A3 8p Brake upgrades

[Ormie]

I would like to upgrade my brakes on my A3. I read about the S3 brakes fitting. Is there another option?

Has anybody done this? What size brakes looks and works best?

[Trevor]

Great picture Dan...

Hopefully someone has done the mod before but imagine it should be a straight swap if you have all of the parts from the S3 to hand

 

[Ormie]

I would like to say I have the parts to hand but I don't. I think I am going to bite the bullet and buy new. I am wondering is bigger better? 

[Trevor]

Larger brake discs is all relative to heat build up and dissipation with a larger surface area but essentially the braking effort will only be increased by the clamping effort of the calipers (four, six pistons,etc).  The first thing I would do to improve braking at very little cost is to convert over to steel braided hoses (Goodridge supply them) and see how you get on.

[Hazza]

Hey mate, I recently wanted the same thing. I hare that a mk5 golf R32 brakes should fit and give the braking performance your looking for. I am currently looking into it but could be worth a shot! 

[Magnet]

Well Ormie, I suspect this is going to sound rather negative, but here goes anyway.

Your A3 and mine are opposite ends of the sale performance-wise, but in my our considerable mileage assessment of this car, the brakes are superb in comparison with other makes and models driven over the same period. But, I must say that this opinion is based on using only VAG group discs and pads as replacements have been needed - with one exception at a point where aftermarket pads were used for a short time, but found to be nowhere near as good as Audi and were changed months later. Appreciate that there are probably even better pads available, but there are most certainly much poorer performing aftermarket ones.

I say this since if you are not really happy with your current braking performance then are you sure you now have genuine or better performing brake components on your car? If not, reverting to original without modification may be the simple answer.

Now I know all this upgrading of brakes etc. may be considered desirable and even fashionable, and yes, your car is a performance car for which Audi would have taken account and designed the brakes to be more than adequate for the way in which the car was designed to be used. After all, you are restricted to driving to the same limits as every other motorist and if brakes are considered not be up to that driving style ( even though the manufacturer designed them to be so) then perhaps that style of driving does demand more. Of course, if your driving includes on-track events then the question becomes of importance.

Not sure if this approach was what was wanted, but it may just concentrate the mind on.... why?

Kind reagrds,

Gareth. 

 

      

[cliffcoggin]

Ormie. I wonder if you have a fault with your brakes because mine are stupidly fierce even after fitting new discs and pads. In fact I would like to downgrade the servo assistance for gentler braking.