Bigger/Better brakes for S3

Benjiman46

Benjiman46

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Hi all,

I was just wondering what options I have when going for bigger power... Obviously I'll need better brakes, but I don't want to spend thousands on a brembo big brake kit.

One option i've looked at is Leon Cupra R brembos... Will these be a straight fit? Within reason... I know i'll probably need carriers too.

Any help will be appreciated :)

Cheers

Ben
 
Firstly,speak to DaveB1970.

He's the best source of brake advice.

Second avoid aftermarket pads without changing the entire setup...it's a waste of money.

Brake kits....there are a good number out there but none are cheap and unfortunately you get what you pay for.

I bought the VWRacing kit but the AP and Brembo kits are all in that sort of league.

Have a word with Dave.
 
sorry Alex i disagree,i changed to Brembo Hp2000 pads and they are epic,excellent bite from cold and next to no fade (as of yet),thats on standard discs too,should have some type of uprated disc fitted soon,obviously for 400+ hp the single pot system is in need of an upgrade so a Tarox upgrade would (and will be) my choice
 
8L... Its taken me ages to find this thread again!!! I think it's been moved because im certain I put it in the 8L section...
 
marknjayne said:
sorry Alex i disagree,i changed to Brembo Hp2000 pads and they are epic,excellent bite from cold and next to no fade (as of yet),thats on standard discs too,should have some type of uprated disc fitted soon,obviously for 400+ hp the single pot system is in need of an upgrade so a Tarox upgrade would (and will be) my choice
Click to expand...

Each to his own...it has to be something you feel happy with,as it's got to stop you reliably.

I couldn't quote here what an ex-rallycross and BTCC engineer said about those,but I do know Alcon,APRacing,and VWR from personal experience.

The standard disc setup is overweight,and fades pretty rapidly,especially when you factor in a lot of power,and you will find that most of the good aftermarket systems weigh about half of the stock gear,and work way better.
Perhaps I should qualify my statements about pads,by saying that the money spent on pads would best be put towards a decent set of brakes,and my own experiment with a set of pads was not particularly encouraging.

I stand by what I said about Dave being the best source of advice and also competitive pricing,and would advise the OP to start there,for an 8L or 8P system.
 
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Anyone got some vague prices on these sorts of setups? Just so I've got some ballpark figures, I don't want to be messing about getting quotes right now but I've noticed that I've got plenty of braking round town, but if I have to stop sharpish then they lose bite in the middle of the pedal travel - I seem to have the option of light braking or slamming on the brakes, no halfway house of decent stopping power without starting to trouble the ABS.
 
audigex said:
Anyone got some vague prices on these sorts of setups? Just so I've got some ballpark figures, I don't want to be messing about getting quotes right now but I've noticed that I've got plenty of braking round town, but if I have to stop sharpish then they lose bite in the middle of the pedal travel - I seem to have the option of light braking or slamming on the brakes, no halfway house of decent stopping power without starting to trouble the ABS.
Click to expand...

Dave will be able to give some quotes but most of the kits such as the Brembo,APRacing,VWRacing and so on will cost around £2k.
The Alcon system is more.
 
You should try a set of uprated pads first - go with something like Ferrodo DS2500 with some high temp brake fluid and see what you think before you shell out big money. Yes, the std discs are cast and can't be compared with discs with 2-piece bells, but for fast road use they are OK.
 
nluk100 said:
You should try a set of uprated pads first - go with something like Ferrodo DS2500 with some high temp brake fluid and see what you think before you shell out big money. Yes, the std discs are cast and can't be compared with discs with 2-piece bells, but for fast road use they are OK.
Click to expand...
I did try this and frankly wasn't impressed......the initial bite was slightly better,but fade as you'd expect,was unchanged......the pads were however EBCs.
I think that if someone is unhappy with the brakes as they are,then different pads are a bit of a stop-gap,but if they work for you,and you've been happy with them,and not had to cough up for a big brake kit,then it's good.
 
