Upgrading OEM Discs and Pads

[Greycupra290]

Hello everyone I am looking to upgrade my Brakes all around I wanted to upgrade to Brembo E09.C306.1X but not sure if they are good, I have had a look at EBC discs and pads but i am getting mixed opinions about them, I have considered Ferodo racing discs and DS2500 pads but I am not sure which ones are good, as the OEM brakes I do like them as they are responsive the only downside to them is that at high speeds they tend to vibrate a lot and to me they feel a bit dangerous any insight would be helpful thank you.

 

[The-Cupra]

Iv run DS2500 pads and find bluestuff alot better. Im running bluestuff all around would never go back to DS2500 pads.

 

[Greycupra290]

Iv run DS2500 pads and find bluestuff alot better. Im running bluestuff all around would never go back to DS2500 pads.

Are they good at higher speeds? Because that’s mainly my issue tbh with my stock ones and the sound as well when they heat up can be very loud which is annoying

 

[The-Cupra]

Both the DS2500 and bluestuff make some noise at high speed when hot... by noise i mean a slight vibration noise if your slamming on from say 140mph+. However as far as squeeks there is non from the front. Bluestuff fade less that the DS2500 and will stay quite consistent when hot. The difference between these and stock is night and day.

Really depends on your driving style too. If you give the OEM pads a beating you will love bluestuff. If your looking for a pad than is snappier when cold you could try yellow stuff.

 

[Greycupra290]

To be fair yes the vibration I normally tend to let go of the accelerator let it cool down until maybe 110-105 then i touch the brakes but normally they vibrate but I might give blue stuff a try because i had VBT in mind but haven’t seen many reviews, in terms of brakes discs any suggestions?

 

[The-Cupra]

To be fair yes the vibration I normally tend to let go of the accelerator let it cool down until maybe 110-105 then i touch the brakes but normally they vibrate but I might give blue stuff a try because i had VBT in mind but haven’t seen many reviews, in terms of brakes discs any suggestions?

For discs just go with something like brembo (atleast). I tried some cheaper discs once they was ruined in 2 weeks black heat spots all over them.

If your going with good pads like bluestuff, you will need decent enough discs, wont get away with cheaper ones.

You will like bluestuff, i have put them to the test on my cupra and they hold up great and they last a long time too.

 

[Greycupra290]

These are the brembos that i am looking at the moment https://www.mlperformance.co.uk/pro...rbon-with-bolts-screws?variant=43474600231133 but i am not sure if they are the best ones because i have been looking for a couple of days for good quality discs and pads money isn't a factor for them because still safety so i dont like to cheap out but thank you i will have a look at blue stuff

 

[SuperV8]

The OEM brakes shouldn't judder at high speed, there's something wrong - 99% of judder is DTV (Disc Thickness Variation) caused by either uneven disc wear (extended cruising without using the brakes can exaggerate this, constantly wearing the high point as it wipes past the pad making thin spots which is felt as judder when the brakes are used) or uneven friction material transfer causing high spots.
Either way new discs and pads should cure this.

Those are expensive! £300 for a pair of cast iron discs!
That's similar to the OEM discs prices - and the OEM discs are better quality (tighter machining tolerance and probably a better alloyed HC cast iron grade).
Don't get drilled discs - only reason is for looks. They have worse performance (each hole is a stress riser) and more chance of brake noise.

For a road car - the best brakes overall will be the OEM brakes. They go through way more testing than any aftermarket brakes.
To save some money, any aftermarket coated discs (not black paint like TRW) with R90 & high carbon (R90 provides a minimum reasonable quality) will be reasonable.

 

[The-Cupra]

Agree with the comment above, however OEM pads are ass, if you do some fast road or track. Upgrade the pads, the OEM pads fade very fast and they cant handle high heat. Iv done a track day in them and they disintegrated into nothing and faded extremely bad.

The OEM Discs are fine but the OEM pads need "upgrading" if you drive spiritedly.

As far as drilled discs, i dont see many companys doing them... its mainly dimpled which are fine. No stress cracks around the drilling points unlike drilled ones. However, i wouldnt say they are any better than normal discs and not worth it... plus the extra braking noise on a daily isnt worth it.

Bluestuff pad are similar price to OEM front pads, much better and tested just as much if not way more. Very popular on track days/fast road. Iv been running them on mulitple different cars for many years and they have never let me down. To the point if i had OEM pads trying the same thing, id be dead.

 

[Greycupra290]

Thank you everyone for the feedback, I might settle with the OEM discs as the car is 50k miles and I can tell they haven't been changed but what is your opinions on brake lines? I have heard it is also important to get them changed, but which ones are good along with brake fluid too, I am currently looking at Hel performance brake line:
https://www.awesomegti.com/hel/hel-...upra-290-300-electronic-handbrake-4-line-kit/
the brake discs from SEAT but are there any other cheaper websites? https://seatdirectparts.co.uk/parts...013-2019/seat-cupra-front-brake-discs-340x30/
For pads I might go with Blue stuff: https://progressiveparts.com/produc...ackday-brake-pad-set-dp52070ndx?k=118000-2019

 

[SuperV8]

Agree with the comment above, however OEM pads are ass, if you do some fast road or track. Upgrade the pads, the OEM pads fade very fast and they cant handle high heat. Iv done a track day in them and they disintegrated into nothing and faded extremely bad.

