Andy (Portland, OR)

The stock brakes/pads on my '02 S6 are very grabby and difficult to modulate. (In talking to S4 owners, I'm not the only one who feels this way -- they complain of difficulty heel and toeing due to the high sensitivity. I can't even imagine trying to heel and toe this brake! Interestingly, oversensitive brakes may be an Audi family trait. This from the latest Road & Track review of the RS6: "Initial [brake] feel is quite touchy and braking effort for even hard stops is significantly lighter than for the other cars [in the comparison test]...")

Part of the problem is undoubtedly excessive boost. The high initial bite and grabbiness is also due to the pad compound. (High initial coefficient of friction -- "bite" -- which rises rather than stabilizes during the stop.) I KNOW pads can make a difference in brake feel from swapping out the pads on my '99 A6 Avant. The dealer replaced the OEM pads under warranty when I complained about constant low speed squeal. Audi supplied some approved Japanese pads (the service manager does not know what brand) that solved the squeal problem and had much better feel -- less initial bite and more foot pressure required.

So, in response to recommendations from others here, I switched to Mintex "Red Box." The good news is very little dust and only minimal low speed squeal. However, the feel is just as bad as the stock pads, which was my primary motivation for switching. If you like the feel and hate the dust of the OEM pads, you will like the Mintex. If, like me, you hate the feel of the OEMs, you will be disappointed in the Mintex (although I certainly don't miss the dust).

It appears there are very few pads available for the S6 brake. Has anyone found a pad that is less touchy/grabby with better modulation characteristics? How about the EBC Green Stuff pad? Also, anyone know a cheaper source for EBC than Tire Rack? (Tire Rack wants $130 for the fronts, whereas I paid $95 for Mintex from APR.)

Thanks, Andy

rally

Did you bed the pads in correctly (heat em up good)?
Maybe the rear pads you're using are adding to the problem by making the front pads work harder?

You could try a semi-track pad that does not heat up quickly at slow speeds or you can change out the calipers. Changing out the calipers is no guarantee of better modulation and it's a big gamble.

The trade off to a track pad is reduced stopping distances until they warm up but it won't grab as quick as a street pad at normal temps. Heat the track pad up and it will grab alot quicker than the street pad.

Give Andy Porterfield (Porterfield Brakes) a call at (949) 548-4470 and explain your problems.
Andy's been doing this for decades and he will be able to steer you to the right compound.

Good luck.<ul><li><a href="http://www.porterfield-brakes.com/">Porterfield</a></li></ul>

Andy (Portland, OR)

Thanks Rally, I'll call Andy on Monday

Gerry

My biggest everyday beef with the S6 is also the brake feel. I remember commenting on it when I did my first ride home report eighteen months ago and its still not much different. Its not that it is fatally flawed but it ranks 5th among my 5 cars and is certainly out of proportion with my expectations

I agree with you in that its more important to me to have good feel and modulation and if I had to choose I'd take good feel over low dust although I'd certainly like to have both.

I'll be very interested in what Porterfield has to say. I use their R4s pads in my Alfa with great result. They squeel a little on occasion (which I think is an issue with the precision of fit) but their feel and modulation is wonderful in that car. I wasn't aware thay had pads for the HP2s but would love to hear that they do. Thanks for your posting, it is helpful.

SloopJohnB

heel and toe a tiptronic? hmmm....

Andy (Portland, OR)

It's written in the context of an S4 driver's complaints!!