Ceramic Brakes

[Borgelite]

I'm on the lookout for an RS4 and i have noticed a few up for sale with ceramic brakes.....

I'm aware that they where around a 5k option but now these cars are a couple of years old what would extra would they command over a car same spec without the ceramic brakes.....i would of thought a 1k tops or an i being to harsh...

BTW how often do the pads on the ceramic brakes have to be changed...

[mfire]

IMO I wouldn't pay any extra for ceramics. I find the standard brakes excellent but then I came from an M5 which must have the weakest brakes I've ever experienced. Suppose it depends on whether you track it

[RED_ROCKET]

Ceramic brakes on an RS4 are rare and sellers do demand a premium over the standard. Pads last approx 15k miles depending on how there used.

Over the standard brakes they can be used harder as the chances of fade are next to nothing. And the discs look the business aswell.

Where did you see the ones for sale?

[Borgelite]

There's a black one on autotrader and a sprint blue on pistonheads.

[RED_ROCKET]

The sprint blue one is a good spec..

[Virdee Autos]

You can buy the retrofit kit from Audi!

[Musar]

What sort of money is the retrofit kit?

[Virdee Autos]

£6167.40 +VAT last time I checked.

[Musar]

[sonny]

Im sure Virdee will do you a cracking deal including fitting cough cough

[Virdee Autos]

LOL, can do them discounted!

Can do them for £6725 incl. VAT plus fitting

[BOGR32]

The most important feature that made me choose ceramics over the standard steel discs is that you have to change the steel discs pretty often (25-30 k miles depending on your driving) where the ceramics are good for at least 200 k miles, or that's what Audi claims. And let's not forget that besides the disc excelent compound, the calipers are with 6 pistons compared with 8 pistons for the standard brakes which in my expertise is for the best ( see Porsche) and , the ceramics are 380 mm compared with 365 mm steel, another very important feature that greatly improves the braking. So, ceramics all the way, if you ask me. I for one am very very happy with the choice.

[simonhill]

I know a couple of Porsche GT3 owners who had some ceramics wrap -luckily they got them replaced under warranty (just), but imagine the cost if had to replace them yourself!!
Audi will not offer any written guarantee to how long they will last

[SR71]

Personally, I'd think hard about whether or not ceramics were a liability rather than a bonus.

Like you say, you'd be pi**ed if a dodgy pad starting scoring the rotor or you got some foreign object damage to it a couple of months after shelling out ~£7K.

And its going to be a lot harder getting ceramics replaced under warranty compared to steels, even if you do feel your claim is justified. I can see Audi thinking up all kinds of excuses not to have to shell out for these...

The clincher for me, is that if the guys down at Audi Driving Experience don't use "ceramic-ed" cars, whose cars are hammered day in day out, why not?

[BOGR32]

If there will be a problem with the ceramics in the future (hope not) there is a sollution for everything: first, Mov'it has a ceramic disc set for RS4
that is cheaper or you can always find a 380 mm steel disc to replace them and use the calipers, different pads. There are sollutions for everything. If you think Audi Driving Experience guys don't use them, I like to think that Lambo use them (the same front discs for the LP 560-4), R8 use them (as an option) and I wouldn't be surprise if they were the same for the new GT2 , which is also 380 mm. So, all those cars are warranty enough for me.