NYoutftr

2003 996 C2
There are 58,000 miles on the car.
I replaced F&R pads last year with oem.
Pads were only 50%, but replaced because of a few track days on the schedule.

Fast forward 4500 street miles, 2 autocross and 3 track days.
Two weeks ago had Tech inspection for 2 upcoming track days. Everything looked good.

Second track day, after a lot of maneuvering through track traffic, I started to get a little pulsating at hard braking at end of straights.
RF showed a small 2" diameter dark spot.

From what I learned at track, it might be a heat spot, coming from brake pad heat that can't be desperated quick enough after parking the car from previous session.
Recommended to move the car a couple feet after a few minutes at one spot.

So what are recommended pads and rotors for a street car doing a few track days a year?

Thanks
David

himself

Any old rotor with the right diameter will work. It's just a chunk of metal. Endurance pads tend to work the best for periodic track duty. PFC and Pagid are common recommendations. I prefer PFC. Track pads may squeal and put off more brake dust.

-td

dkraige

I use Meyle rotors and OE Textar pads. Why? They are CHEAP and reliable. A pair of rotors or an axle's worth of pads are about $100 for either end of our cars. Rotors should last you a couple dozen track days, so that cost is in the noise, and OE pads should last 4-5 track days depending on how you drive.

I would specifically recommend against Ferodo DS2500 pads. I put those on my car last year after hearing great things from other people, and promptly boiled the brake fluid after 5 laps of Watkins Glen. Over the next half-dozen or so track days I used those pads for, they were extremely inconsistent and never gave me the least bit of confidence. I have NEVER had an issue with boiling fluid in any car I've tracked, as I am quite gentle on the brakes. I guess those pads just don't dissipate heat very well. Maybe I got a bum set somehow, but after that experience I will not be giving them a 2nd chance.

Yes, the stock pads wear quicker than a track-specific pad, but they behave extremely predictably, stop reliably every single time, can easily engage ABS, don't squeal on the street, work well at cold temperatures for daily driving, and when they're shot I can put a new set on for a hundred bucks. So why pay $200-300 for a pad that MAYBE will last 2x as long, destroy rotors faster, and not give me any more confidence?

Don't buy Porsche-branded pads. They are just Textar pads with a huge markup for the Porsche logo and part number.

Jason @ Paragon Products

We still have the Pagid Sport Pads for your application. Great pricing on a high performance street pad that can be used for light track use as well.

http://www.paragon-products.com/Pagi.../2405sport.htm

http://www.paragon-products.com/Pagi.../2406sport.htm

NYoutftr

Thanks DK
WGI is where I go to for Zone 1 48 event past two years.
I did NJMP Lightning last fall and hope to do a day at Lime Rock this summer.
The guy who techs my car for me, said just about the same thing you did.
I have all the matianence records from new, rotors appear to be original, 14 years old.
Pads were only replaced once prior to the set I put on last year.
The plan now I think should be, replace all rotors and pads , and also I think there is a kit for the clips that go on the pads.
Then another complete flush with high temp fluid.
David WGI a couple weeks ago

dkraige

Your mileage may vary but I've found these shims/clips/mushrooms to be unnecessary.

NYoutftr

Jason
Thank you for your recommendation.
The product details do not address brake dust for street driving.
Is this the best pagid pad for my application.
Do you offer a complete brake package?
David

Palting

Here's my .02 on pads and rotors for your application.

I've used the OEM pads for track use since 2002. I've progressed from novice to the black group fairly quickly. I have moved on to R compound tires, and the car is now a track toy. In that long run, I've used a variety of pads and rotor combos. There are definite advantages and disadvantages to the various choices. The best all around combo for your particular situation still remain the OEM pads and rotors. Perfect for the street by being quiet and produces less dust, and more than adequate for even heavy track usage with dependable, reliable, consistent stopping power even with R-compounds. No need for Porsche branded ones, Textar makes them.

Boiled brakes IMO has really nothing to do with pad or rotor brand. It's more often from outdated brake fluid, or poor quality brake fluid. Use Motul 600 or ATE Blue, or the more expensive synthetics, flushed at least once a year, more often if you track heavily. Some people I know do it before each and every DE weekend.

The pulsating feel you get is from transfer of pad material to the disc, happens due to stopping and parking with the brakes still extremely hot from the track. This can happen with any pad/disc combo. Most track events allow for a full lap at slower speeds after each run to allow for cooling of the brakes to avoid this. Cruise through that lap without braking, cruise to a stop to park and get off the brake quickly, shut the engine off and leave the car in gear to hold it in place. I've had glowing red rotors in some DE events, but never had boiled brakes nor pad transfers.

The brake service pack, with new retaining clips, springs and bar are probably a good idea if what you have is 14 years old.

As always, this is all IMO and hope this helps.

Slakker

Agreed. Boiled fluid sounds like the pads were actually doing their job and the fluid became the weak link in the braking system.

NYoutftr

Thanks for the explanation.
I am going to go with the textar pads.
The rotors have a hughe price difference, so I am not sure on which ones.
Also, even though my wheel bearings show no sign of wear, I was thinking of doing them also. Is *** manufacturer of porsche bearings?

ty
David

dkraige

Really no need to do bearings unless they are showing signs of failure. Jack the car up and spin the wheel by hand. If it makes noise or you can feel vibration or a gritty feeling, replace them. If they are not noisy or vibrating, no reason to get into that.

For the folks saying boiling is down to the fluid and not the pads, yes it's possible. But in my case I bled with the exact same fluid every single track event, had the same rotors, and consistently had problems with Ferodo pads but have never had a problem with multiple sets of Textar pads. Just saying, the variable in that case seems to be the pads.

Schnell Gelb

Some great advice here.Thank you. I am impressed that people aren't just recommending the most expensive options.
Any votes for Akebono ? How would they compare to recommended Textar?
https://www.tirerack.com/brakes/resu...1&autoModClar=

dkraige

I have used Akebono on my wife's Audi and found them to be amazing for keeping wheels clean, as they produce almost zero dust, but fairly lousy for stopping power, requiring a lot more pedal pressure than the OE Audi pads. I don't have an apples-to-apples comparison with Porsche/Textar pads.

NYoutftr

I figured 14 years on the wheel bearing might be pushing it.
I wasn't sure if on a Porsche the wheel bearings give you a fair amount of warning when on the way out.

dkraige

The one I replaced felt kind of terrible by hand but gave no signs while driving. No noise, wheel did not get warm, nothing. So by that definition I'd say yes, it gave fair warning since a routine check by hand threw some warning signs before the car started misbehaving whatsoever. But, that's a sample set of 1, so maybe not too conclusive!

There's a fair chance of screwing something up when doing this job, so I see no reason to do it preventively. Wait until the bearing makes noise when spun by hand, then replace.