chakka

I have an RSA that see's 20 track days per year and light street time. Lowered, corner balanced, track alignment, safety bar, defender neck device, some good track mods....
I've been reading until my eyes hurt about all the upgrading brake posts. I guess my question is do we really gain alot by spending the money to upgrade really good brakes? Talking to Porsche race team mechanic from the late 80's-early 90's, he told me how the "stock brakes" are tested and that there is no reason to upgrade the calipers unless you're racing.
The front/back being the same pad is great so that I can rotate pads. Currently the front rotors are slotted, rear is solid. I don't notice any fading with the Pagid yellows & Endless fluid for the DE events I do.
Is it really worth the expense for all new calipers/more expensive rotors/bigger more expensive different pads when the stock brakes are really good? Just doesn't add up to me. I almost began searching for the upgrade parts last night, but i'm having second thoughts.
BTW, the information on here is incredible!

oldskews4

"I don't notice any fading with the Pagid yellows & Endless fluid for the DE events I do."

I think you answered your own question.

race911

As above, you answered your own question. Next question is--how far off the car's potential are you driving? My feeling is that they're perfectly fine for the mortals we here are; experienced gained going back 20 years with 964s, 30 years with "917" brakes on 930s and any number of modified torsion bar 911s. I've run weight up to 3400lbs (w/ driver) on my '92 C4, a car that was tracked extensively from 1998-2001. It wasn't even an issue on RSA #1, the stock class club racer, at 2900lbs (w/ driver).

Now, beyond your pure on track performance, there is something to be said for the big brakes from a service life standpoint. Especially when it's a two driver car. My yellow car, the 993, is still on the rotors I bought the car with. And pads last a long time. By comparison, on the RSA I'd go through 1/2 of the front pads in one race weekend at Laguna. And rotors got chewed up quickly. That was maybe 120 miles at speed.

race911

Oh and to reiterate something I think I posted on the 993 forum earlier today--stock class club racing requires you to stay with the stock calipers. Even the 3.2L guys running the teeny, tiny "A" caliper on ~2700lb cars make them work. May have a lot of ducting and go through pads and rotors like crazy, but they aren't falling off the track from brake failure...............

chakka

Didn't even think about that. Good point since that is something I may do in the future.

sturm

Would going to larger calipers f/r lessen the pressure and /or duration the driver has to apply to the brakes? Or is that something else altogether.

Watching some of the in-car video it appears many don't hold the braking as long as I do and some are really just "dabbing" the brakes prior to corner entry.

Then again they race, I don't. They have race cars, I don't

I run with 928f, 993r calipers. The choice of pads seemed to make the biggest difference.


'93 rsa 3.8

carby

I'll second that, it never fails to surprise me what a wealth of information a simple search unearths on this forum...and it was the anecdotal evidence that turned me away from my grand ambitions to whack the biggest callipers that would fit on my C2 (and the cost of course). As noted, the ability to play with pads on all corners is the reason I'm ditching the 2pots at the back.

ACSGP

My 2 cents.

For braking effort and effectiveness, I don't think you really need big reds except for serious trackwork.

However, I recently changed my brakes to the 964 Turbo equivalents just for the hell of it. Braking has improved, but I'm looking to go toward the reduction of unsprung weight.

So am now considering the floating brembos or StopTechs just so that the ride will improve. I just put in the 355 StopTechs on my A6, and only have good things to say abt it, esp in the context of balanced braking:
http://www.stoptech.com/Products/BBK/balance.shtml

I now worry less abt the rear end coming around during hard braking, even in the wet. Just want to bring critical bits of the 964 into modern tech, like the KW V3 suspension. I've checked the website, and they do have a specific set-up for the 964.

No affiliation to StopTech.