John's 991

Need to change the brake pads on my 991S pretty soon. Anybody have any tips or pics? I used to change pads regularly on my M3 but this will be the first time on this car.

John's 991

Well changed the pads and fluid today. It was very easy, just two bolts to remove the caliper once the wheel was off. The worst part was getting the wear sensor off the old pad. I decided to not put them back on as I watch the wear and plan on changing them regularly.

It seems like 3-4 track days does the pads in. I have three track days and one next weekend plus lots of twisty drives breaking the car in. The pads had about one third left and were cracked, so glad I changed them.

Also put in some castrol brake fluid with a 500 degree boiling point. I felt that the stock fluid was boiling with heavy use and the pedal would get soft. Not down to the floor soft but not like it should be either.

I used a compressor and Mitek vacuum bleeding system that kept the master cylinder full while flushing out the old fluid. It worked great, making easy work of what can be a messy job. I have a tool for spreading 4 pistons which worked great on the rears but I had to do four and two on the front. The pistons retracted easily but I was glad I had the tool.

thigos

Good info. Glad to hear about the easy pad change. Did you swap for OEM pads? Pagid yellows are the only aftermarket pad that I am aware of for the 991.

Any pics of the process?

Matt

hlee1169

Second on some pictures and DIY instructions, it would greatly help us who needs to change to track pads, thanks.

John's 991

Hi, yes I used OEM pads this time and depending how it goes with the new fluid I will decide on the Pagid or not. I really enjoy the quiet, comfortable aspect of the car, as well as the ability to push a few buttons and get a pretty amazing track car. If the Pagids are quiet on the street, I wii probably give them a try.

And I will take pics next time and post them. If you would like more info, please let me know.

Jason @ Paragon Products

Also, Pagid has a new pad in the works for the 991 with ceramic discs. We'll have info on our site shortly.

John's 991

Thanks Jason. I have the steel rotors, but have been doing some reading and will try the Pagid yellows when I swap the rotors. I'm hoping to get three sets of pads per set of rotors but will see how that works out.

Pagid seems to recommend starting their pads on new rotors versus over the top of the stock pads. Perhaps you could advise.

GoTexas

Im wondering why u had to take the calipers off? I see the quick release on the back of the calipers, so it should work just like my MB and Lexus. Also, how many miles were on them before u had to replace them? I dont track mine, but still curious abt the mileage.

John's 991

I have 2,600 miles on the car and the equivalent of 4 track days. The pads had about 30% remaining which might have lasted on the street but not for the track. You want to have 50% left at least so you don't run out as well as the extra material helps with heat absorption.

The 991 calipers have a bridge on top of them and the pads cannot be removed without taking them off. As a note Porscshe recommends replacing the caliper bolts with each pad change. I doubt it's strictly required, but I did it anyway. Better safe than sorry with brakes.

Jason @ Paragon Products

When switching from a street type pad you shouldn't have any issues. If you like you can scuff the rotor up a bit with some sand paper.

John's 991

Thanks Jason! Appreciate the insight. Do you have them in stock yet? I figure these pads won't last too long.

Jason @ Paragon Products

Not yet. We put them on order as soon as Germany came up with a part number! I'll try get an update and pass it along.

96redLT4

Track use is pretty harsh, but is anyone else surprised -only 2600 miles and needs new pads?!
J

Carrera GT

They look like Panamera caliperas, you might find a DIY out there.

For spreading the pistons, just leave the pads in to push all at once. If the six pots are tough, open the bleeder until it weeps.

Remember to support the brake line (it will be damaged by the weight of the caliper.)

The first pad swap is a good time to go to braided lines (available very affordably from the likes of Sharkwerks.)

Porsche advises to not reuse bolts. They're not cheap and they're not a high quality bolt (they don't have a rolled thread.) So clean the caliper and the wheel carrier -- compressed air will suffice -- to remove any metal that may be galling the wheel carrier threads and can lead (in the 997 GT3 rears) to a rather pathetic failure, though easily repaired with a thread repair insert from TIME-SERT. Just be careful and don't overdo the torque.

Always a good idea to bed in the new pads and avoid replacing pads and rotors at once, if possible. stoptech has correct instructions for this process at their site.

As ever, go back over the job after the car is operational to check for simple things like cleaning off any spilled brake-fluid or cleaning products (which will destroy paint and stain calipers.)

I also use the motiveproducts.com brake bleeder. It's a brilliant device. And I guess it's worth mentioning that this is one of the jobs around a car that looks pretty safe, but is one of the most dangerous for chemical exposure and inhalation, so wearing eye protection, not breathing the dust and using gloves are worthwhile precautions.

Well, that's most of what I remember as being the most common stuff people should know. It's actually quite fun to "wrench" on your car to this extent and overcomes a sort of taboo for new Porsche owners. I think of it as a "gateway" activity that can see owners progressing to merrily pulling off the rear bumper cover and having the car stripped down of a weekend for all kinds of fun ... suspension arms, string alignment, air filter ...

John's 991

Thanks wordsmith, some great points in there. I will definitely leave the pads in next time and I was starting to look around for stainless steel lines. Can you just install them and bleed the brakes? Any tricks for avoiding brake fluid going everywhere, other than a bucket?

Regarding the need to replace the pads at 2,600 miles, I can assure you they needed changing before the track day yesterday. And they worked great. The racing fluid (Castrol) kept the pedal nice and firm. I did bed the pads beforehand too.