BizAsUz

Hi I just bought a 2016 A6 3.0T... I have seen a few posts in the forum about dealer installed brakes... my question is that if I wanted to get aftermarket brakes is that the best option being as which the dealer brakes tend to warp or wear quickly?

What are the best aftermarket brakes to buy and what requirements are needed to buy and install .... like If I went to autozone or a autoparts dealer to get rotors and pads .... is this ok?

F10_535i

I doubt Autozone would sell any decent pads and rotors but why do you need change them? I would wait until you see them warp or wear down. I bought a 2017 A6 recently and my brakes have been perfect so far after a month of ownership. I believe its an issue but not everyone is experiencing it. But if you do want to change them then I know you will need to eletronically unlock them using Carista or another similar device.

uberwgn

Biz, welcome to the forums! Are you experiencing some sort of problem with the brakes?

BizAsUz

Hi, and thank you for the welcome...

I am just looking to be proactive on parts... my Rotors do look a bit worn as the wear on the rotors are not even and smooth.. I can see grooves. So I am not sure if it was what I was reading about the Audi Rotors/Pads...

vinng86

Apply soft braking at a low speed and try and feel the pads pressing on the rotors. If you're applying constant pressure but the brakes feel like their applying high pressure then low pressure then high, then your rotors are likely warped and need replacing. If you want to be really sure, take some electronic calipers and measure the thickness all the way around the rotor and see if they differ a lot.

As for aftermarket brake pads, you have a wide variety of aftermarket choices of pads from EBC, Powerstop, Akebono etc, and rotors from Zimmerman, StopTech, etc,. All are fairly good choices.

Ceramic brake pads are fairly popular, they have okay bite until they're warm but produce very little brake dust.
Rotors, go with the relatively cheapest option you can find that fits your car, no need to go for slotted/drilled unless you really want it for the looks.

BizAsUz

Thank you for your input.... noted...

BizAsUz

Appreciate all the feedback...

One more question.... what is the correct brake size (rotors) / pads if applicable .... ???

I know there are different sizes... I seen a post about wrong sizes of rotors installed... I cant seem to find it...

vinng86

For 3.0T engines, 356mm diameter front rotors, 330mm diameter rear rotors. For 2.0T engines I think it's 345mm front, 320mm rear. They differ by the engine.


Brake pads have a specific shape that fits the calipers, you should be able to find which ones you need specifically by searching your specific car model on sites like Rockauto or Amazon. For me, I picked up for the front brakes.

bpd

Yes, checkout Rockauto or Amazon. I like Powerstop Z26 pads that I put on my S6. I hear good things about Akebono. If you don't like brake dust, these are good. There are many others, but as you asked, you do not need to go factory brake parts.

BizAsUz

Thanks all... Great Info..