NeoRules

I tried search but it is not working.
So what is the difference between "big reds" and "big blacks"?
The calipers look the same and they use the same 928 rotors.
Is it more than just the color?
Thanks JC

V2Rocket

vs

User 41221

The "Big Reds" that came on 993's and whatnot are bigger than "Big Black" calipers that came on the 928 S4's and 951S's, by a little bit, as are the rotors. They both mount to the spindle the same way tho, so if you have M030 spindles or the caliper adapters for the non-M030 spindles, they will work.

Unless you are pushing a major hp increase over stock and are a track junkie, I'm not convinced that the extra weight of the bigger brakes justifies the braking performance increase you will see.

Regards,

cobalt

The big blacks are the big reds painted black no other difference. The big red was first used on the 94 turbo 3.6 and was painted red. You could opt to have them painted black at an additional fee. The actual big red caliper which uses the 128mm x 52mm pad was first used in black only on the 1993 928 GTS using the same rotors as the 94 turbo but vented with a solid face instead of cross drilled. They use a different part number because they come set up for trailing edge vs leading edge. You can switch the feed pipes and bleeders and they will work the same again both using the same pads.

The smaller 928 brakes mentioned are actually known as the medium S4 caliper which used a 128mm x 42 mm pad same sized pistons as the big reds. These were used on the 928 S4 and the 993 N/A and IIRC the 951 turbo S cars using a smaller 304 mm rotor vs the 322mm of the big reds. The Medium S4 calipers also came in a different configuration for the 91-92 964 turbos using the same pads and pistons but used a 322mm rotor.

I am not 100% sure on the 951 S it may have come with the same caliper used on the 91-92 turbo with the 322mm rotor but in either case it uses the same pad and piston size giving you the same clamping force.

Jeremy Himsel

Yeah there is no difference between the two except for color, bleeder mountings, and price. The blacks are significantly cheaper. The Baby blacks that came on the 951 s are not as tall and the pads are 10mm's shorter.

cobalt

Love the anecdotes and avatar.

Legoland951

I thought the big blacks were a direct bolt on while the reds need an adapter set. I believe the 86.5+ 928S4 front brakes are the same size as the 951S fronts. However, the 928GTS had the big blacks that are identical to the big reds except they bolt directly onto a 944.

cobalt

Both the Big Reds/blacks and medium S4 calipers are radially mounted as are most newer brakes vs the older calipers which are axially mounted. The big reds/blacks may bolt up to a 951 S assembly but not sure if the offset is correct. They will not bolt up to most other cars without adapters