Best brake upgrade (930)

[das930]

I have had my car home now for a few months now and all seems well for people who haven't seen it it's under : My 1985 930 is home
I am now looking for some advice on brake upgrades this is the only area that did not get tweaked in build. The original brakes certainly stop you but you do sit and wonder at what point maybe it's my lack of driving skills but I'm looking for something that is a little more responsive quicker .
What is the general feeling on the original brakes? Are they good enough? Should I just learn to drive better ? Or should I upgrade , if so what's the options?

[billjam]

I "upgraded" my 930's brakes as follows:
- changed pads to Pajid orange and black (don't remember which ones are F and which are R),
- changed to racing grade of brake fluid,
- fiited front brake cooling ducts.

I fabbed my own ducts, so cost was minimal there, but you can buy duct kits.
Add the cost of pads and brake fluid and it still only comes to a couple of hundred bucks. Well worth doing!

Not that I spend a lot of time there, but the difference on the track was amazing with a nice hard, consistent pedal over a good number of laps.
It helps confidence no end when you know it will stop

[turbobrat930]

I upgraded to 993 TT big calipers and 993TT calipers in the rear.. I cant remember the size rotors, but they are custom with Aluminum hats... I know that they are HUGE... I cant run anything smaller than a 17" wheel... and there is not allot of clearancwe with my 18" wheels.... Pagid Orange pads, super blue fluid... the car stops so hard that you better have good 5 pt harnesses.....

[Reaper930]

You CAN upgrade to 993tt setup but why? Depending on your HP & weight most cars need 2 things, pagid blacks / oranges, & ducting. The 993tts on my car are overkill, slowing from 200 mph they are great but you don't have to get them if you just want to tune your car for how you drive. Pad choice is everything.

[krasuskyp]

...don't forget TIRES

all the brakes in the world - useless unless the tires grip

my car would horrendously lock up the OE 205's w/ little provocation... HOLE PUCKERINGLY

225's now and much, MUCH better

also, remove as much dive to the front suspension as you can via lower/corner balance - that also absorbs blessed brake force

and don't forget a righteously good bleed w/ that Super Blue!

[aschen]

I just put ferrodo (2500s I think?) on my elise and I have never been more impressed by a street oriented pad, with a great initial bite. I assume they are available for the 930 as well.

Brake size upgrades really only help with fade resistance fr most application. If you are looking for a more responsive system try Pads, flush and maybe stainless lines

[krasuskyp]

...2nd the ^DS2500s^ - Alumbiatch run's them (OE Brembo's) and they're the cat's frickin arse! Raceshopper.com...

VERY pleased - found myself stopping short upon initial install... they're grabbier than a pimplefaced virgin @ the 8th grade ball...

[mussberger]

PFC 97's, good fresh brake fluid (I use blue), ducts, and Hoo-Hoo's. I like the Performance Friction pads. To me they have a nice initial bite without being too grabby.

[s5uewf]

If you go to upgraded pads - which is great advice, I think - make sure to get street compund if you are intending to drive on the street. Track compounds may not grab until they are warm and so you will have less stopping power when they are cold.

[Tilikum Turbo]

Unless your tracking the car on a regular basis, big brake kits are an enormous waste of money...unspring mass is significantly increased(hence rougher ride)...rotational mass is increased(now you'll have slower throttle response), and typically takes longer to get up to a decent operating temperature.

Great for the track...not so great for real world driving.

[empire0007]

Mike wrote:
I just took out my 993tt complete brake system and have it for sale, as i am going for 997 tt brakes.

If any one interested contact me. I have the adapters as well that will fit from 1974-1989

[mussberger]

And don't forget those old brake lines

[Kraftday]

Originally Posted by das930

I have had my car home now for a few months now and all seems well for people who haven't seen it it's under : My 1985 930 is home
I am now looking for some advice on brake upgrades this is the only area that did not get tweaked in build. The original brakes certainly stop you but you do sit and wonder at what point maybe it's my lack of driving skills but I'm looking for something that is a little more responsive quicker .
What is the general feeling on the original brakes? Are they good enough? Should I just learn to drive better ? Or should I upgrade , if so what's the options?

It's just cool that Porsche used an incredibly engineered, race proven capable brake system on production 930s back then. But, let's face it, this is an older system and there have been some great advancements over the years. Based on my experience, if you are at the point were you need replace the older original parts due to wear or ineffectiveness then yes, it would be the time to upgrade.

If your system is in good working order and you are braking with confidence, I would think about starting with on your next brake service, a cooling duct kit, harder lines and pads suited to intended use. This stuff can be applied and if the system still doesn't meet your needs, you can adapt it to the upgrade kit later on. Also if you have 81- you will have the less costly non floating hub rotors up front. There would be several advantages to floating rotors...much to be discussed there.

