CAinCA

A little background. I've done 12 track days at Laguna Seca in my 2011 GTI. The GTI has a Brembo 330mm 4 piston brake kit on the front. It hits about 108mph at the end of the front straight at Laguna Seca and has enough braking power to threshold brake on a set of Nankang AR1 100TW tires. In the GTI you can definitely feel when the ABS kicks in through the pedal. For the record my current best lap is a 1:48.13.

Over the weekend I took my new to me 2011 Cayman to the track for the first time. I was surprised by the lack of braking power at the end of the front straight. I had 2-3 moments at the end of the front straight where I almost ran off the end of the track. I wound up braking at the imaginary 4 marker instead of the 3 like I do in the GTI.

On the Cayman I was running :
Porterfield R4 pads F/R (same pads as I have on my GTI)
Front GT3 brake cooling ducts.
Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires with 2017 date codes. These tires definitely don't have as much grip as the AR1s.

I'm wondering if the ABS kicked in and it was just so subtle that I didn't realize it. I did notice later in the day that I could feel the telltale ABS buzz in the brake pedal but I was using a lot less brake pressure at that time. Anyone care to chime in?

Thanks,


Chris

JayL

In my Cayman I've found my technique made all the difference in the world. A fast ramp-up in brake pressure vs stabbing the brakes at the start of the braking zone is the difference between a fast stop vs having ice pedal with my particular setup.

CAinCA

Thanks for confirming my thoughts Jay.

jscott82

As far as pedal feel, I've never felt the pedal vibrate, I only know I've gotten into abs when the car doesn't slow as fast as I expect.

As mentioned, technique is important. definitely want to "squeeze" onto the pedal building pressure quickly but controlled.

never used Porterfield so no advice there... but braking ability is really all about the grip of the pad. With the 987, you want to ensure you have a little bias up front. Gripper pad in front, slightly less in the rear.

Stash987

You didn't mention anything about brake fluid. Did you do a complete flush of the system since you purchased the car? I just kinda assume someone that has experience doing track days would be doing that routinely, but just figured I'd ask to confirm.

plafondles

I simply think it's the 100TW tires you used on your GTI are vastly superior on grip compared to the old 300TW PSS you have on your Cayman.

As for ABS feel, you will know when ABS kicks in on the Cayman. It's not very dramatic through the brake pedal, but you know when it kicks in.

9eight7

+1 on tires being the difference in stopping distance. More grip = shorter stopping distance and higher corner speeds

Edit: This is on 200 TW tires

On my Cayman I usually brake just before the 3 (1-2 car lengths?).

CAinCA

Hi Stash. Yes, I did a complete fluid flush with Castrol SRF.

CAinCA

In my GTI I was braking right at the 3. With the Cayman I was braking around the imaginary 4 marker.