EBC REDSTUFF CERAMIC BRAKE PADS for the RS3

Cheechy

The EBC listed RS 3 Redstuff pad isn't available in the UK, they only sell it in the usa.

You can use the ones listed for the Evo 9 however there will be no cutout for the wear sensor (not the end of the world really)
Or you can use these as I've just changed from Red to yellow.

They are what EBC recommended to me after a discussion with them, they also have the wear sensor cut out.

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Seem ok so far. Better than watching the Redstuff eating the front discs.
 
I used to use yellow stuff on my Passat and they do produce quite a bit of dust especially when you use them hard, They do work well although I think ultimately you would only find the difference on a track when the brakes are getting really hot.

Karl.
 
Well the yellowstuff didn't even last 100 miles of use.......
Started squealing like you wouldn't believe yesterday, so I pulled the pads and this is what I found.

5c86c80a942b74d681a5293bd2d17526.jpg


So I took them all off the car and put new OEM pads back in.

I'm done with it...........
 
What's going on mate , I had Yellows for 500 miles and swapped them out for Redstuff because of the Yellows high dust.

I sold them 2nd hand in great condition.

The Yellows didnt fall appart and the Reds aren't eating discs.
 
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I've no idea

Redstuff had lost the great bite they once had and started marking the discs, pad deposits were causing braking judder on any long distance trips and in the wet they were clunking when taking your foot off the brake.

That's why I spoke to EBC they recommended the yellow, which were ok up until yesterday when they developed a horrendous squeal, that's why I pulled them and found that.


Gone back to original Audi pads now and that's how it's staying.
 
UPDATE

So i've just been speaking to EBC technical

They say the pads are fine nothing wrong with the way they look.....

He said they need at least 500-1000 miles to fully bed in and during that time brake squeal could be evident but will go once full bedded in as thats the way these pads work....

He also said that the yellowstuff are different in that they should look horrendous (i.e full of craters and not smooth) he said the worse they look the better they are working ........

He said out of the 2 the yellowstuff is the better pad for the RS 3

On his advise I'm going to put them back in tonight and see what happens
 
Eh....?

Wool over eyes ?

Did you speak to Bart ?

You seem to have some sort of problem with me posting this stuff ?

If you don't believe what I'm posting ring EBC they'll clarify things.

They've got the same picture i posted here, thats what the chap in technical said, i don't see what they've to gain by pulling wool over any bodies eyes.
 
I'm just trying to help , I'm confused as to why they look like that , when with more mileage and grooved discs mine were in great condition .
 
Redstuff front and rear ordered, car booked in with a GTR tuning centre in Kent which i have used before on Sat

Not sure if i need to skim / replace the front rotors, they have only done 13k miles but are as scored as you would expect them to be with hard use of the OEM pads
 
I dont think the discs need changing, you can feel an undulation on the surface but its not bad, lip feels about 1mm max
 

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I'd be tempted to put new discs on as well Dave
That way you've a good starting point.
 
I'd be tempted to put new discs on as well Dave
That way you've a good starting point.

another poxy £400 thou ...

discs and pads fitted to my R32 where like £250 lol, and i got 20k miles out of them not 10k....
 
I've just bought discs & pads for the 3.2 TT we own they were best part of £500.
 
Mine at @25K for comparison. Original (non B spec) discs. Sh@gged beyond saving.

IMG 0273 zps60df60d3

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red stuff fitted all round for £200 less than audi wanted for the fronts (with sensor mod)

there was no bedding in notes with them so i did the traditional bedding in process, however on finding EBC's notes they suggest a far gentler bedding in process, hopefully i have not knackered them ...

http://ebcbrakes.com/articles/how-to-bed-in-your-new-brakes-for-streeturban-driving-2/

i was more along these lines

RS3 and TTRS owners may find this procedure needs to be undertaken following the Audi 47i6 brake upgrade:

"It is very important to follow proper brake bedding procedure following installation. This is necessary not only for optimum performance of the system, but also to avoid onset of judder (vibration felt through brake and steering).

When fitting pads to used discs, the discs must be in good condition and be within the original manufacturers manufacturing tolerances. In case of any doubt, new discs should be fitted.

Be aware that with new brake system components, the braking performance will be reduced until the pads and discs are fully bedded. Use extreme caution while driving the vehicle under these conditions. If done on public roads obey all traffic laws and do not endanger yourself or others.

The purpose of this procedure is to gradually increase the temperature in the components without thermal shock and to mate the brake pad and disc friction surfaces, generating a uniform transfer layer.

Perform at least 20 brake applications using medium deceleration (approximately 60% of maximum) starting from 60mph and slowing to 20mph. Do not come to a stop. Accelerate back to the starting speed allowing 20-30 seconds before beginning the next brake application. After completion, drive the vehicle for at least 5 minutes with little or no braking in order to adequately cool the components.

