Brake Pads

[chrisg]

Just to throw my penny's worth in with regard to brake pads and friction material, having run on a daily basis and done track days for an S2 and 951, day to day driving = standard Pagid pads are fine. For track days and spirited driving go for Mintex 1155's with uprated fluid and braided hoses = managed with the 951 at the Ring and Spa fine.....

Yours

Chris

 

[sawood12]

ORIGINAL: DavidL

Nothing wrong with modifying cars, we all do it.
Technology moves on so why not consider alternatives?
But everyone has an opinion, I was just casting about for them.
Thanks for everyones' contribution.
Nothing wrong with OEM at all, I don't think anyone was suggesting that necessarily.

Clearly brake pads are an emotive subject.

Don't get me wrong- it's not an emotional thing but it just strikes me as being the first thing people consider without actually considering OEM. I don't buy the moving on of technology thing - brake pads are brake pads - they are pretty well understood and unless you're going to carbon brakes then the technology hasn't really moved on for a few decades, it is what it is. It's a bit like baking, the various materials are blended to achieve specific characteristics and Porsche have worked very hard to find a recipe that works for a road going car without too many compromises and they do know more about brakes than most of the aftermarket brake companies. But I would say, don't mess about with aftermarket pads unless you have a specific requirement you're looking to fill (and most people don't). OEM pads are perfectly adequate for all but the most dedicated track day car or race car. Been there, done it, got stung and wished i'd stuck with OEM. I think alot of people step out of newer over-servo'd cars and into Porsches and the brakes feel very different and they assume something is wrong when often all that is required is a bit more effort on the brake pedal.

 

[Dave928]

pagid black ?

Yellow stuff ebc ?

 

[Veerzigzag]

talking about dust removal rather than the pads themselves - have you tried Wurth wheel cleaner? It's in a different league to the normal stuff.

 

[Masher]

Hard to accuse you of not trying if you are melting brake pads []

First line in protecting the wheels is to put a wheel protection polish on them BEFORE the track day. Sniggering aside, I use Rim Wax (calm down now) which leaves the wheel feeling like it has a Teflon coat on it.

Ref brake pads, I always used Textar ones on my 964 and when you and I were at Bedford and I was in my 964 I got the impression we were similar in speed and braking. The Textars have always performed well and lasted well for me. Textar are regarded as 'standard' but perform well and Steve Brookes who does a lot of 964 track days has tried a lot of brake pads and seems to be suggesting he'll move back to Textars now. I am 100% convinced there will be a few opinions on the best pads to use - much like the which oil to use question!

Not sure what pads my 944 has in it, never bothered to look but they stop well (they are big reds so ought to!) and still have meat on them.

Best of luck,
Mick

 

[Eldavo]

I fitted some Mintex M1144s based upon a few recommendations on here and am really happy with them so far!

 

[edh]

All the best track pads pads produce nasty dust I think. Pf08 is available and supposed to be a bit better.

Less aggressive pads like 1144 aren't as bad, but they don't stop as well...

Maybe your other option is a second set of wheels?

 

[zcacogp]

I ain't no trackday headbanger (so may be talking even more rot than usual) but it sounds like you are generating some serious heat in there. What brake cooling system do you have? From recollection, there are some fairly smart things available which allow you to duct air from the front of the car and attach the other end of the duct pipe such that it points into the middle of the back of the disk, which then cools the disk by blowing the air out radially through the cast-in vents.

Maybe something like this, with standard pads, could be the way forward?


Oli.

 

[edh]

Good point...and the the brake ducts on a 968 are very straightforward - plastic deflectors that bolt to the lower arm and strut, costing less than £100 iirc. I don't know if these were fitted to all 968's or just the cs?

 

[James_M]

Hi chaps

Thanks very much for all the advice. Double entendres notwithstanding, the Rimwax sounds good Mick and I'll definitely give that a try.

My 968 is a Sport and like all Sports it was built at the factory as a CS so it has the brake cooling deflectors mounted to the lower arms. I know that there is a mod for 964s that involves removing the front driving lights and fitting a duct to the back of the resulting hole. Presumably this is an option for 968s too...

I'm never going to do more than a couple of trackdays per year so a spare set of wheels (and possibly tyres) is hard to justify as well as taking up space I don't really have. I guess I will have to take the plunge, buy one of the pad types mentioned here and apply the wax liberally at the same time.

That's if I ever get the car back...

The other things that happened at Bedford is the driver's door window mechanism lunched itself and a wheel bearing failed. The car went into Hillcrest to have all this put right (the parts bill alone is eye-watering) but it has taken ever since Bedford to get all the necessary parts for the window. Then, last Friday just as the car was finally ready to be collected, it boiled over while Hillcrest were washing it with the engine running and they don't know why yet...

Summer will be over by the time I get the damn thing back []

 

[ChasR]

Damn, I do hope that the car does come back! Hopefully with not too terrible a repair bill!

PF pads do seem to be raved about, so many a good wheel wax is an avenue worth pursuing. Was it not EdH who found that Bilberry Wheel cleaner could shift the rather hard deposits left over by PF pads?

Regarding the brake cooling ducts I believe there is a mod for the 968. One of the motorsport chaps should be able to assist there. Whether they would stop stock pads fading is another question, considering how easy they are to fade with certain driving.

M1144s fading a little on the track is not too surprising IME. I did think that on the road they were a big improvement over stock pads. M1155s may be worth a go, although they do not quite posses the same cold bite as M1144s. That said, they were an improvment over whatever crap I had on the front of my 106 GTI when I went from the stock 246mm brakes to a 260mm upgrade (they came with M1155s (the brakes were off a Xsara)), and I wished to stick with the stock wheel (after 'massaging the brake callipers to fit...').

 

[edh]

The Bilt Hamber wheel cleaner is what I used - not bad, but not completely effective. Needs clay bar as well..

The 968 ducts are pretty good I think - so that's not the problem. Of course the 968 only had the same size brakes as an S2 so bigger calipers / pads would help with heat. Big Blacks with textar pads would probably work fine and be much less dusty. Not a cheap upgrade, but might do the job for you.