I'm in the middle of some winter track prep and keep finding myself more work to do. Looks like all four of my calipers are due for a rebuild and a fresh coat of paint which is leading me to think it may be time to overhaul the brake system.

I believe and trust the stock system but have experienced brake fade more than a few times in not so fun DE situations. I have front and rear ducts, track only pads/rotors and RBF600 flushed before every event.

Last year I got in about 1-2 track days per month and am building the car for safety, speed and reliability. The car has gone on a severe diet and been hitting the weights quite a bit lately:. I think the stock system is sufficient but with improvements in every other dept. this may be a very necessary addition to the upgrade list.

After a bunch of searching and reading, I'm leaning towards a few options:

Inactive: Rebuild Calipers. Might solve brake fade issue.

Doubtful: Rebuild Calipers. Upgrade to 350mm rotors with adapters.

Questionable: Upgrade the calipers to the GT3 6/4 pots with adapters. Add Girodisc or Coleman 350mm rotors on all four corners.

Probable: Add a 6-pot 355-360mm BBK for the front. Pick up new/rebuilt front 996TT (4 pot) calipers and move them with existing 330mm rotors to the rear.


So that's where I'm at. I've read a ton of the posts here and appreciate all of the information and feedback.

What would you recommend?

 

What track do you go to where you experience brake pad with track pads/rotors/High Performance fluid?

What pads are you using?

IMO, if you use the right pad/fluid combo, you should be able to survive most tracks.

The Girodisc 350mm conversion using stock calipers theoretically could do the trick as the larger rotors will have more mass to it to deal with heat issues but the discs are custom and it would be expensive to replace, especially if you are using aggressive track pads that eat in to the rotor a lot.

OTOH, if you want that last 10% or wanna show off the bling, get 6pot GT3's up front, Stoptech BBK, or Brembo GT BBK kit. If you aren't as sensitive to brake modulation, you can also get the Audi S8 Calipers and use 350mm GT3 rotors as well.

I don't really think TT rear upgrade is necessary as most of the braking is done at the front. The bias will be slightly off. It bothers some and others are fine with it or some elect to change out the proportioning valve/MC.

I'm upgrading to GT3's primarily for the additional feel in modulating the brakes and less so on fade aspect of it.

Stock 996 - GT3 - Audi


Audi S8 using 350mm GT3 Rotors

 

There's nothing overly dramatic about the tracks this occurred on. 1.5 mile tracks with 10-15 turns.

The times it happened were during the end of the 30 minute session at the end of the primary straight going into turn 1/2 at high speeds and at the end of a short 3 turn section later in the day.

I bleed my brakes before every session and the pads/rotors are relatively new. As my calipers are due for an overhaul anyway, I'm basically looking at this as a best bang for the buck and that spending a quarter to save a dime on something more purposeful might be the best scenario.

 

If you decide to go the route of a 350mm disc upgrade, we have some beautiful AP Racing J Hooks that we'd contend are the most durable and coolest-running option available. Check them out before making any decisions. We've had a tremendous amount of positive feedback on them from the 996/997/991 GT3 community:

AP Racing J Hook Competition Front Discs for 996 GT3
Part #: 13.01.20019

We also have the rears available in 350x28mm. We include anodized aluminum spacers and longer bolts when moving from the standard 330mm size.

AP Racing J Hook Competition Rear Discs for 996 GT3
Part #: 13.01.20021

 

If you're hitting the track 1-2 times a month and have fade issues, I'd go overboard with big fronts and transfer the current fronts to the rear. You'll drop unsprung & rotational mass while having far superior braking power (initial bite and longevity throughout the day). If you're going 1-2 times a season, I wouldn't drop the $$ on a BBK.


Scroll about 3/4 down the page for the GT3 vs. Brembo GT brake comparison:
http://sharkwerks.com/porsche/997-gt...93-wheels.html

Brembo GT vs. Cayman S/R brakes:
https://rennlist.com/forums/porsche-...harkwerks.html

 

Thanks for posting this. I saw these but didn't realize the rotor replacement costs were relatively cheaper than others. Definitely in consideration.

Are the caliper spacers provided a single solid piece or just effectively 12mm washers?

 

Also consider stainless steel brake lines; often they will eliminate brake fade. In addition to the other products mentioned, Girodisc makes a nice option for our cars. Regarding pads, Performance Friction is a good choice. With the aforementioned, I have zero brake fade.
Safe driving & God bless.

 

Its 1-2 times a month, sometimes more depending on which association is hosting. Definitely leaning this way as it seems to be the least amount of potential headaches.

 

Just to clarify, are you planning on sticking with stock calipers or go the BBK route?

If you plan on rebuilding the calipers, Stoptech is a good source for caliper rebuild kits for the stock 996 calipers. You may also want to look into Titanium shields if you remain with the stock calipers. It's suppose to isolate some amount of heat from the calipers to the pads. Are you running upgraded GT-3 brake ducts?

 

I'm torn between all of the above caliper options, stock/GT3/BB. Stock means bias doesn't change. GT3 means MC upgrade. Then BBK.

I've got the Ti shields, SS lines and F/R brake ducts.

 

[QUOTE=alpine003;12746622]What track do you go to where you experience brake pad with track pads/rotors/High Performance fluid?

What pads are you using?

IMO, if you use the right pad/fluid combo, you should be able to survive most tracks.

The Girodisc 350mm conversion using stock calipers theoretically could do the trick as the larger rotors will have more mass to it to deal with heat issues but the discs are custom and it would be expensive to replace, especially if you are using aggressive track pads that eat in to the rotor a lot.

OTOH, if you want that last 10% or wanna show off the bling, get 6pot GT3's up front, Stoptech BBK, or Brembo GT BBK kit. If you aren't as sensitive to brake modulation, you can also get the Audi S8 Calipers and use 350mm GT3 rotors as well.

I don't really think TT rear upgrade is necessary as most of the braking is done at the front. The bias will be slightly off. It bothers some and others are fine with it or some elect to change out the proportioning valve/MC.

I'm upgrading to GT3's primarily for the additional feel in modulating the brakes and less so on fade aspect of it.

Stock 996 - GT3 - Audi


what is necessarry to install the gt3 calipers?

gt3 wheel hubs/spindles?

 

We don't Mickey Mouse things...we provide anodized billet aluminum spacers and aircraft grade bolts with our disc kits that require them.

 

I would suggest to get your stock set-up working first. Could be any number of things (I've been through this) - Master Cylinder, vacuum assist, etc. So when you upgrade, you know where you're coming from. If you don't get it sorted first, you're throwing a bunch of expensive new parts at a possibly pre-existing problem, and just masking problems that will still exist. 2 cents.....

 

Yes, I'd be in the market for a LARGER rotor - you car DOES share the brake setup with the 996TT - and an upgrade from 330mm to 350mm does wonders.