MkVII Brakes (Pads, Rotors and Calipers) - Discussion and Questions

[Kachingg]

Hey all

Update for those interested in r brake upgrades

I accepted a quote for $1990 for a r brake front upgrade including almost new (less than 800klm) calipers new drilled zimmerman rotors(340mm) new lines and fluid
For the rears which i am upgrading as well i had to buy a new kit from germany for $665 landed including calipers,parking servo's,mounting brackets and pads have not got a price for zimmerman rotors or fitting yet prob another $400 to $600ish

Also going to be up for getting them painted as fronts are black and rears red (going to have to go bright gold again)

Will keep this updated and i may ask the mods to make a seperate thread for it so others can find it easy if they are thinking about it

[KorwinAU]

So completed today my rear brake upgrade from the standard GTI rears to the PP/R/S3 rears. Good news is that my suspicions where correct and the servo motor used for the e-brake is identical between the platforms meaning the motor off any MQB platform car with an electronic park brake will work. I've bolted on some 2-piece ECS rotors and braided lines and some EBC Red Stuff pads to match the swap I did at the front.

IMG_20170902_122531.jpg - Google Drive
IMG_20170902_122517.jpg - Google Drive

Some earlier shots of the fronts.

IMG_20170716_134934.jpg - Google Drive
IMG_20170716_134921.jpg - Google Drive

[Kachingg]

So completed today my rear brake upgrade from the standard GTI rears to the PP/R/S3 rears. Good news is that my suspicions where correct and the servo motor used for the e-brake is identical between the platforms meaning the motor off any MQB platform car with an electronic park brake will work. I've bolted on some 2-piece ECS rotors and braided lines and some EBC Red Stuff pads to match the swap I did at the front.

IMG_20170902_122531.jpg - Google Drive
IMG_20170902_122517.jpg - Google Drive

Some earlier shots of the fronts.

IMG_20170716_134934.jpg - Google Drive
IMG_20170716_134921.jpg - Google Drive

looks nice mate just what i am going to do to mine

Whats the difference between the gti setup and the r/pp you have now? Is it noticeable on the road or only when your tracking/driving hard?

What pads did you fit? i am going ceramic as not tracking it so better for road use


Where did your get the rear calipers from i had to order mine in from Germany! could not find any at a reasonable cost out here wreckers either did not have em or wanted way to much



Checked all the parts numbers and identical so pulled the trigger in the ebay listing it had fits all mark 7 models s3 audi ect so you are correct same caliper and servo motor across entire range which makes sense when you think about it big cost saving in tooling and parts inventory

[KorwinAU]

The rear calipers I got from shopdap in the US, swapped them over when I initially ordered the wrong ones. I'm using EBC Red Stuff ceramics on all 4 corners, I'm not tracking the car on any sort of regular basis so a high performance street pad was my best option. I'm yet to take it for a proper drive to see how the breaking holds up over a longer harder drive but the bonus for the time being is the reduction in un-sprung weight, makes the car feel a little more nimble. The peddle feel is more linear so there is a much better level of control over the amount of brake pressure I can apply.

Also it looks great...

[Kachingg]

Yeah they do look very nice thats the main reason i am doing mine also the pedal feel is a bit wooden hope it picks up a bit
Did you order the manual handbrake one from the states?
I was looking at calipers over there but found a great set in germany
Also did you have to get the larger brakes engineered for compliance or it was ok because they are oem?

Great look on your car really picks it up well done

[KorwinAU]

The only thing I'd say of note so far is that running ceramics all round will result in a slight reduction in initial bite feel from the brakes over metallic pads like the factory ones. Nothing major just takes a little adjusting to.

[Kachingg]

The only thing I'd say of note so far is that running ceramics all round will result in a slight reduction in initial bite feel from the brakes over metallic pads like the factory ones. Nothing major just takes a little adjusting to.

Yeah thats what my research has turned up 2 but i am ok with that i am vry easy on brakes being a heavy truck driver always using engine braking and leaving large braking gaps also new calipers will have slightly larger pads so should balance out ok

Got the new calipers they are off for painting will get them fitted when i am back from holidays





painted now off for fitting on 1st november

[Kachingg]

Looks as good as i thought it would

[blaast]

It's time for new pads (and rotors?) on our Golf R-line, 80,000kms.

Approximately how many kms are left from when the wear indicator comes on (light traffic driving)?
Is it likely the rotors will last two pad changes, or should rotors be done too?
Would you do front and rear, or only the front if rear are okay?
What are your recommendations for pads and rotors (since the last post was 3 years ago)?

Brakes Direct suggested standard DBA rotors with Brembo pads.
Front DBA Street Series Rotors - $87.97ea (2 req) - DBA2810 DBA Street Series Standard Brake Rotor
Front Brembo Ceramic Pads - $117.97set - P85126N | Brembo Ceramic Brake Pads (DB2383)

Thanks in advance!

[Lucas_R]

You should safely have several thousand km’s of brake pad material left when the low pad indicator lights up on your dash.

I just fitted ATE Ceramic pads to my Mk7 GTI Performance and am extremely happy with them. Mainly wanted them for the low dust factor of the ceramic compound combined with the lower disk wear rate.

[davman]

Just be careful when you buy "Ceramic" pads for the low dust factor. Not all Ceramics are the same.
I too have used the same part number ATE Ceramic as Lucas has - and they are fantastic from the dust factor.

I have recently put on some other brand of well know Ceramic and they are completely useless from a a dust factor. In fact I would say these ones make "Stuff-all" difference to brake dust over standard pads.

[Lucas_R]

I have used these Bremtec Euroline “Ceramic Technology” pads previously (sourced from Brakes Direct website), and although they are a bit better on dust compared to the factory pads - they are still a very dusty pad.

[brad]

I use those DBA plain face rotors and they are a great "normal driver" replacement.

It's $80-$100/pair to machine rotors these days so why would you bother with the very soft factory rotors when new rotors are so cheap?

I haven't used the Brembo pads so can't comment.

I did try the Bremtec Pro on my daughters Honda (on Brakes Direct Recommendation) and wasn't impressed.

I would ask Brakes Direct what the DBA pads are like. They are probably re-badged Wagners which I have on the Octavia and the dust control, noise, instant grip is great.

[DrMat]

Just don't fit TEXTAR pads... OMFG worst brake dust ever, should go back to OEM!

[Reedy]

Ceramic Brake Pads for clean wheels
Ceramic Brake Pads for clean wheels


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