[T-800]

But does the auto-hold work with the handbrake or the hydraulic brakes? I do not have it so have no idea!

Hydraulic Oz......

For a certain time period (denoted by green brake light symbol)

Then it reverts to handbrake.

We have it on the gtd golf and when it's active you can 'feel' the brakes are still being applied hydraulically....

You can also 'feel' the car still in gear too when the auto hold is working.

[Ozmosis]

You do learn something new every day ;-)

[deepspacemillar]

So I'm back home and have been looking at a couple of solutions over the last while in terms of brake discs.

I've been looking around to see what the options are and tried to source parts from reputable manufacturers. I'll be listing them below.

 

First a word on what the differences are here;

The rotors or discs available for the RS3 are generally shared with the R8 and other RS Audi models. They front discs are 365 or 370 x 34, the rears are shared with the S3, Golf R etc and are 310 x 22.
Both front and back discs are vented, not solid, meaning the middle of the disc has vanes that help direct airflow inside the disc. Sometimes vents can be straight or sometimes curved, which is more efficient at creating a turbine effect and creating airflow to dissipate the heat.
 

Rotors come in different physical formats, either a solid single piece or a 2 piece design;

Single piece

This is a 'standard' brake disc as you would normally see on a car (the OEM rear discs on an RS3 are single piece). They are usually cheaper to buy and more commonly produced.

Two piece

This is when the actual braking 'ring' part of the discs is 'floating' and attached by rivets to a 'bell', usually aluminium (the OEM front discs on the RS3 are two piece). This is more expensive to make up front, but has advantages in heat dissipation/control and tends to be lighter. You can also replace the 'ring' part separately, which reduces replacement costs.
I defer to the following video to explain it in more detail, but suffice to say, two piece discs are usually considered fairly serious kit;

 

Disc surface styles

Whatever type you choose, there are a number of different styles of discs. Many long detailed posts have been written about this topic by people much more knowledgeable than I, but I will attempt to summarise them.
 

Blank;

These are standard on 95% of cars and are the bog standard, the disc surfaces are clean and blank, and this is the standard simply because it's simpler to make, consistent under stress and has few downsides for normal driving

Drilled;

These add drilled holes to the disc surface and do a couple of things - firstly they remove material from the disc, making them lighter. They holes also help drain away gasses and water (and sometimes dirt) that may get trapped between the pads and the disc surface, making braking more consistent and providing better initial bite. They promote airflow, helping lower temperatures quicker when used and...uh... they look cool.
Potential downsides? Well the main problem with drilled discs is that under very heavy use, the drilled holes can become points of mechanical failure if they are subjected to repeated extreme heat cycling. Basically, in some cases cracks can form from the holes, which over time can spread and grow until you can feel it in the brake pedal and potentially if you let it go on long enough, the disc could completely fail.
For this reason, you very rarely see drilled discs used for serious track work, however, they remain popular on road cars from all sorts of manufacturers for the benefits listed above. It's also potentially not a problem in higher quality discs where processes are better.

Slotted/grooved;

Slots come in different shapes and sizes, either as straight or curved slots in the disc face, or as patterns (usually J or C shaped). They both generally fulfil the same role - the slots provide an escape for gas/water/material but also give the discs a slight abrasive property, 'cleaning' the brake pads and improving friction. They generally do not suffer from cracks like drilled rotors, and so are common on serious racing discs.
There are a couple of disadvantages - firstly, the abrasive nature of the slots tends to wear down pads more quickly, how much will depend on the pattern in use etc. Secondly, slotted discs tend to produce a turbine effect that means air is funneled through the slots in use and this usually causes some noise in the form of a whirring sound or audible note when brakes are applied. The effect is generally more pronounced the more slots that are present on the disc surface.

Basically, there's tradeoffs to be made depending on what you plan to use the car for, be aware

 

Anyhoo... on to some options for the RS3

 

In no particular order, here are some replacement discs I've managed to find. This list is certainly not exhaustive, and if people come up with other options, I'll happily add them here.
Please note, I do not promote, represent or otherwise specifically endorse any company listed here. My opinions are my own.

