[houseofg]

One mod I haven't seen discussed much is an alternative brake pad or system that will avoid that horrible German car brake dust. The wheels seem to literally last no more than a day or two before going grey.

What are our options in this regard and what is the typical cost? Ideally, I'd like to be able to just get pads that don't give off so much dust, since I don't need anything high performance.

 

[SAJ_1982]

One mod I haven't seen discussed much is an alternative brake pad or system that will avoid that horrible German car brake dust. The wheels seem to literally last no more than a day or two before going grey.

What are our options in this regard and what is the typical cost? Ideally, I'd like to be able to just get pads that don't give off so much dust, since I don't need anything high performance.

EBC redstuff pads I used on my A4 were a big improvment over the stock pads for brake dust.

 

[Ianhp1]

EBC claim to make reduced dust pads... I've used the red-stuff pads before, but didn't notice any difference in brake dust!

 

[houseofg]

Hmm..thanks, SAJ and Ian! YMMV on those I guess!

 

[aerodave]

In the past, I've heard good things about Mintex's Redbox pads, and EBC's Greenstuff. EBC Redstuff is even lower in dust than the green, but they're very hard-wearing and designed for semi-racing, and may not me optimum for a daily-driver GT car.

Look into thsese options, as they've historically been very popular aftermarket pad upgrades.

 

[houseofg]

Cool..thanks, dave

 

[geordon]

I follow the 3si.org forums, and for quiet, low dust, high quality, affordable brake pads, Raybestos Quiet Stops and SP Street Plus are highly recommended. Hawk HPS get mentioned a lot, but are noiser and dustier. I just bought pads and rotors (SP and Best) from raceshopper.com for my Stealth R/T TT.

 

[attam]

i have another question, related... my buddy has red brake calipers on his EVO and they look fantastic. the calipers on my S5 (meteor/magma) are black but i would love red. can i just get them painted somewhere or should i buy new ones in red? any suggestions on where to look in the NYC metro area?

 

[TXcarguy]

Painted brake calipers

i have another question, related... my buddy has red brake calipers on his EVO and they look fantastic. the calipers on my S5 (meteor/magma) are black but i would love red.

See this existing thread on painted brake calipers: http://www.a5oc.com/forums/showthread.php/painted-brake-calipers-2392/index.html?p=27435

And remember, the Search tool is your friend.

 

[robb]

http://www.a5oc.com/forums/showthread.php/audi-s5-pics-2543/index.html

some painted red S5 caliper pics here also

 

[sapper424]

Has anyone tried Swissvax? Withnail gave me the info...It is Autobahn wheel wax, cheaper than new Brake calipers but kind of pricey. My guess is, when applied, brake dust and dirt sprays right off, and in those hard to get spots! Has anyone used this or something similar? I'm thinking about getting this done along with red calipers!

 

[ccompton]

The main problem with the OEM Audi pads (or any other luxury-type brand) is that they are very soft to give you that super quiet, super grippy braking...the trade of is a LOT of dust. There is always going to be a trade off, any sport/luxury pads are going to be dusty...even the low dust types...unless you go with some more generic pads (like a "Just Brakes"-type brake joint like we have in the US) where they typically offer the non-OEM "equivalent" that come with the disclaimer of "it might not be as quiet as the OEM pads"...but they are much, much less dusty.

I know this because I went this route on one of my cars (Volvo S80) because their wheels are impossible to clean with all of the small crevasses in the wheels and it wasn't that noticeably different (w.r.t. ride/comfort) but it was much less dusty. Still, were talking an S80 compared to the A5/S5 (which really isn't a comparison), but you get the idea.

 

[TXcarguy]

...unless you go with some more generic pads (like a "Just Brakes"-type brake joint like we have in the US) where they typically offer the non-OEM "equivalent" that come with the disclaimer of "it might not be as quiet as the OEM pads"...but they are much, much less dusty.

So, might you consider putting those on your S5 at some point?