Front brake calipers

[Sirocco20348]

Hey guys,

I completely removed the front brake pads from the Gti tonight and I noticed that one side was experiencing normal wear, while the other side is just horrificly uneven.

I have always experienced a slight squeaking/rubbing noise from the extremely worn pads from install.

I don't think it's merely a slides lubrication problem, I am thinking the caliper is sticking.

Do people rebuild mk4 calipers or do they just buy new one's?

Any other advice is recommended, thanks.

[jmcc]

Hey, I was reading about this a couple days ago.. Apparently it's due to the rubber bushings the caliper carriers are mounted on..
One guy posted about a Tyrolsport stiffening kit that's apparently pretty easy to install and effective.. I was thinking of getting one

[Sirocco20348]

Hey, I was reading about this a couple days ago.. Apparently it's due to the rubber bushings the caliper carriers are mounted on..
One guy posted about a Tyrolsport stiffening kit that's apparently pretty easy to install and effective.. I was thinking of getting one

Haha I am that guy.

Yeh I know, after reading that I was fairly confident about the problem because The rubber bushes were run for the last 5 years, and I only installed the tyrolsport stiffening kit within the last year.

So when I pulled out the front left, I was in disbelief to see the pads so even and in great condition.

I spoke with Greg from brakes direct he said it would be a slides lubrication problem. So I guess I will just buy some decent lube.... My current caliper lube dried out fairly quickly. But apparently there is for extreme lube for metal on metal situations, so I'll buy some of that.

I find it hard to believe that one caliper was better lubricated than the other. They both got the same amount of treatment..

I have had the discs machined and I have new brake pads, so I'll report back in a few months.

In regards to the stiffening kit, I didn't really notice any difference between the original rubber and the tyrolsport kit. I certainly didn't hop in the car and go wow! The original rubber must be phenomenal thou because it was in great condition considering the heat they have been subjected to for the last 16 years.

[beale187]

But apparently there is for extreme lube for metal on metal situations, so I'll buy some of that.

I find it hard to believe that one caliper was better lubricated than the other. They both got the same amount of treatment..

Have you checked the seals for the slides? Strange one side would dry out more than the other.

[Sirocco20348]

Have you checked the seals for the slides? Strange one side would dry out more than the other.

There really isn't any seals as such. Just the slide bushing and the end cap. Both were in decent condition when removed. One side didn't seem lubricated any more than the other.

[jmcc]

haha well then, wish I had double checked that link..

Weird though, I guess if they were both nice and even now the kit would be a go but that looks pretty disappointing.
That would be good if you could post an update, see if it has made any difference or not.

my disks need replacing so was going to refresh the fluid, lube and pads while I was at it too. what pads did you go with?

Haha I am that guy.

Yeh I know, after reading that I was fairly confident about the problem because The rubber bushes were run for the last 5 years, and I only installed the tyrolsport stiffening kit within the last year.

So when I pulled out the front left, I was in disbelief to see the pads so even and in great condition.

I spoke with Greg from brakes direct he said it would be a slides lubrication problem. So I guess I will just buy some decent lube.... My current caliper lube dried out fairly quickly. But apparently there is for extreme lube for metal on metal situations, so I'll buy some of that.

I find it hard to believe that one caliper was better lubricated than the other. They both got the same amount of treatment..

I have had the discs machined and I have new brake pads, so I'll report back in a few months.

In regards to the stiffening kit, I didn't really notice any difference between the original rubber and the tyrolsport kit. I certainly didn't hop in the car and go wow! The original rubber must be phenomenal thou because it was in great condition considering the heat they have been subjected to for the last 16 years.

[Sirocco20348]

haha well then, wish I had double checked that link..

Weird though, I guess if they were both nice and even now the kit would be a go but that looks pretty disappointing.
That would be good if you could post an update, see if it has made any difference or not.

my disks need replacing so was going to refresh the fluid, lube and pads while I was at it too. what pads did you go with?

I couldn't go past QFM A1RM for the price and past experience. $110 for the fronts, rears were cheaper. It's kind of hard to find street/track focused pads for the Mk4 that don't cost a fortune.

I had zero noise under normal braking, only an aggressive grinding noise under hard braking. The noise sounds harsh, but no major damage was being done to the rotors. They are dusty pads thou.

In 5 years, roughly 60,000km, including attending roughly 10 track sessions and multiple happy laps sessions, my DBA T3 rotors had worn from 25mm to 24.5mm. A1RM pads are not aggressive on rotors.

On the road, when cold, not as affective, require some modulation from general usage. But still brake efficiently. Just not as good as stock pads at cold temps.

In terms of brake fade on the track, I thought they performed well all the time. But in saying that after a while on the track, if I hard brake with the intention of activating the abs, I could never get it to activate. So there must have been slight brake fade perhaps? But I never lacked confidence when approaching a corner.

I was informed that FORZA FP3 pads, (which apparently are a step up from A1RM in every regard) will be available for the mk4 within the next 6 months) from brakes direct.

On the rears, the A1RM pads have barely been affected. Minimal pad wear on a generic brand solid disc rotor. I really think a more aggressive comp track pad could be deployed at the rear. But I don't have any recommendations.

Btw DBA T3 rotors were amazing.

[jmcc]

Thanks for the detailed run down, yeah I was looking at the a1rm's but was a bit worried about the stores of them chewing rotors.

good to hear! I was a bit disappointed when I saw that there were no forza's for mk4s. I read a ton of good things about them.. I might send brakes direct and email see if they'll let me know when they become available.