Stoptech front big brake kit - can i move this to the rears?

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Stevo
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Stoptech front big brake kit - can i move this to the rears?

Post by Stevo » Fri Oct 15, 2004 7:56 pm

Currently have the stoptech 332mm big brake kit on the front but want to upgrade to 6 pot brakes, will the stoptechs fit on the rear and can i mix different makes of kit on the car which is a facelift 1999 b5 S4.

Any help appreciated.

Steve.

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Post by DavidT » Fri Oct 15, 2004 8:08 pm

I think that is the same Brembo caliper as the Porsche big red. They are certainly similar in size and performance.

With suitable brackets they will fit but that is a very large brake for a rear and you would have the issue of creating an effective handbrake.

The ABS system is tuned to work with the standard setup in terms of pressure, slip and maximum retardation, so to maintain good function, you need to balance up whatever you fit properly.

A reputable tuner should be able to help you with this.

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Post by DavidR » Fri Oct 15, 2004 8:30 pm

DavidT wrote:I think that is the same Brembo caliper as the Porsche big red. They are certainly similar in size and performance.
Not so, its completely different in terms of manufacture, but IS a similar size, using a similar size disc.

Steve, read stoptechs site re brake balance, you'll need an absolutely massive front disc and caliper to balance the brakes out with front brakes on the rear :shock: :shock:

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Post by bem_ho » Sat Oct 16, 2004 3:41 am

I agree with David!! The front caliper has much larger pistons than the rear, you will have to have a huge front caliper to balance it out. Even so, the ABS will not like this setup at all and you will out grip the tires.

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Diesel
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Post by Diesel » Sat Oct 16, 2004 9:02 am

Dont do it - unless of course you like left foot braking and forest style special stage arseeendout affairs!!!

How did you find the Stoptechs? I had 'pad deposit' judder problems & Pagids rattling anout in the slots a bit. Fixed it ultimately, but took several transatlatic but helpful calls.

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Post by Thorney » Sat Oct 16, 2004 9:07 am

Why move to 6 pots?

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Post by DavidT » Sat Oct 16, 2004 10:53 am

Thorney wrote:Why move to 6 pots?
Good question, do you get brake fade with extreme use or is it more of a cosmetic thing ?

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Post by Stevo » Sat Oct 16, 2004 12:10 pm

When i start doing heavy breaking on dual carriageways and motorways the brakes will appear to have no effect after 3-4 times heavy braking and i'm talking extreme brake fade.

Was thinking of trying out pagid blue on the fronts to see if that helps first before splashing out, will blues be suitable for the stock back calipers as well?

I dont have a clue about brake setups and reading the stoptech site confuses me even more so, thats why i'd try here and get some nice simple answers first :)

Thanks for the replies so far.

Steve.

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Post by DaveP » Sat Oct 16, 2004 12:48 pm

Have you changed/uprated your brake fluid ??
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Post by DavidT » Sat Oct 16, 2004 12:54 pm

When i start doing heavy breaking on dual carriageways and motorways the brakes will appear to have no effect after 3-4 times heavy braking and i'm talking extreme brake fade.
That is really bad. There must be an issue with your setup.

Did you bed the pads in properly when new ?

I suggest you take them out and clean them, they may be glazed.

With any pads on you big brake setup you should not get brake fade on the roads, I would expect you to get a good few laps on a track before they start to fade.

May be worth buying a new set of standard pads as well before investing in a new brake setup.

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Post by DavidR » Sat Oct 16, 2004 2:25 pm

Hell Steve, thats a change! Perhaps the pads are short on life now, and are overheating. I never experienced fade with the Stoptechs - and they were used on some very demanding alpine roads.

@David T - they were bedded in using Stoptechs method to the bottom line.

