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Upgrading Pads and Rotors for Golf 1.8T

S

skinnyroots

Ready to race!
Location
Toronto
Hey everyone,

First and foremost, I apologize if this question has been asked already.

What can you recommend for upgraded pads and rotors for the Golf 1.8T? I'm not really interested in replacing the entire caliper, but I would like for the brakes to have a little more bite.

I've read good things about the EBC Yellow Stuff pads. They seem to be reasonably priced for the performance they offer, and they're still suitable for daily driving. But, my Golf has around ~41,000 km on it and if I'm going to switch to more aggressive pads, I should have stronger rotors, too.

I'm finally upgrading to some grippier tires today and I plan on registering for my first AutoX this summer. I just need to make sure that my brakes are on point before attempting any kind of performance driving.

Thanks in advance for all of the help!
 
G

Geomets

Ready to race!
Location
South-Eastern Europe
Car(s)
Golf mk7 GTI
skinnyroots said:
Hey everyone,

First and foremost, I apologize if this question has been asked already.

What can you recommend for upgraded pads and rotors for the Golf 1.8T? I'm not really interested in replacing the entire caliper, but I would like for the brakes to have a little more bite.

I've read good things about the EBC Yellow Stuff pads. They seem to be reasonably priced for the performance they offer, and they're still suitable for daily driving. But, my Golf has around ~41,000 km on it and if I'm going to switch to more aggressive pads, I should have stronger rotors, too.

I'm finally upgrading to some grippier tires today and I plan on registering for my first AutoX this summer. I just need to make sure that my brakes are on point before attempting any kind of performance driving.

Thanks in advance for all of the help!
Click to expand...

If you put rotor-friendly pads the discs will be perfectly happy. There are a lot of posts about pads, you could read them and choose the right compound for your pad shape. By the way, where did you read good things about EBC???
 
HOT H2O

HOT H2O

Drag Race Newbie
Location
Canada
Upgrade to 312 discs and gti carriers.. same calliper used as non-PP GTI. I think it's Black Forrest Industries who sells a kit.
 
S

Sportwagen SEL

Ready to race!
Location
Burlingame, CA
I've never upgraded the rotors but I did upgrade my pads on my Sportwagen to EBC Red Stuff and it was a night and day improvement. Felt even better than my GTI PP package brakes in some ways. Highly recommended.
 
breaking badly

breaking badly

Banned
Location
St. Olaf
Geomets said:
There are a lot of posts about pads, you could read them and choose the right compound for your pad shape. By the way, where did you read good things about EBC???
Click to expand...
this ^^

and

SK VeeDubR said:
Upgrade to 312 discs and gti carriers.. same calliper used as non-PP GTI.
Click to expand...
this ^^

With 312 mm rotors there's simply no need for 'uprated' pads on a DD TSI.
This is the best value brake mod you could do.
We had plenty discussions on GTI (non-PP) brake (rotors and) pads, which
are the same as your TSI. I remember one being just a couple of days ago.
Just read this stuff. It's worth it. When you have read it and still have some
questions just proceed there.
Yellow Stuff, while the least worse EBC, is definitely not a proper choice for a
daily driver. Get something that works from cold, don't fool yourself with pads
marketed as "racing" or "ultra performance". As always, there are downsides.
Real "racing-like" performance is serious money. If not, it isn't. And IF it is, it's
noisy and eats rotors. There is no "fits all duties" and definitely not for cheap.
If you really think you need something "better performing" than OE VW/Audi,
Ate, Ferodo, Brembo, Pagid etc. I'd consider Ferodo DS Performance, PFC and
Brembo HP2000.

;)
 
Last edited:
B

Bäsemödel

Go Kart Champion
Location
Lancaster PA
Golfdave has a great thread on upgrading to 312mm rotors. It's the best option imo. I'll hopefully be doing the Porsche NQSBBK calipers with 312mm rotors at some point.
 
S

skinnyroots

Ready to race!
Location
Toronto
Thanks for all of the helpful replies! I was able to find Golf Dave's guide and it was fantastic, as always.

With regards to the EBC Yellow Stuff, I found the name mentioned somewhere on this forum and then proceeded to do some Google searching. Most of the posts I found spoke positively about it. Have you guys had bad experiences with it?
 
breaking badly

breaking badly

Banned
Location
St. Olaf
There's plenty of bad experience with it. Believe me, Yellows are certainly not ideal for your purpose.
Opinions commonly may differ, but I'm probably not know for telling BS when it comes to brakes.
Swapping to 312 mm rotors is your best bet. You don't need any fancy stuff. Ferodo DS Performance,
PFC Z-rated or Brembo HP2000 will easily fit the bill while being quiet on daily driving.
 
breaking badly

breaking badly

Banned
Location
St. Olaf
never heard . . .

 
breaking badly

breaking badly

Banned
Location
St. Olaf
How do you know about stopping distance? Do you own 2D equipment?

You admitted, Yellows don't decelerate the same when cold. Requiring
"a couple of brake applications" first isn't appropriate on a daily driver.

Btw, did you ever try one of the compounds I mentioned? Don't get me
wrong, but it's pretty obvious that EBCs are only raved by people who
never ever tried really good pads from reputable brands. As a matter of
fact, not a single top-class racing team is running EBC, and not a single
OEM is using them. Pagid, Ferodo or Brembo is what you see in both pro
racing and OE, while Endless, PFC, CL what's popular in top-class racing
- for good reasons. The same applies to more experienced amateurs who
don't get fooled by EBC's fancy marketing.
 
golfdave

golfdave

Autocross Champion
Location
Scotland (U.K.)
Car(s)
Mk7 Golf GT Estate
kkingma said:
The 312 rotor will fit in a 17in wheel correct?
Click to expand...

Yes just see my how to guide, liked to earlier in the thread, or look in my signature....

I used EBC pads & discs on previous cars for spirited road use on a small lightweight hatch, very good, but avoid them now at both me & a mate had quality problems with the EBC on two different VAG group cars.

I need grooved to stone chip clear due to roads here....so have ATE power discs & ATE pads....best quality materials & tighter manufacturing tolerances than any other manufacturer that I have found in the tech specs.
 
G

Geomets

Ready to race!
Location
South-Eastern Europe
Car(s)
Golf mk7 GTI
golfdave said:
Yes just see my how to guide, liked to earlier in the thread, or look in my signature....

I used EBC pads & discs on previous cars for spirited road use on a small lightweight hatch, very good, but avoid them now at both me & a mate had quality problems with the EBC on two different VAG group cars.

I need grooved to stone chip clear due to roads here....so have ATE power discs & ATE pads....best quality materials & tighter manufacturing tolerances than any other manufacturer that I have found in the tech specs.
Click to expand...


May I guess? Cracked pad? Split in more than two pieces? Missing friction material? Thank God you had a lightweight car in your first application!

I remember the conversation we had about ATE in your thread before your purchase. Sharing information with knowledgeable members who know what they are looking for is rare. Thanks golfdave.
 
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