THIS is why I love my new (cheapie) brake pads.....

[zcd2.7t]

500 miles of commuting since I installed the pads, and this is how my front wheels look as of this morning:



With the stock pads, as everyone knows, the wheels would be coated with brake dust in no time - what a difference!

Pad details, in case anyone's interested: http://tinyurl.com/3gp8bcs

[phillips2024]

i just worry about them warping the rotors

[redrocker55]

That's awesome! Are the pads quiet too?

[gwalt3]

With the stock pads, as everyone knows, the wheels would be coated with brake dust in no time - what a difference!

No doubt! The only time my rims look as clean as yours is right after i clean them. It seems like they are covered within a mile of driving.

[zcd2.7t]

i just worry about them warping the rotors

WAT? I've run these same pads on 2 other Audis with no issues at all.

That's awesome! Are the pads quiet too?

I bedded them carefully. They moaned occasionally for the first 200 miles or so, but have been quiet since.

[81bear]

That's awesome! Are the pads quiet too?

+1 any brake squeal in colder weather?

[phillips2024]

WAT? I've run these same pads on 2 other Audis with no issues at all.

no need to freak out, just curious. Ive heard about pads warping the rotors and also what little brake dust does get on the rim, is near impossible to get off.

[Coderedpl]

I think it's because they're ceramic maybe?

[NWS4Guy]

no need to freak out, just curious. Ive heard about pads warping the rotors and also what little brake dust does get on the rim, is near impossible to get off.

Rotor warping is usually a misdiagnosis, it's very very hard to warp modern rotors.

http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp...rakedisk.shtml

[seanj130]

x2 ceramic

[Pgr1990]

Rotor warping is usually a misdiagnosis, it's very very hard to warp modern rotors.

http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp...rakedisk.shtml

And dealers make money off of telling you to replace your rotors. They try to pull that trick all the friggen time when all you need are new pads.

[Justin@FCP]

What kind of pads did you end up going with? Also was that mostly 500 miles of highway commuting? I've always had a hard time finding a set of pads that didn't leave a massive amount of dust. The only thing that has helped me has been waxing my rims.

[zcd2.7t]

What kind of pads did you end up going with? Also was that mostly 500 miles of highway commuting? I've always had a hard time finding a set of pads that didn't leave a massive amount of dust. The only thing that has helped me has been waxing my rims.

Combination of highway and city commuting. Probably a 50/50 split. The front rims are basically still as clean as they were when I last washed them.

Erm....:

Pad details, in case anyone's interested: http://tinyurl.com/3gp8bcs

[phillips2024]

cool! good to know.

id love to have my wheels looking clean for more than...1 mile :)

[jeffc31337]

Combination of highway and city commuting. Probably a 50/50 split. The front rims are basically still as clean as they were when I last washed them.

Erm....:

How is your stopping power/brake feel with the new rotors? I'll be changing mine at some point but don't want to give up brake performance for less dust.

[zcd2.7t]

How is your stopping power/brake feel with the new rotors? I'll be changing mine at some point but don't want to give up brake performance for less dust.

Just to clarify, I replaced pads, not rotors.

The intial bite isn't quite at the level of the OEM pads, but the ultimate stopping power is comparable, at least for street use. I wouldn't run them on the track under any circumstances.

The tradeoff for essentially NO dust is one I'm willing to live with - YMMV.

[Dieseldan]

wow good to know thanx!

[Justin@FCP]

Keep us updated, I'm kind of OCD about keeping my front rims clean. I tend to simply wax my rims a couple times a year to make them easier to rinse off.

[zcd2.7t]

Keep us updated, I'm kind of OCD about keeping my front rims clean. I tend to simply wax my rims a couple times a year to make them easier to rinse off.

Update: 1 more week and 250 more miles. Same front wheel:



Rear wheel with dust from OEM pad (same distance traveled since clean)

[phillips2024]

alright im gonna have to get these! haha

thanks for sharing

[phillips2024]

also, how do the front wheels clean up now? Does the dust come off pretty easy?

the inside looks likes it needs a good wash ha

[madmadS4]

just ordered some (front and rear). thanks z.