@DaveP - it has stoptech braided lines and DOT 5.1 fluid (<6months old)

@ Steve - try checking the brake pad thickness and if they are not excessively worn, I would repeat the bed in procedure as described by stoptech. When the brakes were new and not bedded in, the pedal effort was huge to get the car to stop, but after the bed in, worked well. I experienced the same problem having run the more aggressive Hawk Blues to solve some uneven pad deposits, but again re bedding them sorted the issue.

Personally, I was not a great fan of the Axxis pads, too soft in the pedal and gave variable feedback. If you are in the area Steve, you are welcome to the Hawk Blues (but they will wear the discs and put passengers through the windscreen, but are useful to scrub the disc before bedding a new pad in). I had ordered some Pagid Blue, but they didn't arrive before the car sold (and still haven't otherwise I'd give them too you also) but I beleive the difference I felt between the Axxis pads and Hawks strongly points blame at the pads rather than the brake system.

6 pots should not be required to solve this problem...

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JohnW
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Post by JohnW » Sat Oct 16, 2004 8:31 pm

How does your brake fade exhibit itself ?
Do you get a spongy pedal or a solid pedal ?

soft pedal means your fluid is shot, hard pedal means the pads have overheated.
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Post by Stevo » Sun Oct 17, 2004 12:16 pm

JohnW wrote:How does your brake fade exhibit itself ?
Do you get a spongy pedal or a solid pedal ?

soft pedal means your fluid is shot, hard pedal means the pads have overheated.
Its a solid feel.

If this is an overheating problem then do i need to upgrade the pads or will a re-bedin procedure do the trick?
First thing i will do when i get home this wednesday will check the thickness of the pads.

DavidR, I had a good bedtime reading lastnight and read up on the stoptech info-some good info which makes me believe i might have removed the bed-in layer on the rotor with moderate breaking in town.

If the pads are okay, thickness wise, then i will try another bedin procedure, those hawk blues are for track use?? i'll get in contact with you when i get home as i would like to maybe use these prior to another bed-in procedure or would it be okay to just start another bedin procedure straight away depending on the thickness of the pads? (the stoptech site wasn't clear on this point)

I noticed that the pagid blue go upto 650F and axxis only 600F? what other pads go above this temp for demanding road use only, not constant track use.

This site is a god send for novices! :)

Steve.

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Post by DavidR » Sun Oct 17, 2004 2:02 pm

Steve, I had extensive (expensive) and very helpful conversations with Matt Weiss from Stoptech re brake pads / compounds / bedding procedures.

If the pad thickness is acceptable, then follow the bed in procedure again, probbably twice at least paying great attention to the cool down period.

You'll not need to use the Hawk pads inbetween times unless the brakes are wobbly or you swap pads (in the case of the latter it's not an absolute, but can be helpful).

Personally, I would ditch the Axxis pads anyhow, as I was planning to do, as their inconsistent responses are a feature described well on the American site, audiworld.com and users there reported a much better feel and response with Pagid fast road pads.

I think the peak temperature the pads can tolerate is NOT the critical factor, but more the response throughout the temperature range. I had another (lengthy) conversation with the UK Ferrodo distriubuter (who supplies pads for most of the saloon car racing teams) and he was advising that whilst peak figures are often quoted, in the real world with fast road driving or track driving, it is other factors in the make up of the pad that determines the effectiveness of the pad across temperature variations. Outcome was that the Pagid Blue, or equivalent Ferrodo pad (which is a numeric identifiyer - hence me forgetting it) would be ideal. Matt and others suggested that the cold, salty British climate may not be best suited to the Axxis pads.

However, despite all of this, if you want to convince yourself (as I did) that it WAS a pad problem, and not an issue elsewhere in the braking system running the Hawk Blues (keeping them cold WITHOUT bedding them in even) will demonstrate the full potential.

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Post by Stevo » Sun Oct 17, 2004 8:01 pm

Excellent advice as ever David.
I'll order some pagids up and try an install myself.
Is it best to install pagids on the rear as well?
David, do you know off hand what pads are on the rear and when they were installed?
Steve
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