I had the same feeling coming from my E90 330i. I always absolutely loved the brakes on the 335i and felt that too much pressure was necessary to be applied to the brakes. Once I became accustomed to my 996tt's brakes, I realized that IMHO Porsche's are far superior to BMW's just a different feel.

 

I had the same impression coming from my m3 zcp to my new porsche - the pcar doesn't seem to have that same "bite" even with my 8-piston brembo's - believe me i can stop on a dime but it's almost sneaky stopping power if that makes sense . . . of course you could spend 18k and get some ceramics

 

I personally loved the totally stock TT brakes even on the streets of willow, where brakes get worked hard. They worked just as well as the M3 brakes, keep in mind that the TT had TWICE the torque and almost TWICE the HP.

This is isn't really an apples to oranges comparison. The brakes have to be better on the TT to perform as well.

The TT has a much firmer feel. Much more miata like.

 

The man does have a point there . . . esp for my 600 hp whip . . . well said.

 

Update:

I had the front driveshaft put back on the car to make it AWD again. When the car was RWD, it was so much more fun to drive. But, I found that without the front driveshaft installed, the car would engage the ABS when braking at completely inappropriate times. Very light application of the brake pedal would cause the ABS to kick in, even though the asphalt was dry, and clean. The hyper-sensitive ABS problem has gone away now that I am AWD again.

I miss the lighter steering effort and the ability to steer with the rear tires that the RWD conversion provides, but the ABS problem negated the benefits of RWD. Maybe when I can do it "right" with a proper suspension, etc. I might experiment again with RWD.

With that said, I still hate the brakes. ABS still engages way too much, in my opinion. I think that is why I feel the car doesn't stop well....instead of the brakes actually clamping down and slowing the car, they are fluttering and pulsating away. It seems odd that a car with this much rubber on the ground can seemingly try to lock the wheels up with such ease.

I've been considering a brake upgrade to some sort of 6-piston brakes from a GT2, GT3, or 997tt, but I don't think that is the answer to my problem. Wouldn't a bigger caliper with more pistons just give the brakes even more power, thus activating the ABS even easier?

Could there be some sort of electronic problem with the car that is activating the ABS too early/often?

I'm confused.....what do I do? This supercar I'm driving sure doesn't stop like one should!

Thanks for reading my rambling post and for any more input you all may have to offer.

Rob

 

ArcticSilver...have you had a good shop check your brakes out? What you are describing does not sound normal. I have stock rotors and Pagid race pads on my 2003 996tt and mpsc's...unless I am really cooking around the track, I am not triggereing the ABS and the car slows down pretty violently

Good luck...

 

I am going to follow your advice and get the car to the dealer to have things looked at.

When I test drove the car before purchase, I noticed that the brakes didn't make my jaw drop. I figured it just needed pads and fluid, so I purchased the car and promptly changed the brakes with new OE pads and new Motul brake fluid.......that didn't help though.

It sounds weird to say, but I do hope there is something wrong with my car. hahaha. We'll see what the dealer says.

Rob

 

hi m8,

i was not impressed with the brakes on my 996 turbo so i fitted GT2 calipers fitted with pagid yellow pads, aeroquip hoses and dot 5.1 fluid, and on the rear i fitted new std discs and ferodo pads and found a huge improvement,

though saying that the whole lot is coming off again as i have just bought ceramics! again with six pots on the front,

much better!!

 

Are you selling the Yellow pads Robin?

 

I like the stock units....but I have not "raced" the car ever.

JCB

 

JCB, with the 6pot caliper a good pad and decent fluid, they are night and day!

 

Yup, the OEM 4 piston 320mm units are overcome by heat if you don't give moderate initial braking and then squeeze progressively harder...

I found that brake cooling ducts (and NOT the cheesy OEM junk), high temp fluid (SRF or RBF) and proper thickness pagid yellows all around worked well. I still have to bleed the system before each weekend, but when it's right, you can't beat it.

Now that I've gone the GT3 caliper/350mm slotted rotor, and the 350mm rear rotor soon to be retrofitted, I hope to have no further concerns about brake failure.

Pics of my cooling ducts:





Mike

 

Rob, What tires are you running and I would assume you've verified your tire pressure is set properly?

I don't experience any of the symptoms you speak of - and the only time ABS engages for me is when needed

 

+1.

Porsche breaks are soft to start with but if you stomp on them they will stop quicker and stronger than BMW M3. I actually hate that on/off brake BMW and Audis have. What needs to be understood is that only the perception is different. Porsche has racing brakes and they are designed with FEEL in mind. Soft, moderate and full on. Next time you brake, put your foot on hard and antilock will swiftly say hello. Main difference is also that 3 stops from 160mph to 80mph on the highway and BMW brake pedal sinks by an inch. Just get used to it.

 

Please let me know when the GT2 stuff comes off your car....I'm a buyer!

Thanks,

Rob