Hi
I have a 2007 Z-51 A6 l plan on switching my brake fluid from stock to Wildwood.
To improve braking further should l change the pads and if l do which pads should l pick up?

Street only but l travel on the interstate between 70/80 mph.

Thanks

Alan

 

I think you are doing a lot of work for nothing unless your brakes are worn out. Just by chance, I had lunch today with the Dow brake fluid guy that sell GM their brake fluid. I have Wilwood in my car now, but I track the car and change fluid after every track day. I just switched from Wilwood fluid to Red Line RL600 brake fluid.

 

s

Very interesting! On my C5 when l changed from stock brake fluid to Wildwood and l was able to feel the diff. I am turning 30,000 miles so you suggest to go with stock brake fluid?

Thanks

Alan

 

If you can feel a difference than it is worth it.

Most people can't.

 

Alan, fluid is subjective there are a few good than there is great! It comes down to $$. With that said your best bet is a Motul RBF 600 $$ wise. Top of the line Fluid is Castrol SRF price is $79.00 for a 1 liter bottle, where Motul is 21.95 for .50 liter. As far as pads for street use I only recommend the Carbotech 1521 pad. Not the cheapest on the market but, performs day in and day out with out any issue. Quiet low dust good to 800 degrees and will perform like stock if not better under threshold braking. Below is a price and description if interested let me know I will be happy to help you. We have fluid and pads in stock ready to go.

Carbotech™ Bobcat 1521™ The Carbotech Bobcat 1521™ is our high performance street compound that is our most successful compound. The Bobcat compound is known for its awesome release and modulation, along with unmatched rotor friendliness. Like our AX™ & XP™ line of compounds, Bobcat 1521™ is a Ceramic based friction material offering minimal rotor damage and non-corrosive dust. Bobcat 1521™ offers outstanding performance, even when cold, low dusting and low noise with an excellent initial bite. This compound’s virtually perfect linear torque production provides incredible braking force without ABS intervention. Bobcat 1521™ operating range starts out at ambient and goes up to 900°F. Bobcat 1521™ is suitable for ALL street cars, perfect for your tow vehicle, police cruiser. The Bobcat 1521™ compound has been found to last two-three times longer than OE pads you can purchase at a dealership or national retailer. That’s one of the beauties of Carbotech Ceramic brake compounds. Bobcat 1521™ is NOT recommended for any track use.

F: $141 R: $121 1521 pads.

 

I second the Motul stuff. RBF 600 and RBF660 in all our race cars (660 for the guys that like to abuse the brakes. Lol) great stuff.

 

I got my Motul from Amazon. I don't race but I like Motul.

Anyother simple mod is to change caliper pistons to DRM stainless to improve heat control.

 

"For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction". I know, it sounds corny but when it comes to making mods to your car it really does come into play.

First of all, for a street driven car, the high price, higher temp brake fluid isn't buying you anything other than piece of mind. Your car will not stop any quicker with $20 per Pt. Vs. $10 per Qt. brake fluid. If you were doing HP events and over cooking your brakes, then YES, it is a very good investment.

Here's the down side; to increase the dry boiling point of brake fluid, the type of Esters are changed in the formula. The down side is the higher the boiling point, the more (faster) moisture the fluid will collect, causing you to change out your more expensive fluid more often.

Changing your pads out for better (shorter) stopping, all I can say is do your homework. Make sure you look at "ALL" the pros and cons for each type or formula of pad compound. Some of the street HP pads require some heat before normal grip happens.....sometimes making that first stop can get a little exciting! Also running in the wet will cool off pads and rotors making that first application of braking interesting.

FWIW, personally I use OEM pads on my C5 Vert and Ceramics on my GS (OEM dusting issue) and name brand Dot 3/4 brake fluid from Auto00

Ceramics = much less dust and still keep good braking performance. Down side, they are not good for tracking and unless installed correctly, can cause squealing Also Ceramics would be counter productive with the use of high temp brake fluid.

 

From street use to the higher performance demands of track days, Carbotech Brake pads will help you achieve better brake modulation, torque and fade resistance. High-tech construction means better stopping power and a higher level of driver confidence every time you get behind the wheel.

 

Fluid
The type of fluid is not going to effect the pedal feel on the car unless you have a ton of air in the lines. At that point it doesn't matter what fluid you use, the air is the issue. With that being said, DOT 5 fluid is the only way to STAY AWAY FROM, this is a silicone based fluid and typically is not comparable with any of the factory seals, and requires to much change to be worth it.

So you need to stick with a good quality DOT 3 or DOT 4. Most of us use DOT 4 fluids like Wilwood, Brembo, Motul, Castrol, Endless..... they go on and one. Motul 600 RBF is a very popular choice and can be found in most high performance shops. They give you better temperature protection when under heavy use. That being said, any of these fluids, just like OEM, need to be bled every now and again depending on the use of the car to make sure you are not allowing moisture into the system to degrade the fluid.

We use Motul, SFR, and Endless for most everything we do.



Lines
Going to a stainless brake line, this will improve pedal feel. When you go to a braided line they are typically a smaller diameter hose so that the fluid transfer happens much quicker and you have less pedal travel when applying the brakes. There is less expansion in the line itself too, so a number of things are going on. Lastly they give you better heat protection than a crimp together rubber/metal setup like OEM. If you are wanting better feel, I would suggest doing this with your fluid bleed.


Pads

Pads, for the most part this is one thing that you will have to give up something to get something else. Want it to stop like a race car? You are going to have to live with dusting and noise. Want it to keep your wheels spotless, then you will have to live with OEM or less stopping power. Keep in mind, I work at a road race shop so I'm going far extremes on either side of this. Hawk pads don't work bad, but recently StopTech came out with a new Performance 309 series pad that does stay pretty tame for street use and will give you better braking and will hold up to some light track use if you want to go that route.

 

Welcome to the Internet's largest retailer of Carbotech Performance Brake Pads for street and track. Here you will find the most comprehensive collection of performance brake pads available online. We have over 40,000 different brake pads for your vehicles! Our goal is to provide the quietest, most rotor-friendly and safest stopping brake pad on the market today. Always available by phone from 7AM till 11PM....