Brake upgrade... which one should I go for?!

[kinson]

Hi there... I am going to upgrade the braking system, but there are a few questions that I wish to seek some opinion...

Here are some information on the background:

• I am driving a MY09 S3 Sportback
• Not intending to bring her on the track, but may do so in couple years time tho it. be very occational
• Average driving, with 70% highway and 30% City
• Reason for considering the upgrade is that I felt the stopping power is insufficient when the speed is over 100km, and the stopping distance is bit too long.
• Using Pro Drive GC-05K wheels with ET-50 offset (..,I think).

1. How many ports (on the caliper) should I aim for?
2. What size of the disc best suites my usage
3. Which brand should I choose, Brembo? MTM (which is also Brembo I think)? Alcon?
4. Should I upgrade the brake fluid pump as well? What options do I have?

Sorry for asking all.these questions... but is there anything else I missed?

Thanks souch.for your opinions!!!!

 

[jungleman]

are your wheels 18 or 19 inch?

there are a few options you can go for, some people have gone for the OEM TTRS callipers & discs (370mm) (4 pot) but these are know to fade fairly quickly and suffer from warped discs after heavy track use, personally i wouldnt go with this option as its flawed in too many areas

VW racing do a set of 6 pot 2 part disc (365mm) brakes, these are used by S3Alex and he rates them very highly, these are made by a company called caparo, i have their slightly older 4 pot forged (355mm disc) callipers made by project mu, which you can still get and far fantastic and can take a huge amount of abuse and dont seem to suffer much fade at all... like i said this is what i use and cant complement it enough, fantastic system at a decent price

both those applications will fit under 18 inch wheels

if you have 19s and want serious braking power you can bolt on the brembo RS6 V10 callipers and discs this is pretty expensive tho but a very very effective set up!

alcon, ive not seen them do an application for the S3, but AP racing does and they do both 4 & 6 pot applications, they have a fantastic reputation but again their application is pretty expensive as well, so it really depends how much you want to spend

most of those applications you wont need any master cylinder changes, the VWR pedal feel is fantastic and bites very quickly, the TTRS brakes from what ive been told has a little increased pedal travel but still works fine, the RS6 however i dont know as not asked anyone

 

[kinson]

Thanks soooo much for the opinion, jungleman! ^^

I am using 18" and not intending to switch to 19", cause I felt it was too bumpy (given the general road condition in Hong Kong)!

A shop in HK told me that Alcon has a set for S3' and my friend (who I mentioned earlier) also got the Alcon... just not sure if Alcon has the kit for 18" cause my friend upgraded to 19"!

Guess VW Racing is a good (most efficient) option I can go for...

Thanks again for shating your view!!! ^^

are your wheels 18 or 19 inch?

there are a few options you can go for, some people have gone for the OEM TTRS callipers & discs (370mm) (4 pot) but these are know to fade fairly quickly and suffer from warped discs after heavy track use, personally i wouldnt go with this option as its flawed in too many areas

VW racing do a set of 6 pot 2 part disc (365mm) brakes, these are used by S3Alex and he rates them very highly, these are made by a company called caparo, i have their slightly older 4 pot forged (355mm disc) callipers made by project mu, which you can still get and far fantastic and can take a huge amount of abuse and dont seem to suffer much fade at all... like i said this is what i use and cant complement it enough, fantastic system at a decent price

both those applications will fit under 18 inch wheels

if you have 19s and want serious braking power you can bolt on the brembo RS6 V10 callipers and discs this is pretty expensive tho but a very very effective set up!

alcon, ive not seen them do an application for the S3, but AP racing does and they do both 4 & 6 pot applications, they have a fantastic reputation but again their application is pretty expensive as well, so it really depends how much you want to spend

most of those applications you wont need any master cylinder changes, the VWR pedal feel is fantastic and bites very quickly, the TTRS brakes from what ive been told has a little increased pedal travel but still works fine, the RS6 however i dont know as not asked anyone

 

[jungleman]

no worries

if your sticking to 18s then forget the RS6 as they are just too big!

alcon stuff tends to be pretty chunky, but if it can fit under your wheels then it will be a good option

with the VW racing stuff, their 6 pots are made by caparo, which is a british company and not sure if they have distributors outside of the uk, but always worth checking, although the shipping cost may be pretty high given the weight of the components if they dont

the set up im using, made by project mu, is a japanese company and they have distributors in hong kong:

Project Mu Co., Ltd. - DISTRIBUTOR

and this is the link to what im running:

Project Mu Co., Ltd. - BRAKE CALIPER - FORGED SPORTS 4Pistons x 4Pads SLIM

hope that helps