Over the years, come across many 930s brake systems and would argue the 993 Turbo setup with certain adapters available, is the best matched upgrade for most 930s. Based on price, future availability, effectiveness and original equipment mentality. The most common reasons for customer conversion decisions were due to lack of confidence with brake fade and damaged rear calipers (which are expensive because of rarity). Currently pricing to do the ultimate front and rear street / autoX to 993TT set up is roughly $4500 in new parts. Weight difference minimal if any, comparative availability and price for these newer replacement parts is less than origianl parts. With 993T calipers, your rear rotors and parking brake would also best be utilized. Your master cylinder also should be fine unless early unassisted system.

Trying to adapt anything more to most 930s is motorsport ultra and less realistic future service. Mixed with other reviews, I hope this helps.

Few shots of the most recent 993TT to a MY 80 930 conversion..





PS, I work for TurboKraft and would be happy to provide top quality adapters

[das930]

If I do go for 993tt upgrade anyone know what sort of money my calipers would fetch all in good condition with good pads of 1995 930

[crb07]

I have a project car with 993 brakes on the front. Factory front brakes moved to rear. Looking to go back to factory set up. I will find out exactly what I have but am in the market for factory rear late 80's 930 brakes.

[krasuskyp]

Chris-

so you'd be looking to trade 993tt front set up for OE 930 front set up?

interesting

PM me or email s8editor at s-cars dot org

[WANNA930]

I think a lot of problems and lack of performance comes from simple thorough maintenance. A brake job for me can actually take a couple days on an older car. How you say???

First disassemble all 4 corners including hoses.
Remove all hardware and seals including disassembling caipers.
Clean everything! this alone can take 1/2 day
inspect all parts for wear and measure all wearable parts
wire wheel every piece of hardware till they look new
tap every hole
run bolts through a die
True all surfaces with a hand file including caliper piston to pad faces.
clean and true all rotor mounting points including center bore
do above to wheel studs
do above to rotor to axle surfaces
paint any exterior surfaces to prevent corrosion
test fit pads to make sure they fit properly
file and scuff all points pads come in contact with
blow out all lines
do above to master cylinder and reservoir
Reassemble using loctite and antiseeze

You can then start upgrades such as pads and fluids. Otherwise you are throwing $400 worth of pads on dirty questionable parts. I don't get brake noises or odd wear. Brakes need blueprinting not just engines.

From there you can evaluate changes you make knowing everything is working 110%

Be careful with brake fluid and be honest as to how you drive. Everybody loves the pretty blue stuff. If you use your car for weekend rides and only put on 1000-1500 a year Castrol LMA will be fine. If you drive like a beast and track car then use the many upgrades but also know they require religious bleeding and most aren't recommended for long storage periods.

If that doesn't work buy a used big set up and do above all again. Also I agree without the right tire putting larger brakes can cause a bigger problem.

Good luck!!

[das930]

Originally Posted by empire0007

Mike wrote:
I just took out my 993tt complete brake system and have it for sale, as i am going for 997 tt brakes.

If any one interested contact me. I have the adapters as well that will fit from 1974-1989

Have sent pm about how much
Das930

[spuggy]

I personally don't think 993TT front & rear is a good upgrade, as it's even more front-biased (over 2:1) than the 996TT (1.9:1) - several who've fitted the latter have described it as too front-biased (e.g. fronts lock too early). 993TT fronts would be a lot better balanced with 965 rear calipers IMHO - my calculations show you can only adjust the front/rear bias ratio about .1 or .15 with more aggressive rear pads.

Both the 993 and 996 were fitted with ABS, of course - Bill V also says that he believes that optimum braking behavior is changed with AWD. Factory RS cars were far more rear-biased than production models, which all tended to be about 1.6:1 front/rear (exactly where the factory 930 setup is).

Some tests of after market "big brake kits" on other cars show these will take longer/further to stop than stock brakes, if too front biased, and don't overlook that a brake upgrade may also require new wheels if you're currently running factory, most need 17". My 996 N/A calipers only barely clear the spoke on the Ruf's.

[Kraftday]

Some valid points and preferences expressed.

spuggy: In understand your concern for biasing issues the 993TT fronts. Did the several others you know of have the the larger 993TT rear calipers as well?

Factoring suspension and other equipment would also be important when evaluating a lockup situation. In my experience, the pedal feel for everyday use and stopping performance on the track is amazing with 993TT parts. Maybe even mandatory with a higher performance car. There are many similarities shared with the big brother 993TT and 965 Turbo 3.6 brakes too.

WANNA930 : Refreshing input to hear about the proper servicing of the original parts. Personally I don't think most owners take the brake system seriously enough. It does take some time to do a blueprinted rebuild job. Whats the latest cost to have all the common replacement parts on hand and ready to go?

das930 what else do you have going on in regards to suspension and wheels? Whats your brake wear like now? And what year?

If you are just wanting to upgrade the fronts, you can also use a caliper adapter and the Porsche S4 calipers. This would work with your stock rotors. This is an easy upgrade that can be done while allowing clearance of the 16 inch wheels too.

For the after market options, Brembo (OEM manufacturer) doesn't currently offer a rear kit. I also know this because we need better brakes on this 964 turbo in the shop... Here is the rear photo for reference.