shivamerlin

Hey guys,

I need some advise. I have attended a few HPDE track events in the past and as much as I like my S4 the stock brakes are simply not made for the kind of driving.

Currently I am thinking about upgrading my front brakes but there are so many choices out there (StopTech, Revo, K-Sport and Audi RS brakes) so I'm looking for some advise from my fellow Audi guys...

Thanks for your feedback, it is much appreciated!

cyclezib

Consider buying the Alcons.

Waaazooo

I used Stoptech's on my Subaru STi. Usually the brake pads and fluid make more of a difference than more pistons on the caliper. There are many cars with standard brakes that have no issues with HPDE.

Unless money is no object I would get a set of xp 10's (front) and xp 8's for the rear. It will change your mind.

westwest888

Brembo GT 380mm is what you want for road course use - TireRack sells it with no hassle. Stoptech is a close 2nd.

shivamerlin

Hey Guys,
I know I have been asking this a while ago but currently I am thinking about RS Big Brake Kits sold by ECS Tuning. Either the RS Stage 3 kit with the 365x34 with the wave rotors or the the Stage 3 kit 365x38 with the Porsche calipers.

I wanted to hear some feedback from people already using their brake kits. Usually I rely on customer reviews but there aren't any out there.

It looks like you are getting more for your money versus Brembo, StopTech etc. but I wanted to hear from Audi guys that are already using those brakes.

Thank you!

Eric_C

What kind of cooling do you have?

Are you locking them up or engaging the ABS or are they just not holding up after hard laps and fading hard?

What kind of pads are you running? Bigger brakes without adequate cooling is just going to buy you some more laps until you run into the same problem.

Second question is what kind of fluid and are you fading due to boiling the fluid?

You swapping fluid in the calipers before every event?

shivamerlin

Eric, thanks for your reply.

The issue I had last time on the track that my brakes started to fade after hard laps and on day two I had pretty bad vibrations felt on the steering wheel and brake pedal.

Audi dealer replaced my pads and rotors. Apparently the pads started to eat into the rotors at least that's what they stated. Everything on my car is stock however I did replace the brake fluid with Motul600 but I did not have it flushed before the last track event.

I think if I want to continue doing track events there is no way around bigger brakes.

westwest888

There's two kinds of kits: vendors cobble together building blocks and make an application for the car; and OEM+ kits from research manufacturers like Brembo or Stoptech. The problem with things like Porsche calipers on an Audi is a Porsche is a 3000 pound car (or 5000 pound SUV) and an Audi is a 4000 pound car. The piston volume and area is different and it's important to keep this consistent for pedal feel and front-to-rear brake bias. Other kits will pair something you know, like an AP Racing caliper, with a rotor blank from a no-name manufacturer, fastened inexpensively to a hub hat. So you get an expensive caliper with a cheap 2 piece rotor.

I recommend going Brembo or Stoptech. Even Audi RS brakes are not the best for road course use (I've seen them fail on a TT-RS even with endurance pads and fluid, the only caveat being he was on R compound tires).

Eric_C

As the previous poster mentioned weight is your biggest enemy.

More weight, more energy to shed, creates more heat.

Now me personally if you are getting a full day out of stock equipment I would not be complaining.

Totally stock, even pads? Those pads are not meant to be tracked.

So a few things:

Do you do a cool down lap when your done?

Do you not use the brakes at all once exiting the track? When I leave the track after a cool down lap I never touch the brakes, ever. Use the trans to get as slow and I can, and just let the clutch out in 1st after turning the car off to stop it. Never set the e-brake

Bigger brakes will help, but thats only because you are increasing the surface area so they take longer to heat up.

Cooling is key because even if you go with a larger rotor that helps you can still boil the fluid in the caliper.

I ran something similar to this on my Corvette:



On your calipers you should bleed just the caliper itself after every event. Also remember high temp fluid has a much higher ability to retain water so it needs to be changed more often, every 3-4 months, or every 3-4 events.

Plus a much more aggressive pad. You should put on track specific pads at the track, then street pads. None of the "street/track" pads are worth much if you want to get good consistent braking performance.

Then once you do all that I would look at boot protectors, we used to melt all the rubber for the A-arms and tie rods because of the heat from the brakes.