 

Vagbremtechnic
Front

Two piece, semi-floating, hooked or dimpled. £810

These guys have a good reputation for making some excellent gear - this front disc set certainly looks like a solid piece of kit;

http://vagbremtechni...-2-piece-discs/

 

Tarox

Front

Two piece, semi floating(?), slotted or slotted/drilled. £993
Tarox also are well known and have a good reputation - they have three styles available, two slotted types and a slotted/drilled mix. I personally quite like the look of the 'sport Japan' variant (drilled/slotted)

 

Shop page here; http://www.tarox.co....lter_disc-name=

 

Rear

As front, but single piece, all 3 styles also available. £264


Alcon

Front

Two piece, semi floating, grooved. £1760
Alcon are very well known as a serious racing manufacturer, so these are likely to be rather magnificent parts.
Personally, they seem very expensive, but these are no doubt engineered to take a beating.

 

Note that I couldn't find an 8V version of these, this link is for the 8P RS3 version;
http://www.jdl-brake...p-tt-rs-8j.html

 

 

Brembo
Front

Two piece, semi floating, drilled. ~£1500
Brembo I'm not sure I have to say too much about, household name and so on. The discs look pretty cool, but the bronzish colour scheme is a bit strange.

 

 

http://www.carid.com...-101-9007a.html


ECS

ECS has a number of different styles and options available, rather than list all of them, i've narrowed down to the few I think look the most interesting.

Front

Two piece, semi floating, drilled and slotted. £828
ECS are an American company that I believe are well regarded and they seem to make some tasty stuff. The front discs are available with two different styles, the first is this;

https://www.awesomeg...-brake-discs-1/
 

The second is as above but uses the same 'wavy' design as the OEM front discs, as well as featuring what looks like a more involved floating mechanism, which is nice... These are £983

https://www.awesomeg...ce-brake-discs/

Rear
Same as the front 2 piece non-wavy - £517
https://www.awesomeg...ce-brake-discs/

Single piece is also available and much cheaper, but I haven't been able to price it in the UK;
https://www.ecstunin...tors/ES2189770/

 

Conclusion

I think all the options above look like solid alternatives and an upgrade over OEM. Your choice will depend on what style you prefer and the cost involved...
For what it's worth, I'm personally interesting in the ECS models, as the wavy fronts look 'OEM+' but seem well engineered and there's an option for matching rears too.

As mentioned above, if you are aware of any other alternatives to those listed above, let me know and I'll update this list.

[T-800]

The Alcon ones are available for the 8V......

Alcon uk have a part number for them.

[rocketer]

Nice writeup . I am going for Tarox and that's for they seems to solid and no drillholes and waves, not interested so much in looks as in that they are doing their job which is to get the car stopped.

[Gorillajebus]

In addition to your very nice writeup I can recommend this Video:

Basically talks about the pros and cons of different disc styles.

 

Also: In Germany there are a few manufacturers which also sell discs: Carbopad 650€/Disc.

Movit which is an upgrade kit with bigger discs 380mmx35 ~1400€.

O-Brake sold kits for the RS3 8P and might be selling something for the RS3 8V too.

 

The problem we have in Germany is that the brake components have to have a TÜV certificate or a technical component report.

Otherwise it would be illegal to use them. 

[Gobi One]

Excellent post indeed DeepSpaceMillar, ably assisted by some of the usual suspects.

Very helpful to have these options tabled, especially for us guys in Oz who have to look overseas for solutions.

 

I am sure Sweet hits the nail on the head for a lot of what ails the 8V... that is, stopping dead after spirited driving and allowing heat soak to potentially warp discs and transfer brake material onto the disc.

 

As someone who track-raced a WRX for a number of years, I feel there are distinct similarities between the RS3 8V and the WRX... that is, significant power / speed potential that overcomes the braking system's inadequacies without proper "countermeasures". In this case, this is to anticipate as best as possible the need to avoid stopping with hot brakes and to give them time to cool (just as a cool-down lap allows). Failing that, to at least stop short of the line and inch slowly forward to allow uniform cooling of components.

 

I've recently purchased EBC Red Stuff (from a US supplier as easier / cheaper than directly from the UK source as much of this forum is able to do) and will fit if / when the OEM pads wear out or issues prevail. Until then however, I'm at 12 000 km of trouble free operation (dare I say that) and follow the cooling down strategy in even normal traffic. 

