A5 recommended brake pads?

[Foyaz]

Hi,

I've been informed that my front brake pads need changing soon. I had a look at Audi's fixed price servicing at its £145 all in.

I'm pretty sure I could get it done much cheaper if I had it done at the local garage or for the same price but with better brake pads.

I'm wondering if any of you have any experience changing the brake pads or selecting a pad yourself that isn't OEM?

What I want is a brake pad that is better than the stock ones that Audi fit but without breaking the bank. Ideally looking at under the £100 mark for the best pads possible and then another £50 for labour at the garage.

I want something that performs well in all conditions, doesn't wear out too quickly and doesn't have negative effects on the disc etc by causing excessive wear.

So far I have found the EBC Redstuff which seems to be good. It has a ceramic compound, breaks in well, very little to no brake dust, good braking performance without the need to warm up and long and hard wearing. Down side is I've read some reviews that say they aren't as good? Maybe it's for the older EBC brakes before they launched the new ceramic compound ones but I'm not sure. http://ebcbrakes.com/product/redstuff-brake-pads/

Can anyone help me with their advice/experiences please. Am I better off just going with Audi and paying for the OEM pad or are there better pads out there that will keep me within budget if I have them installed elsewhere?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Foyaz]

Does no one change their brake pads or something....

 

[DrEskimo]

Have a search on the A5OC forum mate. Loads of threads on there about brake upgrades and advice about which brands are good.

I had my rear discs and pads done only a few weeks ago and my local garage was actually more expensive than Audi. The standard Pagids will be fine if you are just driving on roads. The upgrade is worth it if you want a pad that produces less dust, or want a visual upgrade.

 

[desertstorm]

I have red stuff pads on the front of my car, they would be the same ones used on yours if your car has 320 or 345mm discs. very much beter performance than standard pads and a lot less dust. I think there is something in the reviews as the old compound wasn't as good. Also a lot of people complain about red stuff pads being no good on a track. They really aren't designed for a 15 minute flat out track session, but are significantly beter than standard pads. Have a look on car part for less in the performance parts section, they are about as cheap as anybody else with the 10 per cent discount.
Karl

 

[Foyaz]

Thanks for your help guys. I did look at the a5oc forums but couldn't find much about brand recommendations, Probably wasn't looking hard enough lol.

I think I'm going to go with the red stuff after all. Most reviews are good, I don't intend to to any track times at all. Just want better braking than stock which these seem to be capable of.

Only thing though, how can I tell what size discs I have at the front and does it matter or will the EBC pads fit regardless? I have the 19" y spoke rims fitted as standard if that helps. Thanks in advance.

 

[Foyaz]

I have red stuff pads on the front of my car, they would be the same ones used on yours if your car has 320 or 345mm discs. very much beter performance than standard pads and a lot less dust. I think there is something in the reviews as the old compound wasn't as good. Also a lot of people complain about red stuff pads being no good on a track. They really aren't designed for a 15 minute flat out track session, but are significantly beter than standard pads. Have a look on car part for less in the performance parts section, they are about as cheap as anybody else with the 10 per cent discount.
Karl

Hi, I've had a look at that website and they seem to have them listed under decent prices.

My only question is that they have 2 different EBC pads for both front and rear. And the only difference that I can see in the description is that the breaking systems are different.

The Lucas/Girling/TRW are listed for £92 where as the ATE ones are for £79.

Whats the difference between these braking systems? I have no idea what they mean, Are they specific to a car or will both fit on my a5?

Thanks.

 

[Gazwould]

Wheel off , look at what's stamped on your caliper to be sure .

 

[desertstorm]

The Lucas TRW calipers are used on the 320mm and 345mm front brakes. Have a look at the build sticker in the service book this has all the option codes for the car.
1LA and 1LJ are Lucas TRW ,
The ATE system is the smaller 314mm caliper onlty used onthe low power cars, the option code for these is 1LT
http://www.myturbodiesel.com/threads/options-sticker-and-engine-codes.14675/

Karl

 

[Foyaz]

The Lucas TRW calipers are used on the 320mm and 345mm front brakes. Have a look at the build sticker in the service book this has all the option codes for the car.
1LA and 1LJ are Lucas TRW ,
The ATE system is the smaller 314mm caliper onlty used onthe low power cars, the option code for these is 1LT
http://www.myturbodiesel.com/threads/options-sticker-and-engine-codes.14675/

Karl

Thanks for that mate, I'm pretty much settled on getting the redstuff, just need to find out which ones I need.

I've read that they can be quite rough on the discs and wear them out much quicker? Have you experienced this?

Also what is the pedal feel like, is it as grabby as the OEM ones or is it more spongy and linear? I would prefer to have the pedal feel as close to stock as usual but increase the braking force and performance.

 

[Gazwould]

They're oe from cold and with a bit of heat they're magnetic .

Surprised me really , half hour of ordinary driving on 60 mph roads with a few long stops to traffic lights and the car is pulling up sooner than I anticipated.

 

[desertstorm]

As above the pads are R90 rated so at normal temps the friction is similar to OE, However with Redstuff when you get them hot they get better where as OE pads fade.
http://ebcbrakes.com/ece-r90/

As for disc wear I am not sure it's any worse than OE pads. people who usually fit uprated pads are probably going to be using the brakes a lot harder than most people.

Pedal feel is prety much the same as OE, Certainly not spongy.

Karl

 

[Gazwould]

Less sponge is braided brake lines if applicable.

