Upgrading brakes from Non-PP brakes... Sorry for another brake thread!

[Agray]

I've read through dozens of brake threads and have accumulated a ton of information, but I still can't decide which route makes the most sense for me. Feedback from others experienced in this regard would be appreciated!

About my car:

• Stage 2 FBO non-PP car. No tracking, but I do tend to brake aggressively when safe to do so and I would like the aesthetic move to a big/bigger brake kit. I experienced brake fade once before with the stock set up, but not since I replaced the fluid. Part of that is because I know I let off early so I don't run in to issues. The current rotors are grooved and scorched to hell and I can feel them pulsating when braking at high speeds. I plan to keep the rear non-pp brakes as they are and simply upgrade pads to match the front.

Requirements:

• Consumables must be able to be purchased through FCP. I'm in their neck of the woods often and can avoid having to ship back heavy brake parts so their warranty program is a huge win for me.
• I would like to stay in the $1000-$1300 range for everything.

Options I've identified (Happy to hear other suggestions that fit the requirements above!):

• TTS Calipers: 340mm MK7 PP rotors (Zimmerman blanks), Hawk Ceramic Z compound pads, RBF 600.
• Macan Calipers: Upgraded seals, MK6 345mm Golf R rotors (Zimmerman blanks), EBC Redstuff, RBF 600.
• Stoptech ST-41: I'm not sure if any of these consumables are available from FCP?
• I'm not considering GTI PP brakes. They are heavy and expensive and not much of an upgrade from what I have now.

 

[OldVWFan]

You could go with 340mm rotors and the TTS calipers with ISweep 2000 pads. This is what I am now running on my 17 GTI Sport. What size is your current rotors, 312mm? I think you can get the complete kit from Shopdap.com and it comes with the correct SS lines.

 

[billbadass]

I can't recommend the ST40 kit enough, I had a non PP GTI and went with the two piece ST40 kit and it is easily one of my favorite things about the car. Reasons the ST40 kit wins over all:

-the ST40 caliper uses "porsche 930 big red" sized brake pads so your brake pad choices are virtually infinite
-they are the easiest brakes to swap pads without having to take the calipers off of any brake I have ever seen or used. I can swap the pads out in just a few minutes with a brake pad spreading tool. so easy.
-you will notice how many real motorsports cars use st40 setups = proven and reliable
-stoptech customer support has been amazing
-the "stock" brake pads that come with the stoptech kits are also better than any other street pad I have used, including the heinously overprice endless mx72 pads that i used (want to buy my pair?! haha) so you don't need to factor in an upgrade pair of brake pads for any vaguely reasonable street driving. My car has 480whp and i have yet to be able to overheat the brakes even close and I only have the 328mm ST40 kit since I didn't want to upgrade my rims
-they bolt on so easy so the install is a breeze and parts are so easy to find if you ever need them, and if you ever want to do upgrades you can later keep the caliper and get larger rotors or get titanium shims or upgraded seals etc

two other random tips:
get OBD11 and there are some cool adjustments you can make to how the brake pedal feels that I thought improved the brake pedal feel massively
i got castrol SRF fluid because it absorbs water much slower than other race fluids, but Motul RBF660 works great too if on a budget

 

[Agray]

I can't recommend the ST40 kit enough, I had a non PP GTI and went with the two piece ST40 kit and it is easily one of my favorite things about the car. Reasons the ST40 kit wins over all:

-the ST40 caliper uses "porsche 930 big red" sized brake pads so your brake pad choices are virtually infinite
-they are the easiest brakes to swap pads without having to take the calipers off of any brake I have ever seen or used. I can swap the pads out in just a few minutes with a brake pad spreading tool. so easy.
-you will notice how many real motorsports cars use st40 setups = proven and reliable
-stoptech customer support has been amazing
-the "stock" brake pads that come with the stoptech kits are also better than any other street pad I have used, including the heinously overprice endless mx72 pads that i used (want to buy my pair?! haha) so you don't need to factor in an upgrade pair of brake pads for any vaguely reasonable street driving. My car has 480whp and i have yet to be able to overheat the brakes even close and I only have the 328mm ST40 kit since I didn't want to upgrade my rims
-they bolt on so easy so the install is a breeze and parts are so easy to find if you ever need them, and if you ever want to do upgrades you can later keep the caliper and get larger rotors or get titanium shims or upgraded seals etc

two other random tips:
get OBD11 and there are some cool adjustments you can make to how the brake pedal feels that I thought improved the brake pedal feel massively
i got castrol SRF fluid because it absorbs water much slower than other race fluids, but Motul RBF660 works great too if on a budget

Thanks for the info. I’d love the ST-40 kit, but doesn’t that use the 355mm rotor and the ST-41 use the 328mm? I missed the buybrakes.com sale when these were going for like half off... Can the ST-40 or 41 even be found within my budget?

 

[Agray]

You could go with 340mm rotors and the TTS calipers with ISweep 2000 pads. This is what I am now running on my 17 GTI Sport. What size is your current rotors, 312mm? I think you can get the complete kit from Shopdap.com and it comes with the correct SS lines.

Yeah the current rotors are the 312. I saw that ShopDap had a kit pretty much laid out with everything I need, but it’s like 40-50 day lead time, the calipers are cheaper on Eacca, and it includes slotted rotors I’d prefer to not use if I don’t have to. I priced out everything I’d need for this option from the multiple vendors and it’s right around 1k so this is still a strong contender.

 

[VAG Parts Bin]

My TT-S conversion cost breakdown and reasoning for going the route I did is listed here:

https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/index.php?threads/macan-vs-tts-callipers.366204/page-20#post-7464443

You'll have to check current pricing as this is ~5 months old now. At the time, it was the cheapest way I was able to find the parts for.

 

[toothofwar]

There is a nice cheap oem+ 4 piston option also.
B9 A4 4 piston caliper upgrade . I had this setup on my 15 non pp gti and loved it!