Originally based on the VAG PQ34 platform, the Audi A3 has been a mainstay of the modified car community since its release in 1996. Thanks to its relatively low price, and lots of scope for tuning, the A3 / S3 / RS3 is still going strong 27 years and a further 3 generations later! Needless to say, it has been one of our more popular brake kit applications since we started trading in 2009, so we have managed to develop a wide variety of upgrade options over the years.
The first generation (8L) model was available in 3-door and 5-door varients, with FWD or 4WD drivetrain, and later in 1999 the range-topping S3 with Haldex Traction 4WD system hit the roads. Our front brake kits for the 8L start at 286mm combined with 4-pot calipers, which will fit behind most 16" wheels and even some 15" wheels. For vehicles with 17" wheels, we would recommend the front 330mm 6-pot or 345mm big 6-pot if you have enough clearance. The 345mm kit should be more than sufficient for a vehicle in this weight range, but we have had customers with 19" aftermarket wheels, who want to fill up the space as much as possible, which is why we also offer a huge 380mm 8-pot setup!
The second generation (8P) was produced from 2003 until 2013, and marked the release of the first RS3 variant in 2012. With 19" wheels as standard, and often upgraded to 20", the most popular front brake kit by far is our 380x32mm 8-pot. To compliment this front kit, in terms of front/rear bias, the most suitable rear brake kit is our 356x28mm 6-pot. As with the previous 8L generation, we offer a solution for the parking brake in the form of our patented bolt-on line lock system, which connects up to the OEM parking brake cable and allows the rear calipers to act as spot calipers when the parking brake is applied.
The third generation (8V) came out in 2013 and was now available in a saloon (sedan) and cabriolet. It was also the first generation that opted for an electronic parking brake rather than the ealier cable-actuated systems. This somewhat complicates matters when upgrading the rear brakes, as the fly-by-wire system actuates the calipers by way of electronic motors. This forced us to develop an innovative solution in order to upgrade the rear calipers while maintaining the OEM parking brake function. Our new electronic line lock system does this by bolting up directly to the Audi EPB motors, which in turn actuate the PB calipers in a similar way to the stock brakes. No modification or ECU reprogramming is required - simply bolt the motors to line lock modules and allow the parking brake to cycle once in order to recalibrate to the new parameters and away you go!
At the time of writing, the fourth and final generation is known as the 8Y. We are currently in the process of developing brake kits for this latest incarnation, and we expect them to be available soon, so watch this space!
