Ceramic brakes - RS3

[Hal Adams]

Maybe a daft question, but what is the physical and visual differences of an RS3 with ceramic brakes?

I wish to store my oem wheels for when the car is sold on, but pretty well every cheaper wheel that I do not mind ruining against kerbs, I am being told 'it is ok for standard RS3s but not mine with ceramic brakes'. In fact I cannot find any budget wheels [in black] to suit mine! Other than I have black calipers, my set-up looks the same as those I can see in photos...

 

[AudiNutta]

The ceramics are a larger disc? From what I have seen I would say that anyway.

Where are you from? They didn't offer Ceramics as an option from the factory I didn't think?

Not meaning to be funny, the wheels are one of the main visual factors separating the RS from the S3 / S Line. Why would you take them off? Just drive with care, don't plan to hit kerbs... It will take too much away from the car, to go cheap with tatty wheels.. Big no no.

 

[Hal Adams]

Did I read somewhere that ceramic brakes were not an option in the UK? My car is a German model (I live in France) which I think has the option - either way, every wheel manufacturer asks for my VIN and comes back with the same comment. I just cannot, from photos, see any difference - except I have black calipers..

I take your point about the wheels, but I am not good with wheels. Never have been! OEM wheels are expensive, so I usually get a cheaper set and change them with each tyre change, and re-instate the OEMs on trade-in.

Anyway, it looks like I will have to sit with them if I cannot find anything to fit the ceramic set-up!

 

[Spaceman_RS3]

Post a pic rs3 never got ceramics anywhere in the world was only one car I know of retro fitted them and it's been stolen.

 

[Scottyg]

I simply wouldn't put budget alloys on a Fiat 500 let alone an RS3. Always gone OME and wouldn't go elsewhere. Budgets simply aren't up to the job. Too easily cracked, warped and to flimsy to do the job.
Stick with your RS3 alloys.

 

[Spaceman_RS3]

How come Scott? Iv hand reps on lots high performance cars even track cars never bent or cracked one

 

[Arcam]

Maybe a daft question, but what is the physical and visual differences of an RS3 with ceramic brakes?

I wish to store my oem wheels for when the car is sold on, but pretty well every cheaper wheel that I do not mind ruining against kerbs, I am being told 'it is ok for standard RS3s but not mine with ceramic brakes'. In fact I cannot find any budget wheels [in black] to suit mine! Other than I have black calipers, my set-up looks the same as those I can see in photos...

Post a picture of your front discs, Audi ceramic discs are normally paired with grey calipers another way to tell is if your front discs are wavey then they are not ceramic.

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[Scottyg]

How come Scott? Iv hand reps on lots high performance cars even track cars never bent or cracked one

Not all Reps (BBS etc) It's the word "budget" that frightens me!!!

 

[AudiNutta]

Did I read somewhere that ceramic brakes were not an option in the UK? My car is a German model (I live in France) which I think has the option - either way, every wheel manufacturer asks for my VIN and comes back with the same comment. I just cannot, from photos, see any difference - except I have black calipers..

I take your point about the wheels, but I am not good with wheels. Never have been! OEM wheels are expensive, so I usually get a cheaper set and change them with each tyre change, and re-instate the OEMs on trade-in.

Anyway, it looks like I will have to sit with them if I cannot find anything to fit the ceramic set-up!

They 110% were never an option in the UK, but I thought it was one of those things which was spoken of but never actually introduced in production. Like what has been said above, I've only ever seen ceramics on 1 RS3, and it's the one which has been stolen!

I know it's a nightmare having nice wheels and they are kerb magnets, but I wouldn't ruin the look of the car. You can have the wheels refurbished. A £80-£100 diamond cut refurb each and Audi would never know, they would only refurb any damage anyway.

 

[Spaceman_RS3]

True that scott

 

[Terminator x]

Ceramics and buckets never arrived. Those who were waiting were disappointed. Sound familiar

TX.

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[Hal Adams]

I have scraped and looked hard at my discs and cannot see they are ceramic. So not sure what the supplier is on about. Plus, the few ceramic discs I have seen in the past have been black unlike these which are bright steel colour. Last night I looked through the build codes of the car, but all it has is 1LU that equates to just 'disc brakes' - no size or type!
Here is pic - I am away for a few days so cannot take the wheel off for a better shot. Confirmation that these are no different to others is appreciated.

 

[D0C]

Look like the standard steels to me.

 

[Dave Hedgehog]

Yep boggo steel wave brakes

Ceramics look very different

 

[Terminator x]

Damn they look great £6k option though on other RS's?

TX.

 

[AudiNutta]

Damn they look great £6k option though on other RS's?

TX.

I thought they would of been more than that. I heard they are £8k to put discs and pads all around.

 

[AudiNutta]

They are definitely standard brakes, no ceramics there.. If your supplier is telling you that your car has ceramics when Audi never produced an RS3 with ceramics, you have to question how good that supplier is.....

 

[Hal Adams]

OK, great, thanks every one - I knew they had to be standard steel brakes. And yes, what is the supplier trying to say..!

