adellavv

Seems to be a fairly easy process to change Brake Pads on 2000 Boxster S.
Looking at Tire Rack and seems the Akebono Ceramic Pads get good reviews and recommended for this model. Anyone have any experience/opinions on these, or alternatives? Purely a street driven car, 500 miles/Mo as a 2nd vehicle, easy driver, dont really beat on it... Thanks in advance for your opinions.

Macster

Over the years I have changed -- or have had changed -- the brake pads in my 2002 Boxster a number of times. I've always used the OEM pads. The actual pad brand varies. It appears Porsche uses at least 2 suppliers for pads and possibly for rotors, too.

Brake pad and rotor life is good and the pads (and new rotors when I've replaced the rotors) have never been any problem.

Couple of things: One is you should change/replace the other hardware like the pin and its retainer and the expanding spring (that the pin holds in place).

You can reuse the wear sensors if the sensor wiring is intact and the plastic coating on the sensor part is not worn through.

If there are vibration dampeners fitted you can separate this from the pad using a sturdy large putty knife. This vibration dampener can be reused. In some cases Porsche has dropped the vibration dampener from the parts list. I've reused the old ones, then discarded them and used no vibration dampeners, with no increase in brake pad/rotor noise. But different MY's may be different in this regard so you need to find out what Porsche recommends.

Porsche (and I think I came upon this at the Pelican site) sell brake hardware kits which contain besides new pads, rotors, the other assorted hardware.

Before removing the brake hardware, I use some brake cleaner in an aerosol can to remove as much of the brake dust grime as possible. Put some layers of newspaper down to catch the cleaner as it runs off the hardware.

Remove some brake fluid from the reservoir so when you push the pistons away from the rotor the fluid level doesn't overflow and spill. Brake fluid isn't nice to painted surfaces.

I do one wheel at a time in case I need to look at the other wheel for reference on how the hardware goes back together.

After you get the brakes done and the fluid flushed/bled (don't forget the clutch slave cylinder if the car is a manual equipped car) bed in the brakes.

The pad maker if you opt for aftermarket might have its own bedding in procedure but one I use and which works well is to after I'm sure the brakes are ok head out and run the car's speed up to highway speed then apply the brakes pretty hard, but not hard enough to lock up the brakes or trigger the ABS. Slow the car down to say from 65mph to 45mph then accelerate back up to speed and do this hard braking thing again, then one more time, for a total of 3 times.

The heat developed helps the pad material shed its more volatile compounds -- in the form of gas -- so they afterwards grip better. During the bedding in process I think you'll feel the brake grip improving as the pads not only shed the volatile compounds but more fully conform the topology of the rotor surfaces.

Important! Do not bring the car to a complete stop during this bedding in process and after the last hard brake application drive the car long enough the by now pretty hot brakes can cool down.

Or you can just drive the car around for a hundred or so miles. The problem is if in this first hundred miles or so if you have to make an emergency stop the pads can deposit and leave deposited on the rotors pad material. Afterwards the brakes can have a pulse feel to them.

I prefer to bed in the brakes under more controlled circumstances and avoid this possibility.

Dave H.

i've had the Akebono ceramics on mine for years. i love them. very little dust.

adellavv

Thanks much guys for the great advice...

PelicanParts.com

Sure do!

We have brake super kits that include all that you'll need for the job here: http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/..._pg1.htm#item0

The nice thing about these kits is that once you add them to the cart you can go to the cart and delete out items you don't want from the kit or delete out pads/rotors and add different ones into the cart to replace them. They're set up so that you can customize them to your needs. Let me know if you have any questions.