Recommendations on rotors and break pads?

I�m probably a month or two away from replacing my rotors and pads on my stock 2001 C4, and was looking for some advice. My car is a daily driver that will probably not see the track � a little hard driving now and then, but no more than normal. Factory rotors or is this one of the better things to upgrade?

What makes you think you need new rotors? Your rotors should be fine unless you have beat them up pretty bad. Did you measure them with a micrometer or see 3 or more holes connected by cracks? As for rec'd pads and rotors, stick with the OEM stuff. Plenty of dealers sell for well below retail.

For brake pads, I ended up getting Mintex Red Box from Steve Weiner. I trust his advice. Will try them out next month when I get them installed.

Yeah Porsche dealers always tell me they have to replace the rotors.

What Dell said.

If you are not going to the track, the stock pieces are overkill for anything you are going to put them through on the street. I agree with the other posters, pull off your wheels and visually inspect your pads and rotors to see if they need to be replaced before you take it in. Good luck!!

For about $350 you could buy the OEM front rotors and brake pads. How big of a DIY job is it?

Its a VERY easy DIY project to change pads and rotors (the latter only takes 2 screws to remove once caliper is removed). Besides changing pads and rotors, I would suggest flushing the brakes with something like ATE Super Blue fluid or similar. That too is another easy DIY job. I plan to do all of this, and repaint my calipers, in a couple of weeks once I get all the parts I need. Steve Weiner at Rennsport can get you all you need and his knowledge on these cars is inmeasureable.

There is a little wobble when I do hard breaking and the shop mentioned they were a bit off last oil change. I�ll have to deal with it eventually, but I�m about 38k on the original rotors so I�m not feeling too bad about replacing them. I�ve done this sort of thing on all the other cars I�ve owned; so figuring I may just do the work myself. Heck, nothing could be worse than the mess I found with my Jaguar XJS a few years back (grin).

I just had the brake fluid replaced, if you change the brake pads and rotors do you need to bleed the brakes again and replace the fluid?

In the past, I've always been able to compress the cylinder with a C-clamp. Should not have to bleed the brake system or replace the fluid unless you break a hose. (that is a mess)

Gotcha... I just may try this one on my own if I can find a book or reference to step by step instructions. It's been about 20 years since I worked on my own car.

Riad, I am getting ready to change the rotors on my 996. I will probably do it in August. If you want to get your car out on the highway, you can drive down to DC and we will do both of our cars at the same time. Sounds like a good excuse for a roadtrip to me! TD

You know that might not be a bad idea at all. I'm right in the middle of an in ground pool/deck project that rivals the big dig in Boston, it should be completed by August, but you know how that goes. I'm a few thousand miles away from needing new pads and rotors so let's keep in touch as the date gets closer. EDIT: Todd, any tracks by you we can take the cars out to test the new brakes?

Sounds great Riad! BTW, with respect to the thread in general, the Porsche criteria specifies both a minimum thickness and a maximum crack length, which is less than connecting the holes on the rotor. I "could" probably get away with letting my rotors go longer, but the thinner the rotor, the worse the heat dissapation and the quicker your brake fluid can heat up. So . . . . I will be changing mind "slightly" prematurely. Stock rotors are fine for the street and DEs. Stock pads are perfect for the street, and I personally like PF97s for the track, but there are a bazillion different opinions on that subject. Edit: Oh my, riad, you didn't ask me about tracks did you? That's like asking a pusher if he has any crank! of course i do . . .

Hey Rob and Todd can you guys wait till late August and maybe I can coax you into utilizing the new lift I am installing the new house ??????? Beers and lift on me!

Might work for me, but that would be one hell of a commute for Rob

Forgot about that in my egocentric world Can't say I didn't try!

Are Porsche's sport brake pads a no-no for the street? I heard they take too long to heat up? What is the best option for lower dust without sacraficing much (especially squeel)?? -Keith

NC is not that far away... how far are you from the outer banks?

That is exactly the reason i use the stock pads. Forget concerns about dust, at least I would if I were you. Rejex your wheels and it doesn't matter. Even on my trackcar, all i need to do is wipe off the wheels with a dry cloth and they are instantly clean.

I am up for it if you are . . .

I'm in a suburb of Raleigh about 200 miles and it is straight east out of Raeigh to places like Nags Head, etc. Eventually, the wife and I will have to head out there to shop for property. But right now, baby steps since we are finishing building out "dream house". But at some point soon I am trailering the car up to the New York area tracks like Watkins Glen, etc and plan on calling up Chris and the rest of you Yorkers! I mean, of course, man can live on VIR alone, but life is much greater when you experience new places with other enthusiasts!