We have a good discussion going in the 944 forum and figured i would bring it here to see what "the racers" think.

Are bigger brakes really better than stock?

 

You need as much brake as necessary to get the job done, no more, no less. Anything more is extra unsprung weight... read "bad".

Stock P-car brakes are actually quite well designed. Just try getting the same fade-free performance out of most cars and you become even more impressed.

Go up in pad, fluid, perhaps cooling... if you're then still in need of more brake, then it's time to consider the upgrade path.

On a street car, even one that sees occasional DE use, the brake upgrade is really not the best place to invest time and money.

 

Agree with Dave. On an NA 944 I dont see the point, they are more than adequate. However, I think the 928 brakes that were added to the 944 turbos S's were a nice upgrade.

 

When I raced my Carrera, I always felt that the brakes on it were good enough, and if it had enough capacity to lock the tires, which it did, then I didn't need any more than that. Now that I have owned 2 cars with fantastic brakes, I have changed my opinion. Granted that you can go too big, and the added weight can actually hurt handling and acceleration, but most P cars are under braked, and larger brakes allow for much better modulation and consistent performance. That consistency will allow you to drive closer to the limit, and will result in lower lap times. The difference will magnify as you run stickier tires.

 

Keep in mind that some of our cars are getting on in age and the tire technology is light years ahead of what our brakes were designed for. I ALWAYS out-braked my alloy calipers on the '74 Carrera. 32 years ago, tires were small, hard, lasted forever. Those calipers caused countless problems and safety concerns to the point that I retired the car. PCA doesn't allow caliper changes but I will say that the stock alloy calipers was the biggest safety hazard I have ever seen.