[zcd2.7t]

also, how do the front wheels clean up now? Does the dust come off pretty easy?

Technically I don't know yet, because I haven't touched the wheels in the interest of maintaining the integrity of my "experiment"!

Besides - there's no actual dust to clean!! :-)

[phillips2024]

haha ok ok

[showcarmike]

these are how my rims look after 40 miles..

Update: 1 more week and 250 more miles. Same front wheel:



Rear wheel with dust from OEM pad (same distance traveled since clean)

[moveovr12]

ArmorAll's Wheel Protectant is awesome for keeping brake dust off. Just have to make sure that the wheels are totally dry before you apply it and you allow the product to dry for at least an hour before driving.

[GoM's]

Anyone know how many miles these aftermarket brake pads are good for? I plan on getting some Hawks pads soon and don't track my car. How many miles do these tend to last in this case?

[foodplz]

Another option is the akebono euro pad. I just put these in 2 weeks ago. Still clean. The pad produces a very light colored dust, but in very small amounts. Very happy with stopping power and also very quiet. Comes with pad wear sensor. Just Google them for a resaler. I paid 143 shipped front and back.

I previously had the stoptech semimetalics on there. Did not work that well for me. Lots of noise and red/brown brake dust

[patinsd]

Thanks for starting that thread .
How many miles have you done with the OEM ? and when you changed the pads ,did you resurface the rotor ?

Update: 1 more week and 250 more miles. Same front wheel:



Rear wheel with dust from OEM pad (same distance traveled since clean)

[suffeks]

i have a ttrs with titanium wheels, i'm sorry i washed the wheels after a month cause it looked more bad ass all covered in brake dust

[jayr1987]

im trying to access the link but im not having any luck what site can i go to order....i need to change my brake pads and no longer can deal with the screaming of the OEM

[BirdmanQ5]

Here's a video I took of my Q5 after 15,000km of Hawk Ceramic Pads and after 30,000km on the OEM Rotors. In the video, when I let go of the steering wheel I apply the brakes. No that is not MPH.

[SteveYem]

I believe the OP was running Wearever Gold pads from Advance Auto Parts.
I bought a set but have not installed them yet. I would like to see some long-term reviews before installing this $40 set of 'miracle' brake pads on my car.

[MrFunk]

I run Akebono Ceramic Pads. No noticeable brake dust anymore - THANK THE LORD!
Initial brake bite is slightly reduced vs OEM but stopping power is on par with OEM pads. Very fair trade up to not have brake dust all over not only the wheels but all over the sides and rear of the car within a few miles after washing...

[zcd2.7t]

2 years, 4 months and 50K miles later, I'm still just as happy with my Wearever Gold pads as I was they day I first installed them.

[VR2V8]

Does that link in the first post not work for anyone else either? From both home and work I just get a blank page that never loads anything.

[VR2V8]

I run Akebono Ceramic Pads. No noticeable brake dust anymore - THANK THE LORD!
Initial brake bite is slightly reduced vs OEM but stopping power is on par with OEM pads. Very fair trade up to not have brake dust all over not only the wheels but all over the sides and rear of the car within a few miles after washing...

Same here. I love mine. Initially though, you just have to get used to pressing the pedal a little bit harder than you used to.

[SteveYem]

Does that link in the first post not work for anyone else either? From both home and work I just get a blank page that never loads anything.

The link doesn't work, but go to the Advance Auto Parts site and set your car as the S4, then search for Wearever Gold and the brake pads in question should come up.

[B8 S FOR]

I only install Akebono Ceramics. Never had an issue.

[MrFunk]

Same here. I love mine. Initially though, you just have to get used to pressing the pedal a little bit harder than you used to.

I wouldn't even say you have to press it harder... the stock pads you had to initially be more delicate because they bite harder... these you just lean on them with an expected pressure and you get more of a smooth initial bite - just a different feel... definitely don't have to press the pedal "hard" in that sense.