'84 911 Targa Brake Question

[jcsjcs]

I have had my 911 for about 2 months now - and have never had the need to really stomp on the brakes. I was out and about this morning and thought I would give it a try - mostly in preperation for any future "emergency" stopping requirements. Plus I plan on autocrossing in the Spring...

My brakes work as follows (and I am wondering if this is normal.)

1) The pedal is very tight - requires a medium to high level of effort to brake.
2) They are solid, not spongy.
3) The pedal is very high up - far from the floor. They seem a bit high compared to the clutch and accelerator.
4) With a moderate amount of effort, I can compress the pedal about 2 inches (maybe 3) and the brakes are very responsive.
5) After 2 inches, the pedal is MUCH harder to compress - almost like I hit a stop.
6) When I press BEYOND the "stop", the braking gets very strong to the point of my rear wheels locking up.
7) My pads look good.

Any input is appreciated. No issues stopping to this point - just want to get a sense of what is normal.

(And I am just going to have to fill my garage with 911s so I have a way to compare!)

[tonythetarga]

This sounds normal but here are a couple things to look at.
Do a visual inspection of the rotors and see if they are clean/shiny for the full width of the rotor. This establishes that the pads are making a reasonable contact on the rotor surface.
Another thing to look at will require the wheels to come off.
How much pad do you have?
Are they wearing evenly? (flat and not angled. you need to remove them to see)
Have a look at the rubber boots around the caliper pistons for deterioration.
Have someone lightly push the brake pedal while you have the pads out to see that they move freely. Push them back in and put your pads in if everything is OK.
How long has it been since the fluid was flushed? If you don't know you should do it.
Do the rubber brake line hoses look original. If they are, you should replace those as well.
If the calipers don't work as expected, or if the rubber is cracked anywhere, then you should think about rebuilding them.