I seemed to have survived another turkey, mac'n'cheese, pecan pie & football-induced coma. Hope you all had a glorious Thanksgiving.
I've been reading up on the 16 squintillion brake threads but I have a few lingering questions. Just organizing my thoughts while I have a little down time.
1) Is there any reason to believe that the future availability of replacement parts is an issue for the A- & M- calipers used on the SC?
New A- & M-calipers are NLA, correct? Wide A & M used on the later Carreras are still available though.
PMB Performance can restore these calipers (note: they call their process a restoration, not just a rebuild) but this comment on the PMB website made me wonder.
Referring to the A-caliper:
"These are tricky to restore because of the smaller Ribe (reebie) R6 head on a large M9 fastener. Ruined fasteners are what we hear most... sorry, those are NLA."
But they also state that the A-caliper is one of the most common calipers on the planet, so I'm confused by these statements. If it's one of the most common, why are components NLA?
1a) If I do need to rebuild my calipers, a complete restoration by PMB seems pretty cost effective when I look at the cost of a rebuild kit plus my time. And restoring the calipers seems a whole lot less expensive than any of the Carrera/Boxster/996 upgrade options.
2) I see a lot of recommendations to improve heat dissipation for better performance and lifespan, but I don't see many threads discussing brake cooling options for the SC.
Pelican sells a cooling kit:
1983 Porsche 911 SC Coupe - Brake Performance Upgrades - Page 1
Part #: PEL-PBSCBPAZK
There is a note that says it may interfere with factory sway bars. Anyone have any specifics? Any feedback?
And there is also a Rothsport air deflector plate that prevents air from escaping through the hubs when used in connection with a cooling kit.
Part #: PEL-RS-185
Are there other options/ideas for improved cooling out there?
3) If rotors/pads need replacing, I will likely go with Zimmerman standard rotors (not drilled or slotted) and Porterfield R4-S pads. I've been running these on the car and I'm pretty happy with them so I see no reason to change. It looks like the same part number for front and rear. Can anyone confirm?
Pelican only shows a part number for the front but Porterfield website says it's the same front and rear. Just want to make sure I order the right P/N for the rear.
4) I did some hard driving in the North GA mountains and the brakes don't feel the same afterwards. Don't know if I boiled the brake fluid -- it was pretty fresh. Maybe there is still some air in the lines. I need to replace the old rubber brake lines anyway so I'll just go ahead and use braided stainless steel lines and bleed and flush again. Planning on using ATE Super Gold DOT4 brake fluid unless anyone has a different opinion.
Thanks in advance.