I have 2010 A4 OEM's on there. I'll probably buy the pads and rotors for fronts and rears all at once to save money. Have been looking at these EBC Ceramics (Red) but want suggestions for me from someone who knows. I drive moderately aggressive and live in the northeast USA where it gets cold. I value quiet and performance, with break dust also a consideration but not as important as quiet and performance/longevity. Any suggestions are very welcome....Thanks, Josh

 

EBC red's are pretty aggressive pads. I think you will find that they will wear out the rotors sooner than Akebono ceramic pads. How many miles do you have on your OEM pads. It seems early for new pads.

 

Few tips:

The metal clip holding the caliper tight is a pain in the butt to take off and put on. I overlooked this part and i probably spent 20min both putting it on and taking it off. I ended up finding a simple way to do it with a screw driver, after the thing shot off at me a couple times. wear glasses.

Instructions I was using to replace the pads said that the caliper bolts required a hex bit. That was not the case, its a regular bolt. I can't remember the size off the top of my head though. sorry.

Idk if the EBC pads have pad wear sensors. If you replace w/ pads that dont have a sensor, then have an idea for what to do with that plug. Im going to cut the connector off my old pad then solder the ends together to fool the sensor. right now i have an annoying indicator light go off everytime i get in the car because I haven't capped off that sensor yet.

Hawk HPS are what i've got. Great performance for the street/track. If you don't track your car then you probably don't need performance brake pads. OEM pads are good enough for a spirited driver on streets. IMO, only people who track there car should consider performance pads. you need to really pound on the brakes for 20-30min to get what you pay for and appreciate the decrease in brake fade. The Hawks do have brake dust, not horrible but its there. i found a product im going to try that you spray onto the wheels and it supposedly repels brake dust. they are also pretty quiet.

 

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Can someone confirm if I need to remove the regular bolt on top left (with a bit of rust) or two torx bolts on right to remove the caliper?

Yesterday I removed the regular bolts (there are two of them - top and bottom) and the retainer clip, and the caliper won't budge. Do I need to bang the caliper loose or something?

Please help!

 

Yeah it's the rusted one, plus the similar one on the bottom of the caliper. And then just the retaining clip. That's all you need to remove.

I actually compress the piston a little before I pull the caliper off. There's an opening on the outer arc of the caliper. I believe this is where the brake pad sensor passes through. If you look closely you can see where the piston touches the pad. I use a screw driver and carefully compress the piston a little bit. Once I do this the caliper comes off real easy.

Nobody told me to do this, it's just the way I found works for me. I don't seem to be damaging the piston.

 

On the topic of front brakes... Has anyone had any issues with using after-market pads that are harder than the OEM pads (i.e. ceramic pads)?

The dealer has told me that I could experience "shaking" during braking if I were to use harder brake pads.

Thanks in advance.

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2010 A4 2.0T Quattro
Manual 6-Speed
Meteor Grey

 

I'm going to put a set of Akebono Ultra Premium Ceramic Brake pads on the front this afternoon. They are supposed to be rotor-friendly and dust free. I'll post my findings after a week or so.

 

The issue still remains with the rear pads. I've heard that I need a some type of special tool to retract the piston because of electronic parking brakes. I'm thinking of bring the pads to a local shop, but I'm not certain if a typical shop would have the tool needed to retract the piston.

Only other option is to bring it to stealer which means that I have to return the pads I bought.

 

I noticed the Akebono pads don't have the plug for the brake pad sensor. Do you plan on shorting the brake pad sensor to get around the dash notification?

 

I think the keyword is "could", as in a rare occurance. Call and ask them to explain specifically what happens that causes vibration. You'll either get a clear/concise answer or complete BS.

Your best bet is to search for threads where people compare pads. Or check sites that have reviews like Amazon, Tirerack, etc. If the majority of people enjoy a particular pad then I think its safe to go with those without the worry of vibration.

I have Hawk HPS which are street performance/track capable pads. Although not ceramic like the ones youre considering, I think its safe to say my pads are harder/higher friction than OEM. I've never noticed vibration issues.