Jack

I was surprised to see virtually no comment/feedback on this statement made by Weng in an earlier post. Granted that replacement cost of the steel rotors is a bargain compared to the ceramic rotors, but isn't Weng's experience cause for concern. Could there be a design flaw in the factory brake cooling setup, regardless of whether the car is running steel or ceramic rotors? Any and all comments appreciated.

Mr. RS

The Mk1 GT3 suffered from very bad brake fade and high disk wear when subjected to "spirited" track work.

Over the past few years there have been a number of fixes to cure this problem, a problem that has been attributed to poor cooling of the front brakes.

There are a number of speciallists in the Uk that have put togeather retrofit kits which have almost eliminated the problems of over heating in the Mk1, namely Parr Garage and Tech 9.

I did not run my Mk2 long enough to encounter any braking problems, compared the the previous model the new GT3 has improved upon this area by a tremendous amount.

I would hazard a guess and say that the problems that a lot of people are encountering with both steel and PCCB is a combination of over heating and insufficent air flow.

Search the web and have a look at the solutions that are out there for improved cooling and give them a try, none are that expensive and you may find a cure to your braking woes.

Either that or just put disks down as a consumable....

P.

FixedWing

Exactly right.

The real problem with the PCCB's is insufficient airflow to cool them. Porsche has installed them as a direct replacement for cast iron without changing the air flow. These brakes are more akin to carbon/carbon brakes.

Where the cast iron system will temporarily absorb large amounts of heat, neither the carbon/carbon or the ceramic system will do so. Both need large amounts of air to immediately remove the heat.

And of course, even a cast iron system can exceed its capacity if it is used hard enough.

Stephen

Sun Ra

maybe bob rouleau can provide more info on the brake problems his 3 mk II friends were experiencing, i believe it was similar to weng's.

Bob Rouleau

Watt et al

There are 5 GT3's in our club, all tracked. Four have steel rotors. My wife's car required replacement of the rotors after only one weekend event. The problem (as described above) was cracks on the rotor. Her pads were also badly cracked although worn only 1 mm in front. Very puzzling. She's been driving a 993 on the track for 5 years and never had a problem with brakes using standard OEM pads. I am really wondering what the heck is going on at Porsche and Pagid. Is there something different about the yellow pads that come with the car I wonder? On all the Porsches I have had (many) brakes have NEVER been a problem. I guess we'll (collectively) figure it out eventually. My GT3 also shows some small cracks near the holes in the rotors but nothing that would warrant replacement. I bought mine used with about 2000 miles on it. Hers was new from the dealer having been ordered a year before. something is odd.

Speaking of odd, I find it pretty funny that the spell checker on this board does not recognize he word "Porsche".

Weng

Considering that cracked rotors appears to be a recurring theme, do you think there's any chance that PAG would replace them under warranty. I recognise that these are consumable items but the rotor life is a bit ridiculous especially given that the car has been designed with track work in mind. I'm going to give it a shot but I foresee a long argument about the use of the racing pads.

Steve in FL

How badly cracked were the steel rotors? As in how long are the cracks and do any bridge the distance between the drilled holes? After a couple of track days it's not uncommon to have some small cracks from the drilled holes but you start to worry if the cracks start connecting the holes.

ToffeeGT2

There has been concerned for me after reading from previous posts regarding crack rotors on both the ceramic and steel rotors. I am going to the Brembo route for solution, as I had been tracking my M3 with Brembo brake/rotors without a single issue. I will be installing Brembo LeMans Kit on my GT2 and save the cost for replacing that ridiculous price on those ceramic rotors in the future. Besides working with dealer on rotors issue always a hassle unless we are driving BMW/Audi they replace rotor and brake pad under warranty. Can't believe why Porsche not offering this kind of services to us. Think about that, with the cost of replacing those ceramic disc are more expensive then a set of LeMans kit, so what am I waiting for!

Jack: If you change your mind of getting a set of LeMans let me know I am able to get a good deal on those 8 ports/4 ports configuration. I was told it will work on the 18" BBS wheels.
Weng: Hope your dealer workout something with you soon, I will definitely email you when I am in Singapore.

LG1

I had the same problem with my GT2, it came with the steel rotors because it was one of the first cars, and after a couple of trackdays the rotors had cracks starting from the holes.
The tracks I visit more often are Monza and Imola, two of the worst tracks in the world for brakes, but I still was very disappointed.It is true, as Steve said, that you should start to worry only when the cracks go from one hole to another.
Funnily I didn't encounter these problems with the Modena...
Weng, what kind of pads did you use?

Oak

Cracks are common and pretty normal with the cast rotors. I wouldn't worry about them unless they start to connect or exceed the outer perimeter radius.

Weng

The cracks don't appear to be connecting yet but I'm getting annoying judder - even when braking from regular highway speeds.

Sun Ra

isnt that "judder" a rotor no longer true, Weng?