My S3's 6 months old & has covered 8000 miles. Love it in every respect but... I drove in heavy rain on the motorway for the first time the other day. The brakes, fine in the dry, were alarmingly dead so I tested them on the exit slip road around 3 minutes later. Going down hill, at 70mph in the wet, I hit the brakes as hard as I possibly could. Result: I couldn't even apply enough force to get the ABS to cut in!!! I reckon the brakes were at less than 30% of dry performance. I recall reading an letter in a car mag' about A3 brakes taking 1.5 sec to become effective in the wet but I've not heard of any problems with the S3 and my brakes were as useless after 5 sec of hard, continuous application as they were when I started braking. Has anyone else experienced similar, dangerous (lack of) performance in the wet? Any ideas on solutions? The car's booked in at Audi next week for them to undertake an inspection but I guess I'll get fobbed off /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif All I can think of is that maybe the pads are duff; absorbing too much water? Would cross drilled discs help if the pads are floating on uncleared water? (Hard to believe!) Love to hear from anyone with an opinion; constructive or otherwise!!
S3: No brakes in the wet!!
- Thread starter joneska
- Start date
Remember that in wet conditions, the first application of the brake will trap a lot of water. You need to perform a fairly sharp depress of the brake first to clear the water off the discs, then lift your foot up and press down again for complete braking. You should find that will help a lot.
The brakes on the S3 are pretty good generally - comparable to those on my TTR I'd say. Drilled discs do have better initial bite in the wet for sure, and you may consider going for some replacements. However you must get good discs, and preferably ones with the holes pre-cast and not drilled. Cast discs are much stronger than those which have been drilled.
Just my thoughts u understand....
Tone
The brakes on the S3 are pretty good generally - comparable to those on my TTR I'd say. Drilled discs do have better initial bite in the wet for sure, and you may consider going for some replacements. However you must get good discs, and preferably ones with the holes pre-cast and not drilled. Cast discs are much stronger than those which have been drilled.
Just my thoughts u understand....
Tone
Sounds like your pads / discs are glazed up, or you have fast road / race pads which need to be warmed up to be effective. Drilled or grooved discs will help reduce a build up of heat to prevent fade during continuous heavy braking (like on a track day) they are unlikely to have a significant effect on water clearance.
The occasional touch of the brake pedal in the wet will help to clear water and keep the pads / discs warmer.
The occasional touch of the brake pedal in the wet will help to clear water and keep the pads / discs warmer.
Hi all
Try a change of brake pads my dealer told me the original pads fitted by audi etc are cr*p unless you drive like a pensioner, especially in the wet, i fitted Ferrodo DS 2500 race pads front & rear and they are a revelation wet or dry and dont need any heat build up to work well. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/groovy.gif
Try a change of brake pads my dealer told me the original pads fitted by audi etc are cr*p unless you drive like a pensioner, especially in the wet, i fitted Ferrodo DS 2500 race pads front & rear and they are a revelation wet or dry and dont need any heat build up to work well. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/groovy.gif
Thanks!! I'll give them a try - providing Audi don't take my warrantee off me! Let you know how I get on.
Probably try changing the pads first! Though a 911 would be nice! Shame it's twice the price /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif(