When it can be done legally, or on a closed circuit, a secondary bedding operation is beneficial.
Repeat the above procedure for 5 to 10 brake applications increasing the starting speed to 80mph and increasing the deceleration rate to 80% of maximum. After completion, drive the vehicle for at least 10 minutes with little or no braking in order to adequately cool the components. The system is now ready for normal use.

This entire procedure must be complete before driving the vehicle as normal. It is especially important that this process is completed before any extended same-speed driving is done (i.e. Motorway travel). Failure to follow these instructions greatly increases the likelihood of judder development."
 
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So far so good, initial bite is harder and initial retardation feels much stronger

and that's with just 50 miles on them :)

I cant recommend Sly at Kaizer Motor's enough

http://www.kaizermotor.co.uk/

Very reasonable as well (as his lever-less tyre fitting and hawkeye alignment)
 
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So far so good, initial bite is harder and initial retardation feels much stronger

and that's with just 50 miles on them :)

OK Dave; you've now gone through the 'bedding-in' coating (lots of dust) of the EBC brake pads so in a week or so please give us your own objective review.

I'm with Veneeringman and think that after a 1000-miles or so the 'bite' goes away: pedal pressure remains good, pad wear is low, pad surface remains good (no holes/break-up), disc surface (for me) remains good, the brake dust remains low, brake squeal just doesn't, but that initial and impressive cold-bite has gone.

Looking forward to your review...
 
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Hey, Denty; how'd you get on with the YELLOWSTUFF?
How do they compare with the REDSTUFF: bite, dust, cold braking, pad warm-up, fade, etc?
In anticipation...

Hi,

Well sorry for the massively late reply...!

So after around 5/6 laps around Brands Hatch Indi with the yellowstuff fitted I started getting BAD brake judder... I carried on and after another 3/4 laps the juddering just stopped as quickly as it started!!

I do try to have warm down laps and come in to the pits etc but I get soooo in the zone on track usually I just carry on...

After about another 45/50 mins on track I noticed the brake pedal started started to drop, prob boiling the brake fluid.... another lap or two later and the brakes were basically usless so I pulled in to the pits

Getting out of the car and looking at the brakes I was shocked to see the yellow stuff pads smoking, all the yellow paint had bubbled off and I could hear a hissing sound which I presumed was the brake fluid boiling...

I thought my day was over but within the next 15 mins the firmness came back to the pedal so I went back out on track again - all good! pedal wasn't quite as hard as before but still worked ok.

So I completed my track session a couple of hours later (a naff looking fiesta ST was trying to keep up with me at one point but he ended up going in to the barriers.... saw it all in the rear view mirror....nasty!)

On the drive home I had a grinding rubbing sound coming from the brakes but they still worked fine.

The next morning I went to the garage and pulled the pads to put the red stuff back in - the yellow stuff pads were 75% worn and were falling apart at the edges and looked blistered...

I rang up EBC and they said this is normal under hard track use so fair enough.

I put the red stuff back in and all has been well up until about 3 weeks ago and I now have the brake judder back when the brakes are warm.. I've tried the usual 5/6 hard stops from 80 but this still hasn't sorted it so I guess I may need to get my discs skimmed or replaced.

All in all though I was happy with the yellow stuff and would recommend to anyone with an RS3 / TTRS.

I've since upgraded my brake fluid with castrol SRF and all seems good.

I might wait and see what the discs are like on the new RS3/TTRS - hopefully should be a bit better and less prone to pad build up. If there the ones with the frilly edges they look pretty cool too!
 
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You gave them a good beating sounds like you need Bluestuff NDX or Orangestuff .
Yea I'm gonna try orange stuff for the next track day which will be at Bedford gp my favourite track...!

The yellowstuff produced a lot of dust, no fade and warmed up quickly. The pedal had a more progressive feel without a massive initial bite which is nice for trackwork.
 
OK Dave; you've now gone through the 'bedding-in' coating (lots of dust) of the EBC brake pads so in a week or so please give us your own objective review.

Looking forward to your review...

I think I burnt of the bedding-in coat within 15 mins of them being fitted by using the audi run in method, opps.

Well I have put some good mileage on them now, all I can say is they are still ****** fantastic, total transformed the car. Bite and retardation is just as good now as it was after the wear in session.

It has also cured a problem I had, which I thought was down to me just being crap and the car being too fast for me. When I would brake down to a turn in point 20% of the time I would hit it perfectly but 40% of the time the car would over shoot the spot by 3-5 car lengths and the other 40% of the time it would stop short by 3-5 car lengths, to cover this I used to brake early. Not any more I can pretty much hit the turn in point every time.

Not a squeak or a peep out of them either.

In fact I am loving the car so much again its made me question if I want the new one

Only downside is the MPSS's which I thought had monumental levels of grip are easily over powered by the brakes now, especially if not up to temp.
 