N8 said:
Yes speak to Dave Brembo Brown if you can get hold of him.
Click to expand...

Dave B has just finished putting together for me a fitting kit for some R8 rear 4 pot Brembo calipers (the same as those N8 has for sale), which includes custom caliper carriers, 362x32mm AP lightweight drilled rotors, custom bells, bolts and brake lines and even factoring in the calipers and Ferodo pads (which I sourced myself) the whole set up is costing less than half of what a similar 4 pot Brembo kit would owe me, if I was to purchase it from a tuner. The R8 rear set up offers probably the very best braking solution to S3 owners in terms of piston size and match for the OE master cylinder's capabilities, with no pedal travel and ultimate stopping power. My S3 is stage 2 and although I don't drive it hard by any means, I already feel the OE brakes are struggling at times. If your car has more power, you need a brake set up to match, no doubt about it. :wub: xx
 
N8, it's more of a scouting mission atm - I don't have the money to spend on it right now, she only turned up a couple of weeks ago and cleared my bank out at the time. It's more of a case of work out how much things cost and get back to them later as I get the money.
 
Hi can 4 pot brakes handle a bt upgrade,ie gt3071?
 
s3kel said:
Hi can 4 pot brakes handle a bt upgrade,ie gt3071?
Click to expand...

In a word,yes.

Some of the best setups such as APRacing,Alcon and so on come in 4pot versions.

The Ex-rally Escort I had used a 4pot AP system and had no problems stopping.

You don't need 10 pots to stop properly.
Speak to DaveB1970.
 
Hi alex cool thanks just trying to sort some vw racing 4 pot ones out ,if this falls through then yes i will phone dave and pop down to see him ,as hes only ahour away..cheers alex...
 
Hi nathan hows things lets see how i get on first..:)
 
Hi nathan going to get my sachs clutch fitted and all my other bits ,ie boost gauge, mounts ,black optics grill , short shift ,side shift ,etc and have some fun with what i have ,my as well , will be on the look out for some oem , or bbs 18s next , may fit better brakes uprated intercooler....:)
 
Hi nathan bought one ages ago just never got round to fitting it...:)
d55963b3.jpg
 
Hi martin when you getting your brakes fitted? :)
 
Not sure, but hopefully by this time next week. Waiting on Dave to get the last few bits organised (carriers were ready at the weekend, but need bolts and raisers which he's had to order in).
 
Right cool,, looking forward to seeing the pictures, on your car :icon_thumright:
 
N8 said:
He explained, about saving you £40 on a set of bolts, :laugh: He's a pretty epic guy man
Click to expand...

It was either pay retail for them, or wait a week for him to get them in stock in and charge me peanuts... top bloke all round.

Cheers to you too, N8, for putting me in touch with him in the first place. I'd have had almost a grand of useless metal gathering dust in the garage without the pair of you!
 
bit of a thread revival here but....B34 GT 10 pot Caliper - £1899.00 excluding VAT thats what im going for on mine not cheap but the best and lightest on the market and better then brembo
 
Sevv said:
bit of a thread revival here but....B34 GT 10 pot Caliper - £1899.00 excluding VAT thats what im going for on mine not cheap but the best and lightest on the market and better then brembo
Click to expand...

Don't be misled by the number of pots on the calipers.

Some manufacturers seem to need more to do the same job that AP,Alcon and Brembo can do with just 6.
 
ive tried them 6 pots on my 8L S3 and they werent bad at all really
 
I had Alcon fitted on all my previous cars. They worked perfect on a track, and were "noise free" on normal street use. When I bought S3 8P, there was Brembo GT already fitted and after 3 months of use I returned to standard brakes, becuase Brembo were very annoying. If anyone looking for Alcon BBK in "good price" with fast delivery, I highly recommend this company : Alcon brake pads, discs & kits - JDL-Brakes.com
 
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