Rear brake conversion - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

Has anyone done a S rotor/caliper to a non-s. if so could you share the process. and parts needed e.g. springs, shoes, FVD kits.

The rear base hubs are not compatible with S rotors so it is a major PITA for little or no benefit. I know of no one that has gone that route. Hubs, rotors, calipers, pads, cali bolts, spring kit = $2k plus for a 1% increase in braking forces. To increase rear braking bias most of the spec race cars use more aggressive pads on the rear base brakes. It works.

The e-brake for an “S” will not bolt to the carrier hub assembly on a base model, the bolt pattern and brake shoe diameter are different. To do what you are trying, you need to swap out the suspension carrier assemblies and hubs for those of an “S” model (different because of the 6 speed), which is going to be a lot of work and very expensive unless you get parts out of a wreck. A couple of companies used to make conversion kits to do this, but they are no longer available as most ended up causing more problems than they solved. At one time, Brembo actually produced an “S” rotor that was internally machined to accept the base model brakes, so all you needed was a shim to go under the rear “S” caliper mount on the hub and everything fit. While this setup worked perfectly, it is also no longer available either.

I thought I read somewhere that you could take the front calipers and rotors and put them on the back of a non S car for more rear brake. Then use S calipers and rotors on the front. Is this not true? Bill, Pgh, PA

I have read the same thing, but that is not what the original poster is trying to do; he wants to convert a base car to all "S" brakes, and the rear "S" rotors are larger. The front "S" rotor and calipers are a straight bolt on, the rear "S" system is totally different, and making them fit takes a whole lot more work and money. I know what is involved as we have done a couple of these conversions; they are expensive and questionable in terms of what you gain for the money spent. For the most part, individuals looking to do this are after "the look", not performance.............

"the look"? no just an education. have the parts just thought it might be better. sounds like it is not a great idea, and a lot of expense. thanks

Thanks for the info. Can someone verify that my plan will work. Non S front rotors and calipers on the back and then S rotors and calipers on the front. I had planned to do this sometime during the summer. I am concerned about performance not looks. I know the front non S rotors are thicker than the rear rotors and I would think you would get more rear brake this way. Then add the S front system and I would think this would be a nice improvement for track purposes. I would then be running 17's up front and 16's in the rear. I like the 16 rears, I got a set of 16x9's from a mid 90 911. 25mm spacer on the back and the 70 offset works well.

Roughly 80% of the car’s braking effort is on the front brakes, upgrading the rears adds very little, even to a car driven at the limit………..

thanks for the info i am sticking to rear system as designed....so anyone want to buy a set of rotors & calipers from an S? the front set went on without an event.

Don't despair just yet: Brake info dump by Arenared Okay, he's mostly going the other direction (non S to S rear), but it's a GREAT thread.