nharte

I have a bit of a dilemma here. I have a 2014 S4 with 19k miles on it. I only really drive it to work (

SpeedTriplemark

Hmmm... that is a dilema, not sure about that one...

superbee6

I had to replace the brakes on my wife's 2013 S5 at about 25k miles. Was pretty surprised. When you do it, you have to replace the rotors, can't just replace the pads, they have to "bed" in. Dealer wanted mint to do it so I thought why not spend a few extra and get the AP Racing Radical set up. Never thought I'd care about upgrading the brakes but, they look so awesome and night and day difference. I also have a S4 that I commute in and her car just goes back and forth to school, etc, that's why I was surprised at how soon the brakes needed changed. Don't get me wrong, she drives it like she stole it though. I feel she's safer with these brakes. Great feel (actually a huge difference)and better grip. I almost can't wait for my S4 brakes to wear out so I can swap them. Best bang for the buck in my opinion for brake upgrade. Wheels stay a bit cleaner too. Highly recommended.

kiosko13

I have 63k miles in my 2014 that has had 4 sets of pads and two sets of rotors by now. The car eats brake pads! When the factory pads went, I had the factory rotors machined and installed EBC yellow stuff pads. Better bite at the track and in the mountains, but the wear was much worse than the stock pads. The third set of pads were yellow stuff, but this time I put on dimpled and grooved brake rotors. The pads seem to last longer with this style rotor, likely because of the lower heat you get from them.

I'm happy with the yellow stuff pads. They have better stopping power and torque with slightly less wear resistance. They also are not the typical race pad that does not brake unless they are hot. These do a decent job of braking on the streets with a cold pad.

safetywork

I drive about 80% freeway, managed to do 48k miles before my OE brakes needed replacement. I replaced the brakes with OE rotors and EBC Yellow pads. I'm at 87k miles now....there's definitely a lip developing on the rotors. I believe I'll need new brakes on my next service......

EBC Yellows, IMO are pretty good. I don't remember how dusty the OE's were anymore but when the weather gets cold, my current setup doesn't squeal like the OE's.

DrGP

Any ceramic brakes will not only stop well enough for daily driving but will also eliminate the brake dust I put on Stoptech ceramics on mine, Others have used Akebonos and Wearever Golds. Best thing I ever did to my car. Plus it will eliminate brake squeal!

Bobby Kinstle

I have stoptech ceramics on my car right now and they are clearly inferior to the stock pads. Its so bad that I have a set of stock pads on order right now and will switch them out as soon as I can.

DrGP

That does not mirror my experience. What is bad about yours? I don't think any ceramic pads are as good as the OEM pads. That's why Audi doesn't uses ceramic pads as OEM. I have had no instances where the car did not stop well enough.

Bobby Kinstle

My main complaints are cold bite, and friction at most levels except when quite warm. I find myself really standing on the brakes to get acceptable stopping performance at most conditions (stop and go is OK). If I am travelling at freeway speed, then hit the brakes pretty hard, accelerate, and hit them again, they work great, and as long as the remain hot, they work great. However my stoptech rotors cool down super fast so they won't remain hot for long. This makes them great for a spirited canyon drive but lousy for driving to work.

Also the car has the emergency brake assist feature where it goes ahead and applies extra pressure when you press the brake pedal too fast. This feature doesn't work with the stoptech ceramics. I'm sure the car is trying, but nothing happens.

DrGP

I will admit that the initial bite takes much more pedal to grab. But I seem to have gotten used to it and now it feels normal.