Back when I was driving my M3, everyone seemed to be putting Porsche Big Red brakes on the cars. I was always jealous, but just didn't feel putting those brakes on the car was a smart upgrade.

Now, flash forward.....I have the brakes and an X50 attached to them! But now, I wish my X50 had M3 brakes!!

The M3 brakes always felt so strong, and would really "bite." The Porsche brakes always make me wonder if I will/can stop in time. They have no bite or grab at all. Is something wrong? I recently put brand new factory pads on the car, and flushed the system twice using Motul brake fluid. No improvement.

What gives? Do I have a weird car, or should I bolt the M3 brakes on the X50?

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Rob

 

Perhaps a change in pads for a better 'bite'?

 

I feel the same way. My M3 had a really good bite and my 996tt doesn't bite as well when cold. It works well though when warm. I'm looking for some aftermarket street pads.

 

I tried some more aggressive pads, but they made the car sounds like a trash truck.....screeeeech!

I'm just surprised that the pads that are designed for the car would feel so weak. A $150k car should have awe-inspiring brakes, no?

Come to think of it.....my Mercedes has stronger "feeling" brakes! eek!

 

I put on 996 brakes on my 987 last year and it bites like a no other. Have you tried changing the lines and/or a fluid flush perhaps? I used Castrol SRF in my cars....or it could just be that my 987 doesn't push as much ponies as your tt

 

your brakes must have a problem, there is nothing at bmw that compares.

and you are going faster now too, but shouldnt matter

 

Yeah, I flushed it twice!

It really isn't a horsepower issue either...I'm talking about just normal street driving. 40-60mph, step on the brakes to slow kind of thing. The M3 and MB will throw me forward into the seatbelts on hard brake application....The Porsche feels like I am trying to stop on a slick surface all the time.

 

If you are stabbing the brakes on normal street driving, you are overpowering the tires, if you arent, you have a big problem.

And if you are running upgraded pads and fluid, they need HEAT to work well, so you have to do some consecutive gradually hardening but strong stops to get them warm, then go for it.

But I've never had that problem either, I'd always overpower cold tires, r-comps, slicks or whatever, and it's intermittent locking so you dont feel the ABS so much.

If you have any camber adjustments that could affect it too.

 

i feel the complete opposite form you...i feel that my M3 and my MB's for that matter are way too sensitive. sensitive in the sense that there is a lot of pedal travel until the brakes are about to bite and then all of a sudden it stops too abruptly. i agree that the M3 and the MB throw you into the seatbelt but i believe it does for the wrong reason...they are unable to be modulated easily with the ball of your foot. on the other hand, i feel that the stock brakes on my 993 fell much stronger than the big reds!

Ross

 

I had the same problem when I moved to the 996TT family. Nothing to do with the brakes at all in fact the 996TT brakes are far superior to anything BMW offers.

Its simply that the weight for the 911s is at the back so you dont get the sudden weight shift towards the front as you used to with normal sedans. Just watch your odo when you brake, its quite weird driving normal cars now that I'm used to the 911s. I now hate it when normal cars lurch forward, makes the car seem very unstable.

 

IMO 996TT brakes are adequate at best for a stock Turbo.
With any mods 500+ hp they are no longer assuring or safe.
I have a 200 mile sports drive planned today with some fine
Ozark Mountain, AR twistes. I recently upgraded my fronts
to 997 GT3 6 pot calipers and rotors, GT3 air ducts, fabricated
rear air ducts, SS braided lines F&R and Pagid 4-2-1 black sport pads.
Yesterday I seated in the brakes with 70-40, 80-40 & 90-40
intervals and I think they are ready for the drive today.
I will post results this PM or tomorrow AM.

 

The stock brakes are good, they will stop you. (With hard braking if the car won't stop, it's the grip of tires that isn't enough...)

But you need different pads than the factory ones!

If you want more bite (who wouldn't want), go for Pagid or Performance Friction pads, nice stuff!

Because active track driving, I've though updated to GT2 6-pots in front...
Got to say they are very powerful, but stock system with racing pads like Pagid Yellows and Castrol/Motul racing fluid is not a bad braking system at all for this kind of heavy and powerful car when driven fast!

 

Well I must admit that I had a similar experience the first time I tracked the car, but you're talking street driving. You could have a bad set of "glazed" pads that weren't properly bedded.

My brake woes have been documented here and elsewhere. I plan to upgrade the whole system to 14inchers all the way around, but have to wait until the clutch is replaced. What I'm doing in the meantime is run the brake cooling duct kit I retrofitted to my car (including spindle ducting) and Pagid Yellows at the track, along with RBF600 motul fluid. I bleed the system before every track event to insure it has fresh fluids. Although this system works well, I can tell you that for proper stopping, the 14inch front/rear package is the way to go. And get away from the crossdrilled rotors if possible. Everyone I know running slotted or solid rotors is getting more pad and rotor life out of them than I am with my 13inch stockers and Pagid pads.

Mike

 

you have some problem with your system, I have had e30,e36,e46 M3's and have no problem with stock 996 brakes with good pads+lines, IMHO

 

I have the same issue, my merc is very sensitive where my Porsche is not as. I would not ever say my merc stops better,in fact my TT stops like a bear, they are just have a different feel.