Some of you may have seen the threads I created because of the fitment issues I was having with these brakes. The fix was new rotors; I don't know how or why but the used rotors I got with my kit had somehow been modified and had just a sliiiiightly higher offset than normal. I took precise measurements of everything and compared it to the brand new rotors - which fit perfectly - and could not see any differences. Really weird.
Anyways... I will start off this review a little unconventionally by going through the bad stuff first.
Let me start off by first saying that these 4 pot Brembos brake so damn hard that your tires are what eventually come to be the cars weak point in the braking system. I have BF Goodrich Rivals, a fairly sticky, 200 treadwear tire, and when you hit the brakes too hard the ABS instantly kicks in with little warning. I can't even imagine what they would be like with shitty all season tires. Or even worse, winter tires in the snow.
Secondly, the front brake bias is now WAY too high. I do track my car frequently, and at the track I normally go to there are two HARD braking zones; one of which you hit at 200kmh/125mph. To see how they would perform in this situation, I hit this speed on the highway and applied the brake as I would at the track, and the nose dived hard and the back end became uncomfortably loose. Not good.
Thirdly. Pedal feel is compromised a decent amount. I will say this though; for daily driving it is more of an annoyance for me because you simply just need to push the pedal in a little further before you feel the brakes. However, I think that on track the added pedal travel may actually be beneficial because you've got brakes for a car that is 500 lbs heavier than the GTI. Hear me out: The initial "bite" is going to be much more fierce on a GTI than a TTRS, IF the GTI had the TTRS Master Cylinder (MC). If you install the TTRS MC on a GTI, the initial bite on the brakes will happen sooner with less pedal travel. Since the GTI master cylinder is smaller, that fierce bite isn't there; you have more room with the brake pedal before those pads really clamp down. I feel that the extended travel will work in your favour because it will be much easier to modulate braking, and will probably end up being safer. If you decide you want these brakes and you don't plan on tracking the car, I would suggest a TTRS master cylinder as well to have better feel in the pedal. If you do plan on racing, see how you like it on the track with the stock MC and make a decision after you've given it some testing. I would highly recommend some GOOD brake fluid, so that when it gets hot the pedal travel isnt too too far.
And now for the good.
Fucking. Sexy. These brakes are soooooo nice to look at. The shiny aluminum hats on the 2 piece rotors, the big MADE IN GERMANY stamp, the RS calipers that just baaaaarely fit in the wheels (I'm running OEM Austins with a 10mm spacer), mmmm. Love love love
They have huge potential, with a good rear brake setup. I feel as though an OEM Golf R/PP GTI would be decent. However a guy local to me has rear Q7 calipers, Mercedes CLS63 AMG rotors, and Mk4 R32 brake lines for his rear setup. And yes, it all fits nicely. I will try and upload a picture soon. For daily driving though, you shouldn't need to upgrade the rear brakes.
Installation was a breeze. I did it all in my driveway on jack stands. Just make sure you torque down the 21mm bolts to 144 ft/lbs.
Cheap. You can get a full kit for anywhere between 500-750 dollars depending on the condition, and lets not forget these are high quality, four piston Brembo calipers we're talkin' here. USP motorsports sells the TTRS SS brake lines for around 60 bucks. Use your OEM caliper bolts and you're good to go.
Pads and rotors... Apparently some Subaru STI pads fit nicely here and theyre under 100 bucks. OEM pads are something crazy like 500 dollars. Rotors, unfortunately nobody makes an aftermarket rotor. From the dealer I would imagine they would run you around 200 dollars each. BUT, even though they may cost twice as much as GTI rotors, they will last you 3-4 times longer
That's about all I can think of for now. All in all, an excellent upgrade. Highly recommended for people who don't track the car, still recommended for people that do track the car BUT I think a good rear setup is absolutely needed. At least some race quality pads, slotted rotors and SS brake lines for the rear. At least.