Front Brakes on GTI

[Buck0]

Hey guys,

It's time to replace the front brakes on my Polo GTI.

I've been doing a lot of reading and there's lots information and options online, however I'd like some first hand feedback from experiences on people's cars.

The car is still stock and hasn't been out on track (yet), so I'm looking for a spirited street setup rather than a track upgrade.



All opinions appreciated

[Lucas_R]

Harding Performance sell the popular ATE Ceramic pads which are a great street pad (strictly a street pad though) with very low dust. I have these ATE Ceramic pads on my Golf GTI and they are great.

If you want something more track focused (bear in mind, the more track focused they are, the worse they are on the street - so most people swap brake pads before going to the track) then have a look at Brakes Direct. You might want to consider the Forza FP2 or FP3.

Track focused pads are generally not good on a street driven car because they require heat in order to work which is hard to achieve on the street, and are usually loud (squeal) due to the pad material. They are also very dusty.

[h100vw]

I have FP3 in my polo. No dramas on the street. Not been on a track yet. Don't expect any issues though. Would recommend them.

[Buck0]

Thanks Lucas_R,

I've been doing some reading about ceramic pads and they sound great for the street. Did you match them to the ATE rotors or are you running the OE?

[Buck0]

Thanks h100w,

I'll check them out

[Lucas_R]

Thanks Lucas_R,

I've been doing some reading about ceramic pads and they sound great for the street. Did you match them to the ATE rotors or are you running the OE?

My disks were due for replacement and I was going to get the ATE disks, but then found some new Bosch disks for a ridiculously cheap price, so I got those. So far all good.

[Jaffs]

Got the ATE pads and rotors to replace the originals on the front of my Mk 6 GTI and am loving them (especially the lack of dust). The rotors come with a coating but no real instructions for burning it off when bedding in the pads. I ended up finding some good info on the net that I followed (can't remember where) and it worked well but was taking forever (slow speeds and gentle application, working up the heat in the rotors but not exceeding about 40-50 km/h until the coating was gone). In the end, it was taking forever, so I found a hill and gently rolled down it, applying the brakes - did that a few times until coating was gone from the swept surface of the rotors, then went on with the rest of the procedure.