3.0 TDi Quattro Brakes

[Terry S]

Guys the brakes on my B7 aren't great. Does anyone know of good uprated pads (I have found EBC but remain unconvinced) and if not what other models run the same front/rear calipers as the 3.0 TDi, and any easy uprgrades?

[KQuattro]

Guys the brakes on my B7 aren't great. Does anyone know of good uprated pads (I have found EBC but remain unconvinced) and if not what other models run the same front/rear calipers as the 3.0 TDi, and any easy uprgrades?

I totally agree Terry the brakes are not the best, not many places do uprated discs and pads for this I found it very hard to get any so went with standard pads.

I think the pads and discs are same on A5 3.0 tdis....

EBC supposed to be decent but could only find redstuff pads which are meant to speak like mad....

maybe wait a bit longer for some more companies to produce pads for this model or maybe get from America....?

Or mayeb do a complete brake upgrade for a set of Porsche Caynne calipers and discs, supposed to go on without much trouble.

Ray

[Terry S]

Thanks ray, I am tempted to try the EBC pads and see. I am about to put some EBC yellow stuff's on a Supra I am selling so I will try those to see just how noisy they are.

I did find over the weekend a company in the US doing a disc upgrade to 345mm if I can find the link again.

[Terry S]

Found it
http://www.ecstuning.com/stage/edpd/pagebuild_v2.cgi?make=Audi&engine=2.0T&model=B7%20A4&submodel=Quattro&category=Braking&subcategory=Big%20Brake%20OEM

[KQuattro]

Found it
http://www.ecstuning.com/stage/edpd/pagebuild_v2.cgi?make=Audi&engine=2.0T&model=B7%20A4&submodel=Quattro&category=Braking&subcategory=Big%20Brake%20OEM

Terry they look quality and lighter too.

So those are designed to work with out standard calipers then ?

Do you think that the poor breaking on our 3.0TDI is more to do with the actual discs and pads rather then the caliper itself ?

The caliper is fairly big standard ?

Ray

[Terry S]

Terry they look quality and lighter too.

So those are designed to work with out standard calipers then ?

Do you think that the poor breaking on our 3.0TDI is more to do with the actual discs and pads rather then the caliper itself ?

The caliper is fairly big standard ?

Ray

Yeah the kit looks as if it uses the stock front calipers. It may well be the caliper Ray, but that is an expensive route so I will probably try pads first as they can make a dramatic difference. To be honest 321mm is not a bad size front disc, but the rear look pretty small. I may also change the hoses to braided and the fluid in the hope of a better pedal.

[KQuattro]

Yeah the kit looks as if it uses the stock front calipers. It may well be the caliper Ray, but that is an expensive route so I will probably try pads first as they can make a dramatic difference. To be honest 321mm is not a bad size front disc, but the rear look pretty small. I may also change the hoses to braided and the fluid in the hope of a better pedal.

Let me know how it goes with the pads....

[toff]

The 3.0's brakes are fine for most everyday situations.. but hard breaking leaves a lot to be desired!

I notice that on the link (that KQuattro posted) the kit actually includes OEM Audi brackets:

http://www.ecstuning.com/stage/images/dis/3498/600/3498.jpg

Does that mean if you buy those OEM brackets and OEM S4 discs - you effectively have the S4 set-up?
I presume the brake servo wouldn't need to be upgraded (as you're using the same calipers)?

I guess it's just a question of leverage - the further from the centre of the wheel the pads bite the disk; the move stopping power they have!

Al.

[KQuattro]

Quick word regarding EBC brake pads, a friend of mine had some Red stuff pads put on and they were totally useless for normal road driving conditions. The Red stuff pads under normal road driving conditions do not generate enough heat for optimum pad performance, they are fine for the track. We put the OEM pads in and they were a lot better for everyday driving.

[toff]

EBC do make "Green Stuff" pads for fast-road use, but I don't rate them either..

I used them on my Golf - After about a year, I ended up with tiny deposits of copper on my brake discs which lead to a weird shuddering sensation when braking. I didn't figure this out myself - Danny Withrow of RSD pointed out what the problem was. He was a member of VW's rally team support, so I trust his judgement!

I swapped to Brembos after that :D

Al.

http://www.toffweb.com/images/Tooleater/microsite/features/012.jpg

By the way, if anybody wants to know more about my unique Mk.4 2.0 Rotrex supercharged Golf Click Here (http://www.toffweb.com/tooleater.htm)

[mad-for-tar]

Recently upgraded the brakes on my Leon to a 312mm/256mm front and rear setup from the standard 288/232's that were on it. Fitted ATE Powerdiscs upfront and put a set of Black Diamond Predator pads with them and standard on the rear...I know its a much smaller car than the A4 but the Black Diamond pads are fantastic from cold, really sharp braking. Was looking for Mintex Xtreme pads but they (Mintex) had pulled them from the market for some unknown reason. I would suggest give them (Black Diamond) a try...got them from these (http://www.europerformance.co.uk/pages/products/manufacturers_subcategory.mhtml?category=brkes;man ufacturer=blkdi) guys here...keenly priced too

HTH :)

[toff]

Hi,

I've been doing a bit more research into this.

I've emailed ECS to ask them if it's possible to buy the brackets separately (which allow you to convert to S4 sized discs). Shipping alone on the brackets & discs is over $200!

Does anybody know how much bigger the S4 discs are compared to the 3.0 TDI's 321mm disc? (and just out of interest, which other A4 models have the 321mm discs fitted?)

I'm wondering if using an slightly more aggressive pad will yield acceptable results. On VWVortex, in this (http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=4154895) thread, somebody recommends Hawk HPS pads - so I've emailed a company in Cambridge for a price.

I'll report back soon with my findings... these wooden brakes are no good, especially since the remap :D

Al.

[a8 tech]

try upgrading the pads first

[toff]

try upgrading the pads first

The price of the afforementioned Hawk HPS pads is £99, not too bad.
ECS do sell the conversion brackets seperately, they also work out about £100.

The thing is, I have access to a whole S4 brake set-up at a reasonably good price, hence I'm interested in doing the conversion.

I've been told that I need to ensure the hubs are the same on both cars, otherwise the S4 brake set-up won't fit.

My local Audi service department is quite friendly; they looked-up the part number for the hubs on both cars (using the VIN numbers): it turns out the hubs are different.

Do you know if it's possible to swap the entire hub assembly (and wheel bearings etc) from the S4 donor car to my 3.0 TDI, or am I wasting my time? :confused:

Thanks in advance
Al.

[b16_4ndy]

thanks guys, good info

[toff]

Do you know if it's possible to swap the entire hub assembly (and wheel bearings etc) from the S4 donor car to my 3.0 TDI, or am I wasting my time? :confused:


I've taken a punt and have put a deposit on the entire brake set-up and brake assembly - I collect them next Sunday.

I'm expecting to need new parts and other bits & bobs to get them to fit, so it may be a while, but watch this space!

Al.

[toff]

Hi,

I now have the S4 brake set-up! I'm surprised to see that the caliper is only single cylinder (albeit a huge cylinder!)

I thought the S4 calipers were supposed to be multi-cylinder (2 or even 4)? Can anyone confirm?

I will be painting the calipers black and hopefully will be getting them fitted in a few weeks time (totally out of cash at the moment!) Can anybody recommend a decent paint for the job.. and should i go for brush-on or spray?

Cheers
Al.