Practical Brake Upgrade Options

[Paulporsche]

Jeremy,

It says it's for any NA 911 from 69-89. For 3L cars Carrera disks are added to the front. Rears stay as stock. For 3.2 cars, 3L rears are used. The advantages include lower weight, and 4 vs 2 pistons/ caliper and larger pads for better clamping. Works for 15" wheels, too.

Haven't done it, so I can't comment on how good it is.

[dd74]

Rich - you and I have essentially the same car. I recently upgraded to SC brakes and calipers and left the rears stock. They're not quite broken in yet, but already I can feel a large difference as opposed to what was on the car before. My idea behind this upgrade played out on several levels. First, I had a bent strut, so I replaced both with reinforced de-cambered SC struts which with the 3.5-inch spacing, allowed me to use SC rotors and calipers. The SC calipers are heavier than say S calipers, however I am told they will not flex with continual hard braking. Secondly, I think these big brake options like Big Reds or Boxster brakes are definite overkill, particularly with your street/race track ratio of driving. It'd be a waste of money, honestly. Also, if yours is a 911S, you don't have to swap out the struts at all as they are already have 3.5-inch spacing. So far, in my experience, SC brakes should do the job fine, for potentially a lot less $$$.

[JeremyD]

yeah - that's what I thought... What I have learned - some the hard way - the real brake upgrade - is to upgrade the thermal capacity. and that typically means rotors - bigger, wider, thermally more efficient. Having a larger pad and dual pistons does little to help you thermally. Sure, lower caliper weight - and the monoblocs look nice. The better clamping with larger pad area really only means that the pads have a larger surface area - and may wear slower. The stock brakes will lock up the wheels - so that really doesn't enter into it.

- Jeremy

[Paulporsche]

Let us know what you finally do, and how it works out.

[Rich76_911s]

Guys I really appreciate all the posts and opinions on this matter. Keep them comming. It is tough to make all these decisions without being able to ever test them out. So my decision is based predominantly on your opinions. I am rebuilding from the bottom up and it is a long long process and I am just trying to do this stuff right the first time. Thanks again.

Rich

[JeremyD]

You have to remember too - that by going to a larger wheel you will be putting more stress/heat/torque on the braking system. Something to keep in mind with any upgrade - the effect on one system might have a more than inverse effect on another.

[Bill Verburg]

What you need for brakes depends very much on
First - class rules, if any
Second - vehicle weight
Third - hp/torque
Fourth - Duration of an event
Fifth - track configuration

Most people don't need to worry about the high banks of Daytona or 24hrs of LeMans so the 1^st 3 are the most important.

totally stock '76 brakes are fine to ~2200# & 220hp,as long as all brake components are nominal, good track pads are used, as much air as possible is ducted to the rotor and fluid is fresh.

I won't go into all the possibilities(that's why I put together this page, but each step up gives you a little additional headroom. Some steps are bigger than others.

The things to optimize are cooling air followed by rotor size, calipers are not going to get you anything you don't alredy have.

some comments
don't bother w/ Audi brakes they work ok on Audis but won't fit Porsches, they arent very impressive in any event in the overall scheme of things, and yes I have or have owned a version of every S they ever made

don't bother w/ most versions 964/944/951/968 calipers I have also used them and they are more trouble than they are worth to get them to work right. Once properly installed yes, they do make nice brakes, but getting them there is a royal PIA.

don't bother w/ Boxster or other similar calipers that are used w/ Carrera rotors, if you like the looks fine, but don't kid yourself that you are getting more usefull brake.

don't bother w/ 23mm m/c unless 964 or bigger calipers all around are used.

[randywebb]

"I have or have owned a version of every S they ever made"

- Yow - that is a bad case of Auditis (Audiosis). Speaking of brakes - does that include the self-imolating brakes installed on the 100LS? The inboard idea, badly executed.

[Bill Verburg]

self-imolating brakes installed on the 100LS? The inboard idea, badly executed.

No, but it does include the truly weird UFOs

the Audis get driven hard and put away wet, the winter(will it ever end? ) weather isn't easy on them either.

[randywebb]

Well, this is a good oppotunity to say nice things about F. Piech... from the Quattro to almost the present day models, not to mention VW Group in general. All the old mans technical (and irrascible) DNA seems to have to that side of the family. Not that anything is wrong with shaping things to make them pretty.


Disclosure: I could see myself changing calipers just to have bling (and less unsprung wt.). If I ever do, I won't kid myself.