Brake pads Carbotech or OEM Toyota
1521s are insane. They really create next to zero dust.
Yeah I love the setup so much on the track I actually leave them on the car on the street and just deal with the noise from the Carbotechs.
A good street and occasional track pad is carbotech bobcat
LoyalSage, yesterday i installed my new brake stuff. that would be Adam's slotted rotors with zinc, Carbotech Bobcat 1521 pads (semi-metallic), and the Tyrol kit. i'm possibly not finished with wearing off the zinc, but i'm pretty sure i'm in stable territory now. about 70-80 miles since install. ok my impressions: definite improvement with linearity of braking. OEM tends to overgrab on initial bite, go soft a bit at about 20%, then dig in hard again at about 30-40%, which makes smooth modulation too difficult. the Bobcats grab less on initial contact, and are relatively much more linear down to about 80% (as hard as i have braked since installing). the feel is more firm all the way as well... more feel of the friction at the pedal. if anyone was looking for good pads for this car, i think i found 'em. they obviously work well with Adam's rotors, as this combo is much nicer than OEM IMHO. but, to be honest, i think the modulation you want will not be found here. i think i know what you're looking for, and while this is an improvement, it's not like a multi piston setup.
I've got the Carbotec bobcats, They are a nice pad.
However the cold bite of the ax-6 is far superior to the xp10 for street and auto-x, and in my opinion far better than what my oem pads felt like and far more than the hps.
Carbotech XP10's are great for the track, but for daily driving they won't heat up enough to give you the stopping power that they are capable of. They also sqeal like crazy if they are not hot.
I am very happy with the Bobcats for street only
I received my new pads from Carbotech and will put them on this weekend.
I ran the same pads at a track day at Sebring (Long Course). They held up very well as did the stock audi brakes in my opinion. The last car I tracked was a WRX with stock brakes and Carbotech pads and it was total disaster. I was nevous I would have similar problems with the stock brakes and heavy A3 but they performed very well. Fade: 9 Virtually no fade at this track Wear: 8 Went through about half the pads with around 3 hours of hotlaps Dust: 6 More than stock. Get it off quickly after the track day as it becomes difficult to get off. This is pretty normal though. Noise: 5 Sqeeky on track which is to be expected. They will get squeaky on the street if the brake dust starts to build up. Just wash the car every other week and you are fine. They was no major rotor wear even after street use. I also ran Carbotech Bobcats on the rear but can't really say how much difference they made.
Write your review
Help others - share your experience with this part.