312mm discs on!

[AndymacA4]

I now have my 312mm discs and matching pads on my previously 288mm disced car. It was a big old job. Looked like the discs had definately seen better days, huge great big ridges on the edges. Pads okay though. The big bolts holding the caliper carrier on where silly tight. Won't be touching them anytime soon thats for sure.

I have a fair few photos of the job in progress, do any of you good people who understand the complxities of the internet fancy getting involved in putting together a picture how to guide for others who do this job?

Andy

 

[jwhat]

How do you find the new brakes? Are they much better than the 288's? And how much did it cost if you dont mind me asking?

 

[jase0851]

ive always found my factory 312mm discs crap dont know about the smaller ones

 

[AndymacA4]

The difference isn't obvious yet, they are still bedding in, but initial bite is better already. The pads I took off where generic trash so possibly due to that.

The caliper carriers were £60 second hand, the Mintex discs and pads were £80 for the lot from a brake specialist off of E-Bay.

So all in was £140, plus a can of brake cleaner, a tube or thread lock and a tube of copper grease,
Oh and a breaker bar, and 21mm socket, and a 7mm allen key socket too.

Will report back on the difference, fair play to Mintex though, no pad squeal at all!

Hooray!

 

[ScottyP45]

those caliper carrier bolts are meant to be dog tight, they always need a breaker bar to get them off, audi say new bolts MUST be used, but its your own choice when you have the calipers off. The reason they say that is the bolt torque is sooooo high the bolts can be stretched after use and removal. Ive always used the originals again but just relating what the service manual says

 

[AndymacA4]

The originals on the car came with two different colours of thread lock in the threads, so they have been reused. I added a bit of loctite blue and wound them back in!

I do need a new set of caliper slider pins at some point as the originals have some light surface scoring. That can be done next time the pads need doing though. I just used lots of copper grease on them this time round.

As an update, the brakes have now bedded in and gained their mojo. They are more responsive than the old setup, however, how much of that is due to better pads is unclear.

A worthwhile improvement, but for anyone else going down this route, wait until existing pads and or discs are worn out before changing them.