 

Audi certainly deserve more that a rap across the knuckles for the RH disc ventilation issue, which dents my confidence in their management hierarchy when the Engineer Department is over-ruled by Accounting. Very disappointing that this is aceptable with RS product, albeit in the lower, but ultimately the most entertaining end of the RS range.

 

Thanks to all contributors for excellent and very learned technical discussion.

 

Gobi One   (just back from Mongolia and H&R rear sway bar fitted..... an excellent first modification, just as it is in the WRX.)

[deepspacemillar]

I should point out if you are considering a brake disc change, the Ecs discs are currently NOT compatible, unfortunately!

[RS Steve]

.............& please note we are in the UK  & they are brake Disc's not Rotors, yanks use that term not us. Mike Brewer please take note as you now seem to be all American now on Wheeler dealers which by the way is crap now.  

[deepspacemillar]

Looks like EBC now do a proper RS3 set;
https://ebcbrakesdir...15-2016/1000308

Part no DP31513/3C

[ryes3]

I just fitted a set of these this morning, thread to come...

 

 

Looks like EBC now do a proper RS3 set;
https://ebcbrakesdir...15-2016/1000308

Part no DP31513/3C

[Danw]

I also went down the red stuff route so far no squeals much more positive bite and best of all took less than an hour to fit👍

[Oli]

Ordered the red stuff pads today.  Will report back once fitted.  Under 10k for the standard front pads, when the majority of the cars usage is school runs and shopping trips is poor at best!!  Looking forward to  a better pedal and less brake dust.

 

One thing I noticed when driving through germany on our recent trip, with cruise set at 120MPH, was brake judder would appear - Obviously where brakes have got too hot.  This was without any serious braking taking place, just normal driving and braking.  Anyone else notice this?

[Renga]

Ordered the red stuff pads today.  Will report back once fitted.  Under 10k for the standard front pads, when the majority of the cars usage is school runs and shopping trips is poor at best!!  Looking forward to  a better pedal and less brake dust.

 

One thing I noticed when driving through germany on our recent trip, with cruise set at 120MPH, was brake judder would appear - Obviously where brakes have got too hot.  This was without any serious braking taking place, just normal driving and braking.  Anyone else notice this?

Yes have the same on my 8p only at high speed breaking!? EBC Red + MTM (PFC) 376mm rotors.

What could cause this? Warped rotors?

[deepspacemillar]

Oli, if you're still on the wavy discs then it's a known defect of them to warp and judder. You may still get a little bit of squeal too, but it'll only ever be slight with the redstuff.
Renga - probably rotor related, either warping or deposits on them

[JamesBaby]

I've just ordered a full set of Ferodo DS Performance pads for the RS3. Will report back on how they perform in due course.

[Oli]

Oli, if you're still on the wavy discs then it's a known defect of them to warp and judder. You may still get a little bit of squeal too, but it'll only ever be slight with the redstuff.
Renga - probably rotor related, either warping or deposits on them

 

Thanks - Is there a technical bulletin for the judder that I can quote to my dealer?  They are pretty good, but alway helpful if you can fire the info at them

[Danny]

Thanks - Is there a technical bulletin for the judder that I can quote to my dealer?  They are pretty good, but alway helpful if you can fire the info at them

Official TPI for discs replacement when judder under braking. You'll lose the wavy design but have new discs. Messaged you.

[ChRS3tian]

TPI 2045687/5
(Sweden)

They offered me 50/50 on new discs front + back including pads.
Didnt go for it since some get it for free, and also i dont wanna pay 50% when its a manufacture issue.

Aftermarket is the way to go.

Edited by ChRS3tian, 06 October 2017 - 03:48 PM.

[Tippytoes]

Had Alcon discs fitted few months ago on 8v with OEM pads - still had brake squeal, so had Ferodo DS 2500 pads fitted 2 weeks ago. did prelim pad bedding in before driving off to west coast of Ireland where I have been the past week. Have so far covered over 1.2k miles on Alcon/Ferrodo combo with some very enthusiastic driving and so far the braking has been fantastic, very reassuring, positive with no squeal or judder. I can highly recommend the Alcon/Ferrodo set up.

PS - I also had MSS springs & H&R anti roll bar fitted at same time as new Ferrodo pads