What surprises me is the vast mention of the RS3 having ceramics as an option across the web, when in reality this was never the case. I think one reviewer actually said the car he tested had ceramics. Did Audi maybe intend to offer them, made a big thing of it and then backed down after all the hype was put out there - and why?

As to price, I think £8k is nearer the mark - the new Porsche Boxter option is up around that price.

 

[Hal Adams]

I have enough to get on with - reversing camera. wheels and temporary luggage rack of some sort - the next was going to be brake pads, which I might load onto this thread whilst it is alive.
I have always like EBC Redstuff pads. Whilst this can and maybe will open up all sorts of opinion, Redstuff are not listed for the RS3 - understandable I guess. I wonder therefore if anyone knows of the front and rear calipers on the RS3 being used on other models and/or cars where I could get a Redstuff reference?

 

[Terminator x]

Some of the Audi demo cars (pre launch) had ceramics and buckets which led to speculation they would appear on proper production cars. Never happened though.

TX.

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[Bristle Hound]

Ceramic brakes on a B8.5 RS4

http://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threads/b5-b7-b8-rs4-colours.235804/#post-2357019

 

[Arcam]

Ceramic brakes on a B8.5 RS4

http://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threads/b5-b7-b8-rs4-colours.235804/#post-2357019

The thing with the RS4 ceramic offering is they were only fitted to the front leaving the wavey disc on the rear which works OK but is not astecily pleasing, but on the bright side they were only c4k option

Ceramic brakes on a B8.5 RS4

http://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threads/b5-b7-b8-rs4-colours.235804/#post-2357019

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[RCD6FC]

I have enough to get on with - reversing camera. wheels and temporary luggage rack of some sort - the next was going to be brake pads, which I might load onto this thread whilst it is alive.
I have always like EBC Redstuff pads. Whilst this can and maybe will open up all sorts of opinion, Redstuff are not listed for the RS3 - understandable I guess. I wonder therefore if anyone knows of the front and rear calipers on the RS3 being used on other models and/or cars where I could get a Redstuff reference?

Hal,

See if you can get in touch with forum member 45bvtc. He runs Redstuff on his 8P RS3 and is only too happy to help.

 

[Arcam]

Red Stuff part number for the 8th pot RS3 caliper is DP31513C

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[Hal Adams]

Many thanks to both!
I have read a lot on Redstuff on the 8P RS3 section, but was not sure if the calipers on both are the same.
However, I am pretty sure that the old RS3 did not have electric hand brake, so need to find out what mainstream model uses the same caliper. If anything like the Mercedes SLK which uses an ML caliper, it will be a Q5 or Q7 I bet.
Which leads onto another question before I forget - can you enter service mode through the MMI - typically the program that winds back the handbrake motor to insert new pads (assuming I find any Redstuff) - or is this a dealer/service thing?

 

[45bvtc]

Redstuff on the 8V front brake arrangement have good reports as they have on the 8P with only one negative report...

However, 'ceramic' brakes on the RS3 are another issue and while recommended for track use by the Audi 'experience' professionals (Silverstone 2014), they were not recommended for road use! And having driven the RS4 and RS7 and R8 V10 plus with 'ceramics' on the road I'd agree; way too fierce for low speed braking; and way too effective for the enthusiastic "it's not my car simpleton" following closely behind...

 

[Arcam]

Many thanks to both!
I have read a lot on Redstuff on the 8P RS3 section, but was not sure if the calipers on both are the same.
However, I am pretty sure that the old RS3 did not have electric hand brake, so need to find out what mainstream model uses the same caliper. If anything like the Mercedes SLK which uses an ML caliper, it will be a Q5 or Q7 I bet.
Which leads onto another question before I forget - can you enter service mode through the MMI - typically the program that winds back the handbrake motor to insert new pads (assuming I find any Redstuff) - or is this a dealer/service thing?

If you want rears for the 8v EBC make some, yellow stuff part number is DP42173R and you need a vcds or similar tool to wind the handbrake off and calibrate afterwards. There are other methods but they are far too dodgy for my liking.

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[45bvtc]

I have scraped and looked hard at my discs and cannot see they are ceramic.

Correct! Them's are STD cast iron, welcome to the club...

 

[Hal Adams]

You saying that Redstuff has good reports is encouraging. Thanks! Normally - on other forums - this raises blood temperature to boiling! I have always liked them for their cleanliness feature, but appreciate they are pretty rubbish on the couple of tracks I have been on.

Thanks Arcam for the part numbers - I can get a Redstuff ewquivalent from the Yellowstuff p/n, so with you kindly sharing the front, I should be set now! I hear what you say re the vcds. Pity though - one good feature of Mercedes is they cater for rear brake pad change through the drivers MMI equivalent.

Re ceramics 45bvtc, not a consideration on my part! Cannot afford to service them! Having said that, I am not sure I would want them even if money not an object. OK, I have only driven my RS3 for a tad under 2000kms, and one of the best features is the sure braking! When I picked the car up from Nuremburg, I had a long stretch of free autobahn, 260kmph not a problem, stuck to the road like glue and light taps on the brake to slow down for others was a most positive feeling. Much better and felt safer than anything Mercedes I have had... Not so sure a positive feeling watching the bars decrease on the fuel gauge though....