The OEM Discs are fine but the OEM pads need "upgrading" if you drive spiritedly.

As far as drilled discs, i dont see many companys doing them... its mainly dimpled which are fine. No stress cracks around the drilling points unlike drilled ones. However, i wouldnt say they are any better than normal discs and not worth it... plus the extra braking noise on a daily isnt worth it.

Bluestuff pad are similar price to OEM front pads, much better and tested just as much if not way more. Very popular on track days/fast road. Iv been running them on mulitple different cars for many years and they have never let me down. To the point if i had OEM pads trying the same thing, id be dead.

I did say for road - once you mention track, all bets are off! - completely different friction requirements/compromises.
I have tested these OE pads - and they are fine to 500degrees+! If you are seeing in excess of these temps regularly on 'fast road driving' (what ever fast road means!) I suggest you think about your driving style/safety.

 

[SuperV8]

Thank you everyone for the feedback, I might settle with the OEM discs as the car is 50k miles and I can tell they haven't been changed but what is your opinions on brake lines? I have heard it is also important to get them changed, but which ones are good along with brake fluid too, I am currently looking at Hel performance brake line:
https://www.awesomegti.com/hel/hel-...upra-290-300-electronic-handbrake-4-line-kit/
the brake discs from SEAT but are there any other cheaper websites? https://seatdirectparts.co.uk/parts...013-2019/seat-cupra-front-brake-discs-340x30/
For pads I might go with Blue stuff: https://progressiveparts.com/produc...ackday-brake-pad-set-dp52070ndx?k=118000-2019

Braided stainless/PTFE brake hoses have better/lower expansion (giving in theory a firmer brake pedal) - but also worse whip resistance (fatigue resistance), so it could fail SAEJ1401 - which is why you rarely see them on road cars.
I would say it depends on how the original brake hoses are designed - if very long then more benefit with the lower expansion would be felt - if very short then I doubt you would feel any difference.

 

[Mo_86]

I've had braided lines on a few manual cars and they've been great, not sure how they would be on a auto with little engine braking.

 

[The-Cupra]

I did say for road - once you mention track, all bets are off! - completely different friction requirements/compromises.
I have tested these OE pads - and they are fine to 500degrees+! If you are seeing in excess of these temps regularly on 'fast road driving' (what ever fast road means!) I suggest you think about your driving style/safety.

Completely understandable, however have to disagree with them being fine for anything spirited. Fast road is quiet a popular term on many forums and i see it regularly, to me it means abit of fun on back roads when the time and place permits and there is no one else on the road and/or being courteous of other road users when you do pass them. Why else would you buy a performance hatch if not to get our foot down when the time and place permits? I think 90 percent of people on here do this WHEN then time and place permits.

My cupra is stage 1 by unicorn developments with a TCU tune. Its the DQ381 box and 385BHP. It goes well for what it is and i can assure you on track or even several corners in succession the OEM pads are not up for the job. Some people even upgrade there calipers never mind the OEM pads and there cars never see a track. Just think by your analogy, no one needs to upgrade there brakes ever as we need to all think on our driving styles...

 

[SuperV8]

Completely understandable, however have to disagree with them being fine for anything spirited. Fast road is quiet a popular term on many forums and i see it regularly, to me it means abit of fun on back roads when the time and place permits and there is no one else on the road and/or being courteous of other road users when you do pass them. Why else would you buy a performance hatch if not to get our foot down when the time and place permits? I think 90 percent of people on here do this WHEN then time and place permits.

My cupra is stage 1 by unicorn developments with a TCU tune. Its the DQ381 box and 385BHP. It goes well for what it is and i can assure you on track or even several corners in succession the OEM pads are not up for the job. Some people even upgrade there calipers never mind the OEM pads and there cars never see a track. Just think by your analogy, no one needs to upgrade there brakes ever as we need to all think on our driving styles...

The Cupra has the same pads/brakes as the Golf R and S3 - using the common Jurid 310 GG friction material.
I have been in a Passat 2.0t using the same brakes, repeatedly doing Vmax brake testing with the car violently standing on its nose from 140mph (max speed we could get to at our track) yes there is some fade as the brakes get very hot - but it doesn't fade to zero, and just need to stand on the brake pedal a little harder to achieve the same decel - just lets you know as a driver to back off. This would not be classed as road driving however.

Clearly the vast majority of Cupra/R/S3 owners are not ending up in the hedge due to their pads fading.
If you are seeing regular high temps, then a different friction material can be better - however I'm sure most drivers would not be seeing these high temps under road driving.
Your own car has 1/3 more power - meaning faster acceleration and less time between bends for the brakes to cool off, different use case to a standard car.