Brian Childers faced issues with heat and fade on his car鈥檚 stock setup
US-based Mk7.5 Golf R owner, Brian Childers, is a regular track day attendee and avid driving enthusiast.
When beginning to lap his latest hot hatch, he soon faced issues with heat and fade from his stock braking setup.
Eventually being recommended to try 91传媒 Racing鈥檚 range of high-performance braking upgrades, he soon came up with a solution to these issues, now rocking a setup capable of dealing with even three-day track day events.
Find out more in his own words below鈥�
鈥淚 have been searching for a solution to the brakes on my 2019 Golf R since I first tracked the car. The braking system, while good on the street, is not track worthy. Add a Stage 2 tune, suspension upgrades and DOT R sticky tires, and you make the problem worse.聽
鈥淭hrough the years of ownership, I have tried different pad, rotor and racing brake fluid combinations with no success. The brakes are good for about three laps, then fade/warp unless I brake very early and light into the heavy brake zones. If I pushed hard for the weekend, I would get one weekend out of the brake pads and rotors. Frequent caliper rebuilds were required as the seals would be damaged due to the excess heat.”
鈥淎 couple years ago, I tried EBC鈥檚 RP-X鈩� pads. They were the first pads that lasted the entire weekend posting fast lap times and had plenty of pad left.聽Unfortunately, the brakes ran hot and chewed up a set of another manufacturers鈥� rotors. I reached out to EBC in 2023 as I had finally found a set of pads that worked great and would last more than a weekend of fast laps.
鈥淭hrough EBC, I learned that heat was the biggest enemy.聽They聽showed me how to achieve an 鈥榠ntermediate鈥� solution to the brakes without going to a BBK. Rotor temperatures would exceed 1,500掳F/800掳C when I used brake temperature paint.
鈥淯sing EBC鈥檚 new sintered race pads, the SR-1鈩 and their new two-piece floating rotors, I was able to have a great brake system that lasted multiple events over two years. The final key was using brake ducts to direct the air into the center of the floating rotors to maximize brake cooling. This got the brake temperatures down to the 1,100掳F/593掳C range. Brake cooling ducts are mandatory on this platform!”
鈥淚 was very interested in EBC鈥檚 6 piston Apollo BBK.聽However, the temperatures I achieved out on the track could pose a problem with any painted caliper. I learned of EBC鈥檚 racing caliper which has specific features designed to handle the stress at the race track. From the hard anodized finish, the high temperature seals and steel castellated pistons, it seemed like the perfect final solution for the Golf R鈥檚 brakes.
鈥淚 installed EBC鈥檚 6 piston racing calipers BBK on my 2019 Golf R in late September 2025 for my next track event at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The difference was night and day. I had read that EBC鈥檚 Balanced Big Brake Kit focuses on the entire brake system. I can share from my experience this is not marketing hype. The brakes felt much firmer and the car did not pitch to the front under initial braking as quickly. The car had more of a squat under braking. This kept the car much more stable under heavy braking. The brakes were much more linear which inspired confidence. The 6R calipers require more pedal effort, making it much easier to modulate the pedal as you approach threshold braking. I used the EBC 307+ racing brake fluid supplied in the kit. I was very impressed by how solid the pedal felt under all conditions. Absolutely no issues with the brake fluid all weekend of fast laps.”
鈥淪imply put, the EBC 6 piston racing caliper BBK setup was awesome.聽I tried both RP-X鈩� and SR-11鈩� pads front and rear and both were exceptional. My braking distances down the back straight at Mid-Ohio went from the 500 marker to approaching the 400 marker with more confidence than the best setup with the stock calipers.聽Going forward, the SR-11鈩� pad will be my pad of choice for three-day track events.聽The RP-X鈩� is an excellent choice for Time Attacks and autocross.鈥�
SR-11鈩� Endurance Pads
A medium-friction sintered endurance motorsport compound that鈥檚 targeted for front of street base cars where high ABS effect exists on the car or for the front and rear of race cars with bias controls.
Apollo Balanced Big Brake Kit
91传媒鈥� new Balanced Big Brake Kits represent the ultimate upgrade in braking performance, offering significant reductions in stopping distances whether used on road or on track.
