987.1 brake warning light

My 2006 Cayman S just popped a brake warning light. I ordered new front pads and sensors. My question: Can I still drive the car until they are replaced. Only plan on 50 miles or so. Thanks for any feedback!

Yes - shouldn't be an issue. The wear sensor is rubbed through well before the lining material goes to zero. Porsche has told people 1,000 miles - but I think that's a bit excessive. 50 miles won't be an issue. Do order new wear sensors when you're ordering the pads.

Had mine light up a few years ago just as I started out on a few hundred mile road trip. Cruised through the lot of my independent Porsche shop. Top guy came out, quickly peaked in between the wheel spokes and said enjoy your trip. We'll fix you up when you get back. Other than staring at the warning light for the whole trip, there were no issues.

Thanks . I figured as much. Pads and sensors will arrive Wednesday

Just my opinions, not everyone will agree. When I do the brakes I do everything so a thousand miles? Fine, what's it going to do score the rotor I'm replacing? In truth I could never drive it that long anyway so Don's mileage projection is more realistic. This might just be me Mitch but I would not just put new pads on a worn rotor unless it was my track car and even then I probably wouldn't unless I was burning a set each race . I won't turn rotors, even on my DD. It changes the heat dispersion characteristics and they usually warp out before the new pads are well worn, then you need all new anyhow. My company cars all got turned rotor repairs, every single time the repair failed prematurely across GM and Ford products. If you're doing the job yourself? Replace everything, consider the savings of your labor, it's like getting the rotors free anyway. I'd also bleed the entire system while you're there even if it's not at the two year interval, you are already there, it's all apart and even premium brake fluid is a bargain compared to other repairs.

Thanks!

I was going to post a new thread asking about this. "Who has driven the farthest with the warning," but saw this existing thread. I agree with Boris, just drive the 50 or 1000 miles or more. Drive more cautiously if that suits you, until you get them replaced. I think Porsche is being overly conservative in positioning of the sensors in the pad material knowing that the brakes are necessary for PSC. Which is understandable I guess from a liability perceptive, but a waste of good pad material at the same time. I guess the how many miles questions depends on driving conditions. Not that I woud do it, but I think I could easily do 5000 miles after the warning. 1000 must be based on a worst case scenario of harsh stop and go miles.

The point of these sensors is to protect your existing rotors from touching the metal backing plate of the pds. If you are replacing both the pad and rotors, then you can drive them until you have metal to metal contact. I replaced both Hawk Performance Plus HP front and rear and Zimmerman Disks. The only issue my install shop had was the brake sensor on the rear Hawk pads were not comparable The Hawk rear pads required a 911 plug on the sensor connector. My shop did the exchange. A little more squeaking from these pads, but they stop great and I turned off that pad light. Yep, I've got brake dust from these pads, but with good dust removal products on my car wash. oh well. I wanted a good race/street pad, which is exactly what I got.

I posted some details of the warning light and what I found on my car here: Recommended low-dust (ceramic) pads for 987.2 NON-S That said, the warning is certainly VERY early, IMO. Looks to be about 1/3 pad left when it tripped in my case. That seems far too early to me, but at least now I know for sure. Note that since the sensors are separate from the pad itself, there is probably some variance in what you'd get... but a few mm here or there would still be too soon, I feel. My guess is you could easily go a good long time before having to replace the pads, if you really wanted to. FWIW, I kept the old sensors in case I want to make jumpers in the future... once you have those connectors, it's easy to make them, after all.

I did my front pads when my brake wear sensor light came on, and there was plenty of pad left so I could see it going 1000 miles in normal driving. But I bought new pads so I went ahead and replaced them. The pads I ordered from FCP Euro did not have the detent for the wear sensor and they just say to cut the sensor wire and tape it up, so that's what I did. No more wear sensor light worries!

You know there are rear wear censors for those pads?

Do you mean the Pagid brake pads I got from FCP Euro ?

Read your message #10 and answer the question about rear brake pads

Oh, I see what you mean. I didn't replace the rear pads so those sensors are still intact.

At least one third material is left when I get the warning. IIRC 30k or 40k miles is fairly normal for a set of pads for me before the warning comes on. Do the math... not to mention the pad has more surface area during the second half of its life due to the bevel put into the friction material. Also just for reference I have a set of new sensors on stand by, but did not need to use them. I drove with the warning light for approximately 1000 to 2000 miles this time. It was the front sensors that were activating the wear warning and they were not worn or damaged in any way, it seems.