GOLF R/S3 brakes on an A3

SJ43

SJ43

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I have the chance to obtain some Golf R mk7 Front and Rear brake caliper, discs, pads, backing plates (the whole set up) at an extremely good price. My brakes are pretty shot now and for the cost of replacing my brakes like for like isnt much less than price I can obtain the Golf R brakes for.
Just to point out Golf R mk7 brakes are the same as S3 8V brakes (bar the logo on the front brake calipers which I'm going to get painted plain black:)). My current front discs are 312mm in diameter currently so theyre not terrible, but when pressing on I wish they were better. I believe the R/S3's are 340mm. Rear discs are basically twice the diameter.

So my question is, is the rest of the brake set up i.e brake booster/master cylinder are going to be ok?

I have seen such conversions carried on replica S3 8V's (so I know they will fit), other models and previous generations of A3's/Golf's but should I be worried about the other components?

+ The bigger brakes fills gap in the wheels up a bit more too :D

Cheers in advance!
 
Hmm not sure about the servo tbh need to do some digging but if you go for it then it'd be an awesome bolt on upgrade - I have some barely worn discs that came off my car if it turns out those are worn or scored at all.
 
Cheers rob I agree should be a lovely upgrade, I know its a tad more unsprung mass on each corner but the +ve points outweigh it
Thanks Rob, I'll be in touch if that is the case


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theres a set on ebay for 250 quid at the moment if thats cheaper?
 
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I'd be very-very wary. The the existing ABS, ESP, EBD systems have been calibrated using the pressure/torque and pressure/volume characteristics of the system the car was built with, ie a middling front drive hatch. Adding a dramatically different braking system from an AWD car with potentially very different PT and PV characteristics will be fine, right up to the moment you want ABS, EBD or ESP to bail you out of the mess you've just gotten into. At that point you may find that you've adversly affected these systems to the point where stopping distances are increased, steering on a full ABS or ESP emergency is less effective, and your insurance company is asking awkward questions.

If you can get your hands on the S3 pump and controller to go with those brakes, then go for it. If not, then I'd be wary of them.
 
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Thanks for the heads up , these are factors I didn't entirely consider. Definitely need to delve further into this then and see if a pump/controller is obtainable at a decent price to make it still worthwhile. Will have a browse on internet. Then theres the labour costs of replacing that too. Hmm, most likely I will now stick with my current set up as I don't like where this is going to be honest.
Once again, much appreciated pal.
 
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Have you thought about fitting some aftermarket braided hose to your calipers?
My brother said they improved the feel of his brakes when he had them fitted..:friends:
 
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pburv said:
Have you thought about fitting some aftermarket braided hose to your calipers?
My brother said they improved the feel of his brakes when he had them fitted..:friends:
Click to expand...

Good call Paul made quite a nice improvement on mine but also worth putting some decent dot 4 in and completely purging the system at the same time :-

2016 05 03 144545

IMG 9871
 
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SJ43 said:
I have the chance to obtain some Golf R mk7 Front and Rear brake caliper, discs, pads, backing plates (the whole set up) at an extremely good price. My brakes are pretty shot now and for the cost of replacing my brakes like for like isnt much less than price I can obtain the Golf R brakes for.
Just to point out Golf R mk7 brakes are the same as S3 8V brakes (bar the logo on the front brake calipers which I'm going to get painted plain black:)). My current front discs are 312mm in diameter currently so theyre not terrible, but when pressing on I wish they were better. I believe the R/S3's are 340mm. Rear discs are basically twice the diameter.

So my question is, is the rest of the brake set up i.e brake booster/master cylinder are going to be ok?

I have seen such conversions carried on replica S3 8V's (so I know they will fit), other models and previous generations of A3's/Golf's but should I be worried about the other components?

+ The bigger brakes fills gap in the wheels up a bit more too :D

Cheers in advance!
Click to expand...

SJ43 I believe you won't find any problem at all. Take into consideration that all street Brembo kits (discs and calipers) are full compatible with very different cars. For instance I fitted Brembo discs and 4 pot calipers in my old Impreza MY98 and it worked very well.

I hope this helps
 
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Thanks for the heads up @QuiQue looking into it now, @pburv that isn't a bad shout actually the brakes can definitely do with more feel.
Robs set up is awesome, good brakes to keep in sync with all that extra power he's putting down!
 
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MKC said:
:hearteyes::hearteyes::hearteyes::hearteyes: Have you got any more pictures Rob??

Also anyone? Pictures please :sweatdrops::sweatdrops:
Click to expand...

LoL since you asked I managed to dig these out, backplates, discs, hoses and fluid replaced so should put me in good stead for stage 2 :-

2016 05 06 163827

2016 04 30 064420

2016 04 29 165148

2016 04 25 192033
 
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Not a bad idea too Salik, plus a lot easy to do/change.
 
