Brake Pads

Driv'n EZ

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 22, 2000
Location
Soot Belchin, USA
My REAR pads need replacement, but the front are doing fine. I talked to the dealership and they said that the rear pads typically go out first on the VW. Didn't quite know why.

I'm going to put new pads on. Stopping power is more important to me than brake dust, and I don't want pads so hard that they rip the rotors apart.

What would you suggest? OEM pads are around $70.00, but seem to be thicker than some after market replacements.

Thanks for your thoughts,
Driv'n EZ
 

tdibugman

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 16, 2001
Location
Forked River, NJ
the rears wear out quicker since they are a softer compound to keep them from squealing. except for 98 NB's, all A4's are affected.
I changed mine to Mintex Red Box, to eliminate dust. The only thing I now clean off the wheels is road grime. However, they are very hard on rotors, so an upgrade may be required there, too. My front rotors have been chewed through in 12K miles with the Red Box. These were the original rotors, however - I chose not to heed someone else's advice!!
 

SteveS

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 19, 1999
Location
29 Palms, California
TDI
00 NB automatic TDI
I have Mintex Red Box pads on all wheels. I have as much brake dust as I did with stock pads, and the Mintex are noisy. Other than that, I'm satisfied they are good, but next time I'm going back to OEM pads. I don't see any advantage, so I figure, why bother?
 
4

4wheeldrift

Guest
My previous street VWs had Mintex red box. Compared to OE,the Mintex will give you a firmer pedal, less fade and quicker stops. Additionally, I just put EBC Green Stuff pads on our Sube and the braking was transformed. Great pad on the Sube. Anyone use EBC Green Stuff on their dub? I may try these next.

Disclaimer:
Please note, I am upgrading pads from a performance standpoint and these may not be what non-enthusiasts or economy folks want or need. I am a big believer in balanced performance. Handling, power and braking should be of a similar level.
 

Joe Golf

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2001
Location
Vero Beach Florida
TDI
2017 Passat 1.8T
Went to Mintex Redbox on my 98 Passat on all four corners with new rotors. The dusting is down but so is the initial bite compared to OEM. The Redbox stop fine especially when they are hot but OEM next time.
 

Sooty

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 29, 1999
Location
Midlands, UK
Used to use Pagid Fast road pads, but found them to be lacking for circuit driving. Now I use Ferodo DS2000’s much better at temperature control and bite and about average on the dust front.
 

BoraTdi

Veteran Member
Joined
May 8, 2000
Location
Raleigh, NC
Rears already worn out? Maybe it has to do with towing the trailer? I know the rears are softer on the 2000-up models, but that's nuts. You don't have enough miles. David, I'd either go Mintex, or if you are really ballsy, maybe it's time for the 12" Audi TT brake upgrade?
 

garrettp

Former Chip-Monk
Joined
May 23, 2000
Location
Oconto, WI
TDI
2000 JEDI
tomo, with the size of your rear... it's no wonder you need greenstuff


David, Pete jsut replaced my rears at 100,000 miles. me, i pruchased the factory brakes since they made it 100,000 already
. not to be cheap but i liked the way they worked for the first 100,000
 

Driv'n EZ

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 22, 2000
Location
Soot Belchin, USA
g 100,000 - I know you do the highway. I do mostly city, with lots of acceleration from light to light. That must be why mine are worn out at such low mileage.

I like the fact that the OEM's are quiet, no chatter, and they don't eat rotors. I have great stopping power, between the brakes and the Double A traction tires. But, there too, I go through tires faster than the average. Maybe I just ought to drive like I own the car, now that I have two years on it ... today. Nah, that wouldn't be any fun.
 

car54

theGAME
Joined
Dec 5, 2000
Location
Woodbridge VA
TDI
2002 Jetta
I installed Raybestos lifetime warranty pads on the rear of a 97 passat. They still make a little dust, but he doesnt have to worry about them wearing out anymore! replacement is free!

They cost about $17 a pair. no difference in stopping power noticed. saved just a little bit of money by not going OEM, and they will definently last longer. anyone who pays the high $$ for oem is crazy.
 

msaeger

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2001
Location
Minnetonka, MN
the set of four pads for the rear are about 30.00 it's not that expensive. I got the mintex red box just because it seems like thats what most people on here are getting they were also about 30 dollars
 

Driv'n EZ

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 22, 2000
Location
Soot Belchin, USA
Originally posted by tomo366:
EBC Greenstuff
Kevlar based very low dust
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">After talking to some auto parts guys, including VW parts, I decided to go with the EBC Greenstuff pads. EBC cautions against using their pads on rear alone, as it could cause handling problems.

I ordered them over the internet from TireRack.com and they're shipping them out to me for a Thursday delivery.

Thanks for the input, and the emails.
 

car54

theGAME
Joined
Dec 5, 2000
Location
Woodbridge VA
TDI
2002 Jetta
EBC's warning should be taken as a marketing ploy. They provide slightly improved braking, but they make just as much dust as oem pads. I installed them on the rear of a 00 golf and the rear wheels still make more dust than the fronts. they required replacement after approx. 45,000mi. I dunno where EBC got this "dangerous handling" story from, but if anything locks up, the abs will take care of it. (they dont stop THAT much harder anyway) I use their "greenstuff" equivalent on my motorcycle, and I cant keep the wheels clean. EBC's are far from dustless, and at best the dust is just a little easier to wash off.
 

