sillbeer

I have an 83, and I was looking through performance products and they list the 1983 only brake calipers as different part numbers. I was wondering if there is a difference between 83s and the rest of the NAs? Im asking because the brake feel is horrible. Almost to the point of feeling unsafe. but, in my buddies 86 951, the brakes are solid as can be. I know the turbo brakes are different. Are all the NA brakes kind of sloppy like that? or could it be just the type of pads? they look brand new, as I was surprised how much meat they have on them. id say at least a 1/2 inch.....thanks!

Neil

Techno Duck

I made the swap from the single piston calipers to the four piston Brembo's. The Brembo's seem to have a bit better bite..but alot of that can have to do with the different pads i was using, Hawk HPS on the singles and MetalMasters on the four pistons. The Brembo's should also provide a bit more fade resistance to the single pistons. Although the stock calipers are heavy (about same weight as the Brembo's) and ugly, they work pretty well.

Im not sure what you mean by horrible brake feel. Is the pedal spongy? If thats the case you should flush out the old brake fluid and get new fluid into the system. It could be possible you have air in the lines.

Poke around the caliper pistons, they are on the inside portion of the caliper...any leaks or anything? The nice thing about the brake system is there are only so many things that can be 'wrong'.

sillbeer

not really spongy, just a really bad "bite". I also daily drive a honda prelude and after driving the 944 for a week, I almost put myself through the windshield in the honda because the brakes grab very nicely, about the same as the 951 does...Im guessing its just crappy or glazed over pads? I have no idea if the pads are OEM, or autozone specials or what....

KuHL 951

As a comparison I am pretty impressed with the brakes on my 83 and I too drive a 951. I didn't really like the Jurid pads that were on the 83 or the Pagid I replaced them with. Switching to PBR (Axxis MM) pads was a major improvement over both of them. The 86 stops better yes but the 83 is still has excellent brakes by 1983 standards. Perhaps your pistons are binding or other brake issues exist with your 83?

yellowline

I think so. My brakes are Porsche hard, and they make today's Camry feel just weak. Aside from hoses and fluid, I haven't touched them. They've never given any trouble.

FRporscheman

NA brakes are decent at the very least. They only seem poor when I hop in after a week of driving the 968, but by any standard they are good brakes and work well. I'd bet a new set of pads will make a huge difference for you. My experience with PBR pads is that they squeak loudly, but IIRC they grab well. Pagid and Jurid are like the OEMs.

M758

Sounds to me like the brakes just need work.

Probably new pads, rotors, fresh fluid, and possibly a caliper rebuild.

On my 83 I found that I needed to adjust the actual brake pedal under the dash. A couple turns on the adjuster made the pedal feel more solid.

Bottomline is 944 brakes a better than honda brakes. Proof is out at the race track where 944 spec cars out brake Honda challenge cars in spite of being 200 to 400 lbs heavier.

944 NA brakes are far from sexy, but when working properly do a hell of a job.