I want to thank everyone again who made suspension recommendations to me, I am now going to the brakes. I can't take the dust anymore! I am looking for a street/light track brake pad that doesn't dust so badly. On my other cars I have used the Hawk Pads. Any suggestions on the A3? Thanks.

 

Akebono Euro ceramics - available from Tire Rack. They're superb for street use - no noise, zero dust, long life. I have them on both of my A3's. They unfortunatelydon't have rear pads yet, so your choices in back are stock (now much dustier than the fronts), Carbotech bobcats (expensive but work well), or Hawk ceramic (unknown).
Tyrolsport makes brass slider bushings for the fronts that improve the soft pedal feel a bit. Easy to install, but they require yearly greasing. For those of us who find the A3 brakes unbearably squishy, the sliders and a good bleeding with ATE blue or gold gets the pedal feel to the tolerable level.

 

On a thread over at Fourtitude (Road Trip to Vegas...), the author changed to the Hawk Ceramic pads and loved them.

Hawk Performance Ceramic Pads Part #'s for 2006 A3 2.0T:
FRONT Manufacturer Part #: HB543Z.760
REAR Manufacturer Part #: HB544Z.628
http://www.hawkperformance.com...c.php

 

Thanks hesaputz and kgw!!

Hesaputz, I am beginning to think I just need a list of modifications you have done to your car and follow the list, it seems our automobile goal are quite similar.

 

My car isn't very modded - it's a daily driver that I try to keep reasonable, comfortable, and reliable. I've got track Porsches and shifter karts for when I'm feeling frisky - no use going crazy on the family truckster.
The urge to improve never dies, though, so I've;

Done the suspension and brake stuff indicated
Tire rack MT1 wheels ( these are 17.5 lb Enkei flow- forged) w/ Bridgestone RE050A stickies
Ashtray delete in center console, Euro rubber mats, storage bin for Driver's seat
Blindspot (Euro split) mirror on drivers side, Euro convex on passenger
3M Crystalline tint on all windows and Open sky, including complete windshield
Painted the mirrors, grill, fogs, and bumper markers in graphite to match the wheels. Audi rings are flat silver, including wheel centers.
Debadged the rear, except for an old school Audi oval.
Blacked out the vent rings, to get rid of reflections.

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l1...itanium010.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l1...utz/xxx001.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l1...itanium007.jpg

The suspension feels great, BTW. Don't know if I should have just gone for a C/O setup. but I'm very happy with the way my car drives for agressive but levelheaded street use. It's really got enough pop for me without a flash or exhaust, though I may get to it after awhile.

 

Also - if you're looking for a front pad that won't melt at the track, you'd be better off with the Carbotechs - either the Bobcat or a step up in temp/bite. The downside is that they don't have a provision for the wear sensor, so you'll have to splice off the wire to keep the brake warning light off.And they cost $140 per axle.

 

Thanks hesaputz. Your car looks great. I am on the same page as you when it comes to my A3. I am setting it up mostly for "spirited" street use and an ocassional autocross/track car. I am trying to do just enough mods to enhance the driving experience without altering it too much.

BTW, where did you get the european mirrors?

 

I'm currently using Carbotech AX6 up front and Bobcat at the back. Performance wise, hard to find anything to complain about. Great track pads, good bite and no fade. As everyday driving, I wouldn't recommend AX6 as they are quite loud and dust is about the same as stock. The Bobcat is not as loud, but do expect some squealing. If your main issue is with brake dust, I wouldn't go with Carbotech.

Don't forget to get some SS brake lines and braking fluid while you are changing the pads. This will give you a decent low budget upgrade until a BBK.

 

That's good to know. I'd actually forgotten, but I have Bobcats on the front of my car with stock rears. I put them on when the car was two weeks old, and I'm very happy with them at 15K. Just about no dust, only an occasional peep, and they show very little wear on thickness and rotors. I only tracked the car once - they smelled Godawful when first heated up, but didn't fade and had a good linear feel.
My daughter's A3 has Akebono front and Bobcat rear- like mine, installed close to new, now at 16k. The Akebono is a better street pad - just no dust, dead quiet.She's a very moderate driver, and the toughest thing with her setup is keeping the rears unglazed -- I always do a few hard stops when i visit her to clean them up because they've gotten a bit squeaky. But since this is common to A3's with stock pads as well, I don't think of it as much of a nuisance.
I'd guess, just from feel and specs, that the Bobcats would be better for occasional track or Auto X, but i don't have any hard experience to back it up.
Astrox, I bought my mirrors from Vagparts in England, but I'm pretty sure that Oempl.us carries them as well - call Rick, he'll hook you up.

 

Thanks for the input, all of the information has been very helpful!!