with the stock setup at the moment and luckily it is time to change them!

Out of curiosity how much did you spend for your setup if you don't mind me asking?

I see another person is praising the Hawk Performance stuff. It seems like the community is gravtitating towards these more from what I have seen...

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On my 2004 Audi A4 I had B7 RS4 brakes on it...



I have always liked the stopping power of these brakes. I keep the stock brakes cause from time to time I swap back to them. The S3 sock brakes are pretty good with the right pads...

The Neuspeeds cost me $2800.

I wanted to try the Macan caliper mod...

The RS3 has a simular caliper as the B7 RS4...same exact pads...but the RS3 calipers wont bolt up to the RS3 unless you get the TTrs 8J rotors...but the RS3/TTrs rotors are heavy!

[Eli0073]

With the right pads the stock brake calipers provide good stoping power.

I when this route instead with Racingline also got RS3 brake cooling ducts. And more importantly change the brake master cylinder pump settings to provide a more consistent and solid pedal feel that coding did wonders for my S3 brake pedal feel and the modulation of it.IMG_20210411_125042__01.jpgIMG_20210410_104519.jpg

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[Gberg888]

The Hawk Performance stuff is hard to navigate through sometimes but is there a particular part number that you are using right now? I imagine you are dealing with less brake dust than other brands with this pad.

Are you confident tracking the car with those or do you have a different set?

What rotors do you use for the daily driving setup?

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ECS Light Weight slotted rotors up front, ECS v4 slotted in the rear for rotors.
Hawk HPS 5.0 pads up front with Stoptech Performance Ceramic in the rear. - Could get the 5.0s in the rear and they are back ordered for over 3 months.
Stainless lines with Motul RB660
Macan Calipers up Front, Stock in the rear.

Shaved significant weight off the front by doing the conversion, plus I got 4 piston calipers instead of one big piston upfront.

I am confident in tracking these pads all day and for the price, its not bad to replace them compared to others. I think I only spent around 200 for both from and rear sets of pads.

I tracked these calipers with OEM rotors and EBC Yellow pads on my old S4... did not go well, the pads glazed and were noticeably lower in thickness after just one track day. With the hawk pads, I trust them on track!

[Davethaboss]

With the right pads the stock brake calipers provide good stoping power.

I when this route instead with Racingline also got RS3 brake cooling ducts. And more importantly change the brake master cylinder pump settings to provide a more consistent and solid pedal feel that coding did wonders for my S3 brake pedal feel and the modulation of it.IMG_20210411_125042__01.jpgIMG_20210410_104519.jpg

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The air ducts actually make a difference!

Did you only install two on the fronts? I did not see much of a reason of doing that for the rears.

I never even considered Racingline. Are their pads actually good? I would actually lean this way because it looks like they were specifically designed for the MQB platform. Have you used this setup on track at all specifically the pads on a non-BBK? The BBK will make more of a difference I would imagine lol.

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[Eli0073]

The air ducts actually make a difference!

Did you only install two on the fronts? I did not see much of a reason of doing that for the rears.

I never even considered Racingline. Are their pads actually good? I would actually lean this way because it looks like they were specifically designed for the MQB platform. Have you used this setup on track at all specifically the pads on a non-BBK? The BBK will make more of a difference I would imagine lol.

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I don't think there's air ducts for the rear. Only for the front. Racingline products are really good quality. RacingLine was originally founded by Volkswagen Group, as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Volkswagen Motorsport GmbH in Hannover, Germany. They're pads for the stock brake calipers are really good. The racingline pads for OEM calipers are not really set up for track use. But on this BBK you have pads for track use. For this kit you have 3 options. Here's the brake down of the part numbers.

The first one is the one this kit comes with. The second one have a higher heat operation range and are for occasional track use, the third one track use.

VWR670001Stage 2 Brake Kit Replacement Pads - SPORT

VWR670002Stage 2 Brake Kit Replacement Pads - SPORT PLUS

VWR670003Stage 2 Brake Kit Replacement Pads - TRACK

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[Davethaboss]

I don't think there's air ducts for the rear. Only for the front. Racingline products are really good quality. RacingLine was originally founded by Volkswagen Group, as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Volkswagen Motorsport GmbH in Hannover, Germany. They're pads for the stock brake calipers are really good. The racingline pads for OEM calipers are not really set up for track use. But on this BBK you have pads for track use. For this kit you have 3 options. Here's the brake down of the part numbers.

The first one is the one this kit comes with. The second one have a higher heat operation range and are for occasional track use, the third one track use.

VWR670001Stage 2 Brake Kit Replacement Pads - SPORT

VWR670002Stage 2 Brake Kit Replacement Pads - SPORT PLUS

VWR670003Stage 2 Brake Kit Replacement Pads - TRACK

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I checked them out. The break down at a glance helps out a lot in differentiating between the different kits. It is a little expensive but reasonable compared to itger prices I have seen.

I did a quick search on the Racingline stuff because, I never ever even considered them at all and some folks were complaining about the amount of brake dust being the same as the stock ones. Have you seen more or less brake dust vs the stock pads/competition?

However I think Spinetti or someone else mentioned that apparently FCPEuro offers lifetime warranty replacements on various things including brake pads apparently. I found a public comment on their channel stating they cover those types of items so in theory I could buy some half decent stuff from them purely for track use and keep reusing it. I can not believe I just found out about this now.... They have less of a selection but this is incredibly useful outside of brakes.

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