4-pot vs. 6-pot Calipers... do I really need them?

[kinson]

Have been considering an upgrade to BBK on my S3 Sportback... Whilst 6-pot is fairly common nowadays and my aftermarket wheels may house them okay. I am a bit uncertain if I really need 6-pots in this case...

I, not being an aggressive driver, seldom exceed 150km/h and usually stay around 120km/h only; I seldom need to drop more than 30km/h in 1-2 secs. Even if hard braking is needed I use never use brakes alone, i.e. I downshift at the same time the brakes are hit. The stock brake are okay, however does not give me the confidence when I need to stop in a short distance.

Wonder what you think?

 

[FranA3]

they are called 4 pot and 6 pot just so you know mate lol not port

 

[kinson]

they are called 4 pot and 6 pot just so you know mate lol not port

corrected... thanks for that...

 

[FranA3]

haha no worries mate , now back to the brake choice , i think 6 pots are just so nice looking being the wheels they have to be done plus they give outstanding performance, S3RYE has got them on his he swears by them

 

[audicruiser]

From what your saying your style and usage is, I would say the standard set up on the S3 is more than adequate for what your using it for which seems like day to day driving.

I give my brakes some stick now and again and never had any problems and mine are smaller than the S3 ones...

 

[S3Alex]

If all you're going to do is daily driving,and not to modify the car,then the OEM brakes will be fine.

If you do modify it and increase the power significantly,the stock brakes run out of reserve pretty quickly....they are heavy,and prone to fade on heavy use.

Don't bother with aftermarket pads like EBC...these make a lot of noise,and may have slightly better initial bite,but offer no better performance really.

4 or 6 pot calipers......depends on whose you choose.

Anything from AP or Alcon(for which read very expensive) would be fine....I've had 4 pot AP and Alcon systems,and both will haul you down from high speeds with no problems,but the same may not be true of some other systems.

The best kits at the moment are the AP and the VW Racing,but as below,I wouldn't bother with these unless you do either some trackdays,or plan on modifying the car a lot.

 

[Adam.]

It's all down to the size of the pots and how much fluid the master cylinder can shift, not how many pots.

 

[kinson]

yes, i do plan to mod the components on the ride one-by-one...
1. in-take (thinking of BMC CDA) and exhaust (considering Super Sprint or APR Tuning)
2. ECU upgrade (currently running Stage I tuned by Bluefin)
3. BBK (VWR or Alcon is on the list if 6-pot is decided... Alcon or AP Racing if 4-pot is to go...)

If all you're going to do is daily driving,and not to modify the car,then the OEM brakes will be fine.

If you do modify it and increase the power significantly,the stock brakes run out of reserve pretty quickly....they are heavy,and prone to fade on heavy use.

Don't bother with aftermarket pads like EBC...these make a lot of noise,and may have slightly better initial bite,but offer no better performance really.

4 or 6 pot calipers......depends on whose you choose.

Anything from AP or Alcon(for which read very expensive) would be fine....I've had 4 pot AP and Alcon systems,and both will haul you down from high speeds with no problems,but the same may not be true of some other systems.

The best kits at the moment are the AP and the VW Racing,but as below,I wouldn't bother with these unless you do either some trackdays,or plan on modifying the car a lot.

 

[S.]

sorry for OT but what's your opinion on Gen IV Haldex controler since you have one?

 

[TimG]

IMO standard brakes are perfectly adequate for day to day driving, if they werent audi would have fitted bigger ones. I had Porsche GT3 6 Pots on my TT and altough they would put you through the windscreen if needed, (you could literally make it feel like the car was doing an endo!) they were complete overkill for road use. Even on the track Im sure 4 pots would be adequate. As said above though, its not really all about just the number of pots!

 

[kinson]

sorry for OT but what's your opinion on Gen IV Haldex controler since you have one?

