porterfield R4S vs Textar

[redstack]

I'm looking to rebuild my rear brakes, fronts having been done a while ago.

I'm going to replace the rotors as they are of unknown age. If they are in spec for thickness I might have them turned and save for future use in a pinch. Because of course we all keep old parts around.

Rebuild the calipers because I believe one is sticking.

Redo the emergency brake shoes.

Replace the hoses with SS braid ones.

And replace the rear brake pads, even if they are OK, as they were last time I looked.

So the question is, should I use Porterfield R4S pads as I do autox the car some, vs say the OEM Textar here on PP or even the Porsche OEM parts? Money wise the Porterfield seem to be a good value.

I believe without looking at my records that I have Mintex pads in the front, but I can assume that I'll swap those for Porterfield in the front if I notice a huge discrepancy in braking, like the rears locking up before the fronts under heavy braking. Depending on wear of the fronts I might end up replacing the pads sooner rather than later.

I know most cars rely more on the fronts for braking, as do bicycles and most other things. But I've read some on here that Pcars go through rears as fast as fronts. So I figure why buy stock if the Porterfield are that much better, and upgrade the fronts to match.

[3literpwr]

I've had nothing but problems with Porterfields products including the R4 and R4S. Having raced on many, Carbotech is the only brand I run now.

[betterair]

Running porterfields and Sebro slotted rotors all the way around on the 3.o L I .Had a full de schedule last yr.plus approx 7-10K road miles ,I like em as a track/sport pad., not full on race pad (Pagid),but they have grip when they are @ temp and they are rotor friendly too, IMO.
I have a second set ready to go when these wear ourt
No clue on Textar.

[WIL84911]

Was happy with porterfelds replacing textars. Less lockups, was great at ax though I suck.


Sent from my Tapatalk.

[crashmy911]

I run r4s. I'm very easy on brakes at race track. My sc is light and try not to brake much.

[Charles Freeborn]

For AX I'd run OEM style pads - Textar are fine. Track use where brake temps are higher is where the race pads shine. When cold or less than hot they'll be worse than OEM type pads. I've never been on an AX course where there was enough consistent braking to get a track pad up to temp - my .02ç

[sugarwood]

I think you're going too slow in AX to boil the brakes.
One vote to stick with Textars.

Why not just replace the rear rotor?
They are like $75/ea for Sebro or Zimmerman
It probably costs more to get them turned.

[RichardNew]

You might think twice about using race pads for autocrossing. Normally you dont enough heat into th pads for them to be effective.

"The original brake pads that came with your production car operated best in the 100° to 650° range. Race pads operate best in the 600° to 1500° range. Race pads are just getting effective at roughly the same point where the OEM pads are becoming useless."

Richard Newton
How Hot Are Your Brakes?

[redstack]

Yea, I'm going to replace the rotors and check the old ones.

@ RichardNew, I thought that the R4S pad was a mostly hi pro street pad, not like the Porterfield R4. I think maybe the issue is name of the pads. But yea I know about race pads being not appropriate for street use.

[sugarwood]

Can someone list out what you can change while the rear rotors are off?
If you wanted to rebuild the parking brake, what parts do you need?
How do you know it needs to be changed?

[Otter74]

I cannot quite comment on R4Ses with respect to Texstars, as my 911 has Texstars, but I've used R4Ses for years on one of my other cars (that I used to do track events in) and I've found it to be a very good mixed street/track pad.