 

[Foyaz]

You guys have been fantastic help, been having a difficult time trying to find the brake pad I need but now I can buy it with confidence.

Thanks again for your help, hopefully it helps people out who are looking at changing their brake pads too. Will place an order soon and then update you guys with my experience when I can. Still got some life in my pads though so will be a while maybe.

Thanks again fellas.

 

[Ginge247]

I take it you are gunna be taking the car on track m8? It's just I've recently put the o e TRW pads in mine, all be it with the 345mm s5 discs, but still I've haven't had an issue with any fade on the road, and my car is not standard. I paid £55 for the pads from gsf car parts with the 35% discount that comes up regularly and they are **** easy to fit.

 

[Foyaz]

Hi mate, nah my car isn't set up for track at all. I just wanted to improve the braking performance over stock as I've had to make some harsh braking from speed before and the fade really surprised me. Maybe it's because the pads need changing, I'm not sure. But it was quite worrying how much feel and grip was lost after just one single brake from speed. Granted the a5 isn't a light car to begin with, but the brake upgrade is more for safety reasons really.

 

[Ginge247]

Hi mate, nah my car isn't set up for track at all. I just wanted to improve the braking performance over stock as I've had to make some harsh braking from speed before and the fade really surprised me. Maybe it's because the pads need changing, I'm not sure. But it was quite worrying how much feel and grip was lost after just one single brake from speed. Granted the a5 isn't a light car to begin with, but the brake upgrade is more for safety reasons really.

Fair enough m8. I think u can't really do bad with redstuff, that was nearly my choice. I can highly recommend the Ds2500 pads but they ain't cheap, if you want stopping power tho they were amazing on my previous cars.

 

[Av4nt]

I have Red stuff pads upfront. They are significantly and very noticeably better than OEM stopping power. However I went flat our on track with them and as mentioned above it just smashed them lol. Took a while for them to return to how they were before I went on track with them, but that is likely because I have OEM discs that aren't vented so the pad surface got too hot and there were no drilled holes to remove the crap building up on them. Overall though good stopping power for normal everyday use by far. I believe I paid £92 for them

 

[Foyaz]

Sounds good enough for me. Now I just need to figure out how long I have left to use on my current stock pads. Been about 5 months when Audi said I should be coming up to changing them but I have no idea what to look out for.

Thought you normally get the acoustic screeching sound when it reaches the limit but I'm yet to hear that as well.

Wondering if Audi will change the pads for me if I take the Redstuff to them and just pay for their labour? Or is that a bit cheeky lol.

 

[desertstorm]

I would find a good vag specialist and ask them to change them. The labour rate will be a lot less and they won't have any issues about not using genuine parts.

 

[Av4nt]

Knowing Audi they will say No! Go independent for something like that much cheaper and easier mate. And surely the brake wear indicator will pop up when they are at the limit?

 

[Foyaz]

I wasn't even aware that my A5 had a brake wear indicator lol. Is that standard or an optional feature? Im used to the old screeching noise from the resonator from my old Jap cars when it was time to change brakes lol.

 

[Foyaz]

Hi guys, a very late update for you all.

I ordered the EBC Redstuff brake pads for the front a while ago but didnt get round to fitting them, one thing after another and it just delayed it all.

Anyway, last Monday I was getting quotes for fitting, called a VAG specialist and they advised that I would also need the sensors replacing as it has already been triggered on the dash and is rubbing against the rotors. They are £11.something each. This specialist said that I would need 2 for both sides? Total price for 2 sensors plus labour was £100. Thought that was a bit high just for brake pads labour cost. So I got in touch with a local garage which is quite reputable.

They quoted me £20 for fitting... what a ****** difference. I just had to buy the sensors myself. Went to eurocarparts and picked up said sensors for £22, then the guy at the garage says I only needed one as the sensors are only fitted to one side, not both. That saved me antoher £11 because I just returned it. Job took about an hour and cost me a total of £31, that's including the sensor cost.

Can't complain. Only thing now is that I'm being careful whilst driving to give it time to bed in.

Garage guy said light breaking for 200 miles and then it should be ok, no major brake dust so far either but its only been 4 days so cant really say.

I've read online though and even on EBC website that I should do 10 hard brakes from 60-10mph and back again without stopping to ensure proper contact? Is this still the case? Has anyone got any advice on what I should do to ensure proper break in?

Thanks.

 

[desertstorm]

That VAG specialist doesn't know much about the brake system on your car. I wonder if they would have still charged you for these fictional parts if you had taken your car there. The garage you took them too sounds a lot better.
As the EBC site says the pads have a break in coating which is quite abrasive and rough to clean the disc surface and give you decent performance from the off. You need to make sure this has gone before you give the brakes some serious work.
So the 200 miles sounds reasonable before putting a good heat cycle through the pads to fully bed them in. It's not an exact science the 60-10 mph for 10 times,if the car is heavy and the brakes are smaller then they may get hotter quicker but it's sounds about right.
The thing to do is to try and avoid stopping completely if you can when doing this as, when the pads/ disc is hot if you stop and leave the pad in contact with the disc for a few seconds the pad surface melts onto the disc. And causes a high spot of pad material on the disc which can cause brake vibration until it is worn off again.
Drive the car around for a good 5 minutes to allow the brakes to cool

 

[Foyaz]

Hi Mate, Yeah think I've found my new local garage that I'll be going to from now on. Going to take your advice and rack up 200 miles first and then do the hard braking. hopefully it all goes well, just need to do it at a quiet time so I'm not stuck in traffic with roasting pads!