I liked it only because I can switch between Eco mode and Race mode. In Eco mode which aims to save fuel for highway cruising, the understeer (in Cantonese head pushing feel) is severe when I change lanes (slightly aggressively). Whereas in Race mode, changing lane are soooo smooth and the understeering problem is really mild if there is any. However I was advised by the garage not to put the Haldex in Race mode too often, well... I find it fairly hard to follow that instruction though...

IMO standard brakes are perfectly adequate for day to day driving, if they werent audi would have fitted bigger ones. I had Porsche GT3 6 Pots on my TT and altough they would put you through the windscreen if needed, (you could literally make it feel like the car was doing an endo!) they were complete overkill for road use. Even on the track Im sure 4 pots would be adequate. As said above though, its not really all about just the number of pots!

That's the problem... S3 comes with bigger front calipers, but the pad is still fairly small (i think it's only 1/2 or 2/5 of the caliper size). Whereas RS3 comes with 4-pot calipers. That's the rationale I suspect 4-pot calipers are sufficient for day-to-day use... thought it will be a good idea to see what fellow members with more experience think?

Secondly, stock disc and pads fades at a different rate than the upgraded brake systems. I will not mind fitting the RS OEM Calipers if it fits my wheels..

 

[S3Alex]

yes, i do plan to mod the components on the ride one-by-one...
1. in-take (thinking of BMC CDA) and exhaust (considering Super Sprint or APR Tuning)
2. ECU upgrade (currently running Stage I tuned by Bluefin)
3. BBK (VWR or Alcon is on the list if 6-pot is decided... Alcon or AP Racing if 4-pot is to go...)

This would be my advice.....although it's not my car!

The ITG is the best of the current intakes,and it's difficult to see how it could be significantly improved upon,given it's good for the sort of power mine and some others are running.

If you're thinking of going the whole hog,I would go with Revo,as they have by far the largest number of real high power cars running,plus big turbo conversions.

One thing about Alcon.....these are the most expensive of the current systems other than ceramics,and my money would go either on the AP or VWRacing systems.

One other thing you can do is to contact DaveB1970 who is the brake-meister around here and VAGOC.

IMO standard brakes are perfectly adequate for day to day driving, if they werent audi would have fitted bigger ones. I had Porsche GT3 6 Pots on my TT and altough they would put you through the windscreen if needed, (you could literally make it feel like the car was doing an endo!) they were complete overkill for road use. Even on the track Im sure 4 pots would be adequate. As said above though, its not really all about just the number of pots!

The stock system is fine for the occasional high speed braking effort,but really does struggle after repeated use,and isn't up to it for track use,or on a heavily modified car.

Audi will do what all the other makers do and fit the most reasonable system out of their parts bin,and certainly won't add value by fitting something that will cope with all conditions.

There are 4 pot systems,and 4 pot systems.....some are good,some are not.

AP have built their reputation on the track,and their systems work,but there is at least one other manufacturer who will sell you 10,12,or even 16 pot systems for your road car,when AP and Alcon manage with 6 pot systems on the track.

 

[drnutta]

i have Alcon's and love them... I think the main advantage of the Alcon's are the weight!

they are very light!

 

[S3Alex]

i have Alcon's and love them... I think the main advantage of the Alcon's are the weight!

they are very light!

Virtually all of the decent kits are about half the weight of the OEM brakes....glad you like them.

 

[N8]

I'm more than happy with my 8 pots

 

[kinson]

After considering the input from fellow members, shooting couple eMails around decision is made today. My beloved S3SB is going to get the Alcon 4-pot with 355x32mm rotor (provided it fits under the wheel). I did consider VWR's 6-pot, but the local dealer in HK sucks... I mean RELLY Sucks!!! and I doubt if I really need 6-pots which may be heavier than a 4-pot Alcon. Last but not least, a 4-pot Alcon has a better 2nd hand price than the 6-pot VWR...

well... not that I thought fellow members will be interested about this decision, but all your thoughts and advices are very much appreciated. Maybe next comes the in-take and exhaust system. Then a decent ECU upgrade. That will be it... I hope.