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I can vouch for their effectiveness ;o)
 
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Sticking Golf R or S3 brakes on a 1.8T in my opinion is not ideal.
Yes, you will get better braking performance, yes they will fill your wheels out and look sexier.

But.......
Unsprung weight will be increased, your handling will suffer a bit, not much but a bit, because your 1.8T will never produce the same amount of power as a S or R, it will not be the same. The brakes will fit no problems.

For me change out for better discs, better pads and stainless steel hoses or going for a full lighter big brake kit.
 
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Hi SJ
I have done the S3 brake retrofit on my A3 and it works wonders. I have the quattro though. The part numbers for the abs pump and cylinder are the same on mine (i.e. A3 vs S3). Even the haldex controller is the same part number. Was not sure if the programming is the same so swapped that too.
Cannot answer for the FWD though, but Guess it would be the same for the other hardware.
Hope this helps.
 
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Yes they will work and will be a great advantage if you're overall goal is to stop faster. If you are concerned with unsprung mass, you should not be looking at bigger brakes and bigger rims (depending on your disc size - I think for that size 17 inch will be a minimum). Don't worry about calibration as some have mentioned as when you bleed the brakes, it will work properly and compensate - think of bleeding your brakes as calibrating them - do it right and you're good. I would make sure to get some braided brake lines too and upgrade your fluid while your at it.

I'm going from a single pot to a 6 pot setup (355mm), there will not be an issue. I've had bigger brakes on a majority of my cars and never had to worry about anything. I mean if you putting some MASSIVE brakes on, meaning the actual braking piston is huge, then you will have issues, but you are equipping your car with comparable brakes.

And if you can get them for a good price, do it!! But when you do have them on, make sure you use them, aka go to the track! Well worth it.
 
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audi upgrades
Sadly it may affect the resale value when it comes time to change. But you can always swap them back then sell them on.

But as for driving it should be a great upgrade..
 
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Thanks all for your advice, everyones made some very valid points.
Because I was due all discs and pads doing front and rear, the cost obtaining performance equivalent replacements, this MK7 golf R set was still working out cheaper. I looked alot into the weight gains. It was only mild increase in weight due my current diameter of front disc going being from 312mm to 340, isn't a huge difference (Always thought they were 280mm). Weighed both disc/calipers sets and there was only about 11kg in it over 4 corners, so tried to think that its offset the weight save my lighter BCS exhaust gave over the heavier OEM exhaust (makes you feel better and all that) but do appreciate that unspring mass has been added, can't deny that. Would advise and would have gone for performance equivalent replacements, if I didn't get this set at such a good price.

But overall the results are impressive. Braking performance has certainly improved (they got a fresh bleed too), used to get judder and a soft pedal under really hard driving but don't get that anymore. When I go for a stage 1 map and I'm running about 250-260bhp in a ~1300kg car (only at ~210bhp now), I think the bigger brakes can be justified especially if they are working out more cost effective in my case.

Because I fitted my coilovers at the same time, handling was a transformation and in combination with more powerful brakes, the car does not squat forward (like it used to even with the stock set up) under heavy braking it just stays completely flat. Loving the handling of the car right now.
 
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steeve said:
Sadly it may affect the resale value when it comes time to change. But you can always swap them back then sell them on.

But as for driving it should be a great upgrade..
Click to expand...

Thats it mate, going to keep my original set up and put them back on when I ever decide to sell.

Certainly no regrets so far!
 
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audi upgrades
Nah mate, you're in an S3 - you're still ahead :)
 
Just wanted to make any one aware that is looking into this in the future, that rear stone guards dont fit if your car is front wheel drive. You need to purchase some MK7 Golf GTI Performance pack rear stone guards and these will fit no problem. Everything else is a straight forward swap.
 
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audi upgrades
Fitted them to my 184 and both fit and work perfectly.
 
Is your 184 a quattro mate?


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Rob...

How did you like the ECS rotors? did they made any difference in street braking feel? are they noisy?

JC
 
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James Cole said:
Rob...

How did you like the ECS rotors? did they made any difference in street braking feel? are they noisy?

JC
Click to expand...

Perfect stage 1 upgrade for a tuned car - I really rate them. In conjunction with stainless lines better pedal feel, better brake modulation, more stopping power and much better initial bite. Slight bit of noise at slow speed in a traffic jam with radio off but nothing offensive. Oh and they're also a LOT lighter, look great and no more rusty hubs ! Ran them with original pads for a good six months but have not changed to EBC Yellowstuff which are a really good match for the discs.
 
Adding to an old thread....

I am considering upgrading my calipers from original non painted on my 1.4 sline to mk7 r/s3, coated calipers.

this is purely for vanity as the original calipers although clean are staining and not as bright as they were originally.

Can I just swap the calipers and carriers along with new discs, I read here that the rear dust shield would also need changed.

Will my hubs be the same?
 
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