My brakes (pads and rotors) are pretty much shot and instead of getting the replacement parts, im thinking about upgrading to a better brake kit that will fit 18s. Any recommendations? Is the kit, significantly better than stock? Thanks.

 

Porsche has the best brakes in the business in general, so upgrading to an aftermarket bbk is less of an improvement then you would see on a BMW or Mercedes for example. That being said, it is never bad to have better brakes and if you can justify the cost increase for a better system you should go for it.

 

Brembo makes a couple of different kits specifically for 18in wheels.

Craig

 

Brembo 8-piston is the way to go...ca clear 18s (have to be custom 18s not the stockers)

 

the ones i have bill brembo 8-pot will fit certain 18" like hre/fiske

 

I have the StopTech. The feel is superior to the stock brakes and thermal management appears to be better. Bias also apprears to be better balanced to the rear.

 

Do you have the rears as well...or just the fronts?

 

I've got all four.

 

Why doesn't any of the Porsche racing teams use the eight piston setup?

 

The gallardo uses the 8-pod setup and they ar will be in ALMS....

 

Chad, I agree with you.

You don't need the larger piston area and pay a big weight price. The biggest issue is thermal management, mostly cooling (not absorption) , and larger mass does not help this. On top of this, the big brake set-ups even further bias the braking to the front, hurting overal stopping capability.

 

not if you do a balanced front and rear setup...
Also, the bigger brakes address heat dispersion by having a larger rotor....

 

Mansour:

No. 1. I'm pretty sure the piston area on the big reds is larger front to rear ratio, already shifting the too far forward brake bias even further forward. 2. Bigger brakes can absorb more heat, but they then dissipate it slower as well. They key is optimal thermal management. 3. They are substantially heavier in unsprung weight and this is never good.

Check this out for the best source of info.

http://www.stoptech.com/technical/

 

Help me to understand how larger rotors with greater surface area dissipate heat slower than smaller ones.

 

I'll add a couple of opinions.

I doubt most people could really fade a set of Porsche 350mm 6pot steel brakes, provided they run with the correct track pads, brake fluid and cooling. In addition, the 350mm front brake set is an easy and cheap fit to any 996, as its stock on a GT3 and can replace the front PCCB with just a rotor change. The rotors are also very cheap to buy again if you crack them or warp them.

That said, I do believe that those who want the ultimate brake upgrade (cosmetic or performance) will go for the Brembo 380/355 pairing and it will be really good.

As for weight, the very expensive Brembo GTR setup is lightweight (same as PCCB), whereas the normal Brembo aftermarket is heavier as are many others (and larger = greater rotational inertia).

However, whilst bigger brakes can radiate more heat from the rotor surfaces, they can have a significant disadvantage in terms of cooling if used with too small a wheel. If there is too little a gap outside the rotor, the cooling through the rotors may actually be worse than a smaller set-up.

Guy