Joe Golf

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2001
Location
Vero Beach Florida
TDI
2017 Passat 1.8T
Actually when you mix pad compound you change the brake bias. This can have some unintended consequences if you don't pay attention. I am not sure what the effect of the ABS has on bias control. It was my understanding that VW does somehow modulate the bias [brake line pressure] front to rear electronically.

I know the AutoX guys in stock classes swap pad compounds around to change the balance of the car at turn in.

[ February 12, 2002, 15:47: Message edited by: Smokin Joe ]
 

garrettp

Former Chip-Monk
Joined
May 23, 2000
Location
Oconto, WI
TDI
2000 JEDI
Originally posted by car 54:


anyone who pays the high $$ for oem is crazy.
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">i get 5% above cost at the dealer since i am on there payroll
the market up is pretty amazing though
 

car54

theGAME
Joined
Dec 5, 2000
Location
Woodbridge VA
TDI
2002 Jetta
I didnt pay much attention to the pricing at the dealer when I worked there, but I do know we sold a michelin tire to a lady for $140, then bought it from NTB for $75 and installed it. I felt sorry for her, she could have almost halved the cost of the job by just taking her car to a tire shop.
 

Driv'n EZ

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 22, 2000
Location
Soot Belchin, USA
Well guys, I managed to break the passenger rear brake line in my attempt to compress the caliper. So now I am without wheels and have to wait until Monday to even order a part from the VW dealer. BoraTDI is planning to come over Sunday so he can laugh at the situation with me.

[ February 16, 2002, 11:30: Message edited by: Driv'n EZ ]
 

AusSalzburg

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2001
Location
Austria, Hallein, Kuchl
Driv'nEZ
Here's some top secret info.
The pads wear out prematurely on 2000 Golf Jetta Beetle models because those pads are too soft and are replaced with pads from the 1999 model. There's a tech bulletin on this. Do not install rear pads from the dealer if the part ends in the part number/letter "B". The long lasting pads don't have a letter on the end of the part number. "B" equals BAD at our dealership and we won't install those pads. I believe the 2001-2002 models went back to the longer lasting pads from the 1999 models.

Also, if your car has less than 30K on it, you may be able to receive 100% Goodwill repair from VW. Above 30K, maybe 50% Goodwill repair.

For those of you that are going to try to compress your rear calipers, don't bother unless you have the special tools! The special tool turns the piston clockwise and pushes the piston in simultaneously.

See ya, Michael.
 

Driv'n EZ

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 22, 2000
Location
Soot Belchin, USA
Michael, thanks for the info. I tried this on Saturday and found out the hard way that the piston won't budge without being turned. My corner mechanic won't touch it because he doesn't want to invest in the tools for each different manufacturer.

I took mine in to the dealership and they're taking care of it, installing the greenstuff pads that I purchased.

Before I pay for the fronts to be done, I'm going to try to locate someone who has this tool so I can save the 64 dollars labor to install the front pads.
 

deezeljuice

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 7, 2000
Location
The United States of Texas
You can do a search to verify this, but if I remember right, the front cylinders do not require that they be rotated as they are compressed. The backs require this due to the parking brake mechanism inside the piston assembly. You only need the special tool for the rears.
Actually, there is a tool you can buy at Autozone for about 6 or 7$ that can be used to compress the caliper piston. It doesn't rotate the piston as it compresses, but with a little care, you can use a pair of channel locks to rotate the piston as the tool compresses it. Just be careful not to screw up the little rubber boot that fits over the piston as you turn it with the channel locks. Take your time, be careful and you can do it this way without spending alot for the special tool. It works fine, I've done it. Replacing both rear pads took me about 1 1/2 hours.
 

weedeater

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 17, 2001
Location
Reston, VA
TDI
Jetta, 2001, Baltic Green
I believe the funky rear pad replacement procedure has been discussed before here. Try a search and you may find something on a tool that will do the job cheaply.
 

GoneDiesel

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 2, 2000
Location
USA
Hey Drivn'EZ, not that it wil help you now but I have the tool.
I just ordered and recieved it. So if you need it as with all my tools you can borrow them. When are you comming down? Need to drag Will with ya. When you come down you can show me what not to do when changing rear pads!
I will be doing it also on Tiffs TDI. Hey you can show us both what not to do!
 

Jackmc

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 17, 2000
Location
Waxhaw NC
TDI
2012 Sportwagen
The front calipers can be compressed with a regular "straight in" tool. Only the rears with the parking brake need to be compressed while turning. Any tool shop has a universal tool for this that has several different brake caliper tools and one of them will work on your car.

I got one for around $45 at a local shop and it works great. The first time I tried to just get the tool that fits the caliper without the device that pushes in and pushed and turned it myself. Forget it!!

Get the proper tool and you'll be "stylin'".
 

Driv'n EZ

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 22, 2000
Location
Soot Belchin, USA
Originally posted by GoneDiesel:
Hey Drivn'EZ, not that it wil help you now but I have the tool. I will be doing it also on Tiffs TDI. Hey you can show us both what not to do!
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I'm coming down week of Easter for 10 days. beginning Good Friday. Sure, now that I know what not to do, I can break anybody's brakes!!!
 
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