Joined the 911 Club, brake question

Thanks for adding me to the forum I brought my first 911, seems pretty good and totally different drive to the TVR that replaced it (Chimaera). The only question I have is about the brakes. They seem a little unresponsive and I would have thought that the four pots would have a lot more bite with instant feedback. It's difficult to describe but is this normal?

Quite normal and you will soon find that having to push a bit harder is better then hypersensitive brakes. They work very well with a little more pressure than you may be used to. Enjoy the car!

:welcome: to 911uk and to 911 ownership. Your question is one that's often asked by newbies. 911 brakes do feel a bit wooden until you get used to them. They don't bite or give much feedback at normal speeds although they are still very effective. Try a few hard stops from motorway+ speeds and you'll see why they are so highly regarded. :wink:

Hi welcome to the forum and 911 ownership, like you I anticipated sharp braking, but they do stop well if you need to! Don't forget to post some pictures of the new toy :useless:

After a few months of ownership, you'll realise they're the best brakes you've ever had. This is probably one of the most common questions new members ask so don't think it's anything to do with your preference. Nothing worse than over-servo'd brakes. .....and welcome mate - you're in the right place :thumbs:

I hate over-servo'd brakes, just have to look at them and the car's doing an emergency stop. When I get back in the Pork after driving the family wagon, I have to really remind myself that the brakes need a push. Progressive brakes are where it's at. Not that I've driven a TVR but surely they're not super touchy on the brakes like a modern family runaround?! Might be worth getting them looked at, new fluid, pads etc. I always think brakes are worth doing early on into secondhand car ownership. Can be done very cheaply, if you don't mind getting your hands dirty.

Thanks and glad to hear it's normal, I will do the brakes and fluid change in the next few months. Got a couple of issues to sort but nice to be welcomed to a new forum, will be spending a fair amount of time here Photo before I removed the stickers

Looks tasty, I'm going Aerokit over GT3?! :thumb:

Welcome , car looks great :thumbs:

Welcome. I echo the comments above, although I used to have a Griffith and like TroMW above I'm surprised you've queried the brakes coming from a TVR. The Griffith and Chimaera brakes are based on Ford components (single pot sliding callipers front and rear with heavy front bias), are quite small for the car and from what I remember aren't very good! No wonder many people upgrade them. Anyway well worth giving your Porsche brakes the once over. The inner faces of the front discs can corrode which would indicate they're not working fully as intended. Maybe have a quick look to get an indication whether they might not be 100%? Love the look of your new car! What's the spec?

:welcome: 8) car :thumb:

:welcome: I found exactly the same thin after having been driving my over servo'd Merc A Class for the last 4 years. I find (and have read elsewhere) that you need to anticipate braking and gradually build the pressure and / or warm them up before you need to brake hard. I found that the ABS is very sensitive to a heavy brake foot which shows that the 4 pots do indeed have enough stopping power. Also because of the weight difference it is very easy to cause the ABS to kick in on the front under heavy braking. If you touch the brakes gently just before your normal braking point it helps get the weight in the right place for a firmer stab when you reach your normal braking point. Or you can just gradually increase the pressure. They have a lot more control than over servo'd brakes.

I look at things from a different perspective .. that of there being a fault so ... A quick test .. start the car , run for 30 seconds then switch off .. pump the brake pedal until it goes rock hard .. count how many times and post that please . Also post if the pedal travel is the same with a rock hard pedal as it is with the engine running normal pedal . One last check .. car left overnight , get in and with engine off is the brake pedal rock hard or still a bit soft like it is when driving . I only ask as i know of a problem on these so i'm just checking

The man has spoken! :worship:

Thanks deMot I'll give that a go this week. As for the TVR brakes, the standard brakes are shocking but upgraded to 278mm single piston with drilled and groves discs and racing red pads and it stopped very well. After a bit more driving having taken the above post into account it they aren't as bad as I thought but I'll still have a look and make sure they are up to scratch