RonCT

A while back I posted asking if anyone knew of an "intermediate" pad that fits the 997 GT3. The stock pads (probably Pagid RS 4-2-1 Black) are fine for street and adequate for light track use, and Yellow 29s are fantastic for track use, but squeal like a school bus on the street.

I recently discovered that Porterfield makes their R4-S pad for the 997 GT3. I's marketed as a performance street pad, good for AutoX, light track use, etc. When I look at the attached chart, it looks like a good candidate for a combo street / DE pad. The GT3 has HUGE pads and calipers, so opinion may differ depending on what brakes you have. I like the idea that they are rated up to 1300 degrees - should keep them from melting on the rotors. Friction coefficient of .41 to .46 along the range is fine for me.

So, just wondering if anyone has experience with the R4-S pad in say a heavier Porsche with large brakes?

Yargk

I tried them once on my WRX. They started to just fall apart from the heat at the track. They may be better on the GT3 since the brakes are more properly sized. I use Ferodo DS2500s now and they are great at the track.

For some reason it seems like standard practice to put in aftermarket pads without using the backing plate that came with the original pads. Without the backing plate the ferodos would squeal pretty badly, but with them they would not. Are there backing plates, aftermarket (Ti would be nice) or otherwise that may quiet your yellows?

morefun

Ron - Save your money. In addition to the above mentioned track concerns they have serious quality issues! Guess how I know.......

ausgeflippt951

Oh? I've been using R4-S's on my 951 for a while and they're fantastic. I made up some tube-accepting brake ducts, and together with the pads, the braking ability of my car is quite good. Friends of mine have been running them for years with no issues, provided you use them correctly.

That said, they are still a street pad. Any more than 20 minutes of hard driving w/o cooling down (assuming you don't have proper ducts) will overcook the pads and they'll crumble. If you plan on seeing more track time than 20 min or so, upgrade to a more aggressive pad for the track and swap 'em out when you drive her on the street.

mdrums

Ron I know you were a HUGE fan of Perf. Friction PF97's so do they make a pad for your GT3?

I am heading to Sebring with my stock 09 997S in Dec. I really think I will drive 15-20min sessions at 6-7/10ths on stock pads and tires just to get use to the new car and PDK. Thoughts and opinions?

mooty

i have used R4 and R4S on my lotus and miatas. they really are not very good, even for the 2000 lbs lotus with just 190hp. the bite is not great and modulation is so so. cheap yes. but good....?

i would stick with either pagid or PF for the GT3.

RonCT

Thanks all - The Pagid 29s work great on the track, just wicked noisy. PF97s or 01s would be the same. I was hoping for something like Pagid Blue RS5 - new pad that's theoretically between OEM and Yellow 29. A little more robust than stock but quieter than 29s. Just can't seem to find it...