Recommended Brake Pads please, std. setup?

[UKS4APR1]

Has anybody got a good recommendation for brake pads to use on the standard S4 (8-pad front) setup? Has anybody tried "greenstuff"?
Expensive..do they work? Especially FROM COLD.
That first press is always a bit worrying, anyone know a better solution?

[SimonS4MTM]

Biturbo has tried them

[Nige_RS4]

I tried them (EBC Greenstuff that is) - better pedal feel and less fade when warm, but they were taking at least 5 mins to get there (on std discs). Ditched them in favour of Pagid Fast Road pads - prefect for fast road use.

Nige.

[DavidR]

Avoid greenstuff. They actually work really well, from cold, good bite, not a lot of serious fade, but they are a very aggressive compound, and it ate through my standard discs (twice) cracking the second set very badly indeed.

Now, this is not a criticism of the greenstuff per se, but in combination with OEM discs, the weakness of the standard disc is evident and causes big problems.

[DavidR]

Avoid greenstuff. They actually work really well, from cold, good bite, not a lot of serious fade, but they are a very aggressive compound, and it ate through my standard discs (twice) cracking the second set very badly indeed.

Now, this is not a criticism of the greenstuff per se, but in combination with OEM discs, the weakness of the standard disc is evident and causes big problems.

[DavidR]

Avoid greenstuff. They actually work really well, from cold, good bite, not a lot of serious fade, but they are a very aggressive compound, and it ate through my standard discs (twice) cracking the second set very badly indeed.

Now, this is not a criticism of the greenstuff per se, but in combination with OEM discs, the weakness of the standard disc is evident and causes big problems.

[UKS4APR1]

DavidR what sort of mileages are we talking?
Did the greenstuff bite well from cold i.e. first press of brakes?
What was your ultimate solution?
Thanks!

[DavidR]

5000 miles and the discs were considerably worn. They were cracked by 7000 miles...

The pad worked well, apart from the side effects.

I ditched the brakes and got the Stoptech 332mm conversion.

[UKS4APR1]

Thanks for that. Just done a massive search on audiworld website and nobody can agree on pads! Seems like the stoptech conversion is the only sure fix, lots of people do it and then that's the end of the subject, not found anybody unhappy.
I've tried all sorts of pads on various cars over the years and concluded that OEM are best for road use. If OEM is not good enough, then you need bigger brakes!
Which brings me back to the start again.....
DavidR at the end of the day is it really worth the £1,000 + for the stoptech conversion (stratmosphere sell them) and forget all about messing with pads? How long have you had yours and (be honest) are they REALLY WORTH IT and do they do THE BUSINESS??????
Many Thanks

[DavidR]

I non longer have the S4, but my S3 has the Brembo conversion.

You are correct though, no matter how many aftermarket discs / pads you try, if you stick with a terrible sliding caliper design on a one piece disc then the results will always be poor.

The stoptechs were excellent. They ran the Axxis pads which were the only weak point. I beleive that the porshce 993TT setup offers a similar upgrade, and with the current £ to $ exchange rate, they are cheaper than ever.

I shall not be bothering with modifing OEM brakes from standard again, unless it involves new calipers, discs and pads in combination.

[UKS4APR1]

Thanks a lot DavidR
Found ECS Tuning doing the kit for $1700.
Seems like it's best in the long run to pay the money and do the job right.
Did you leave the rears standard?

[UKS4APR1]

http://www.ecstuning.com/stage/edpd/pag ... Volkswagen

[DavidR]

Standard rears. The stoptechs are designed to work with the OEM rears, unless you go for the 4 wheel kit.

[wazza]

Biturbo has tried them

I'm here now
I've had three different setups and driven normally, fast road and track on them all.

Standard:
Shameful. You all know what it's like.
As long as you are not continually pressing on though, it does stop the car. Eventually
Track use - don't

EBC Green:
Better feel, much better stopping power.
Does need to warm up in order to get there, but that does not mean you cannot stop - it feels about as good as std setup when cold.
Track use - before the disks warped, the fluid boiled.

EBC Red:
I had a pair of standard disks with grooves machined into them for this application and used Castrol SRF fluid. Stopping power better than the Green, but does not get as hot so quick. (Can still stop when cold)
Track use - much better for longer periods, but did manage to warp the disks within the morning at Oulton Park......

So within 9 months I went through two sets of disks/pads. I reverted to standard setup through the dealer and thought that if anything goes wrong again they will have it back under warranty. I've also not been back on track since . The amount of time/money that I spent in the end I could have had a Porsche 993TT setup. That should have solved it.
If you are looking at the moment, ECS tuning are doing a 10% discount offer and with the exchange rate at nearly $2=£1 these are dirt cheap.

Moral of the story is: If you want better brakes, buy better brakes - not just pads.

[alastairg]

DS 2500 ferodo IMO best I have used. Better than EBC red or green on previous S2 coupe in terms of performance and wear.