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They were MTEC rear brake discs, discostu49: MTEC1471. Initial feedback is they're a little noisy but look stunning. No worries with REDSTUFF front and/or rear, no worries at all!
Hi John when you say a little noisey can you elaborate? I've been driving with the window down lately and can hear a noise it's a rotational noise and I think it's the redstuff pad sitting just on the disc but not in a way to hinder driving but it's a noise that was not there when I first installed them ? I think it maybe the m tec discs dunn I can only hear it going slow ..oh and it's defiantly not a bearing ..
?
 
Hi John when you say a little noisey can you elaborate? I've been driving with the window down lately and can hear a noise it's a rotational noise and I think it's the redstuff pad sitting just on the disc but not in a way to hinder driving but it's a noise that was not there when I first installed them ? I think it maybe the m tec discs dunn I can only hear it going slow ..oh and it's defiantly not a bearing ..
?


Yes discostu49, it does sound very much like a dry wheel bearing when the brakes (handbrake even...) were being applied. To prove I re-fitted a set of standard brake pads to the MTEC drilled discs and 'that' noise disappeared...

I find both the front and rear REDSTUFF ‘noisier’ than the STD Audi pads and those YELLOWSTUFF pads ‘louder’ still; REDSTUFF are also 'harder' and that's why there's no dust...

For non-car reasons BLUEY is back to STD Audi pads (with MTEC rear discs) and very little use.
 
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Yes discostu49, it does sound very much like a dry wheel bearing when the brakes (handbrake even...) were being applied. To prove I re-fitted a set of standard brake pads to the MTEC drilled discs and 'that' noise disappeared...

I find both the front and rear REDSTUFF ‘noisier’ than the STD Audi pads and those YELLOWSTUFF pads ‘louder’ still; REDSTUFF are also 'harder' and that's why there's no dust...

For non-car reasons BLUEY is back to STD Audi pads (with MTEC rear discs) and very little use.

Trial and error I suppose and after the lengthy write up ha ha I like the red stuff pads however hope once they wear and I get a slight gap between pad and disc the noise will reduce tgat reminds me I need to order some rear m tec discs
 
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***! Just when I get the EBC redstuff pads ready to install on the basis of excellent 45bvtc reviews :thumbs up:, John goes and ditches them in favour of Audi originals :shrug:

Ah well. They're bought now so I'll see what they're like with brand new MPSS all around.

The brake discs have probably had about 15k miles now - would you expect them to require changing due to wear/to match the new pads? Tempted to whilst the car is getting the pads doing, unless this is a waste of money...
 
Go try 'em Marcus as I may well be going back to 'em. I think I was using them too lightly. Dave Hedgehog, from earlier posts, may well be harder on his brakes (and throttle) than me - reading some of his earlier posts. I changed back for a personal re-set/evaluation - after the Stoke Audi meeting - but due to our ongoing issues with RS3copilot's hospital visits our A2 and not the TT or RS3 - both less than 50-miles this year - is in regular use.

And thanks to anyone for the offer but neither need exercising just yet...
 
Just had this from an RS3 owner (as me an ASN and RS3OC member) who having had numerous visits to his Audi dealer to resolve front-brake-vibration (to no avail I might add) and following recommendation and experience of others has just fitted REDstuff: "I've done another 40 miles and the slight vibration has stayed (95% cured). So I found I very slight buckle on the left front wheel so have now changed the tyre front to rear and rebalanced. Now no vibration and the bite on the brakes have gotten much better with the pedal being nice and firm.

So, add another to the list of HAPPY Audi RS3 EBC REDstuff users. :yahoo:

And I'm back on REDstuff too, Marcus; front and rear and quite content... :racer:
 
I love this tread, so much detail it's ridiculous. To date I presume everyone is still having good results with the REDstuff? What mileage have people had on them now as it's been a few months? Waiting to get my car back today from replacing the discs/pads under warranty, then I'll be whipping the originals out.
 
If there's one reason to remove them OEM (Audi/Brembo but manufactured by Pagid) pads from your calipers it's the brass rivets used to hold the friction material to the backplate that 'groove' your brake discs just nicely; in these half worn OEM pads you can clearly see EIGHT brass rivets per pad:

P1020385x_zpssodnu7wj.jpg


And the score lines - replicated in the brake disc - already showing... :sadlike:
 
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I love this tread, so much detail it's ridiculous. To date I presume everyone is still having good results with the REDstuff? What mileage have people had on them now as it's been a few months? Waiting to get my car back today from replacing the discs/pads under warranty, then I'll be whipping the originals out.


My experience with red stuff was great at first but after 3000 miles or so they lost their effectiveness and I was getting braking vibration on longer journeys
By the last comment I mean we'd go somewhere like Wales for a week away, now at the beginning of the week the car was perfect, but as the week wore on gradually so the braking judder / vibration increased.
Took out the Redstuff as I couldn't live with it.