brakes saved me from a terrible accident

I was driving on Interstate 4 just getting into downtown Tampa area. All of a sudden, there is smoke in front of me and is from the brakes of a SUV that is just absolutely stationary. From 55 to 0. I don't have any time to think, I just jam on the brakes of my 996 C4, thinking that this is going to be a terrible accident. Unbelievable how well those brakes work. And I didn't get rear-ended either by some miracle, cars just avoiding accidents, but man I was happy with those brakes. I realize, oh, have to push the clutch in, LOL, so I didn't even stall. Then about thirty minutes later, further down I4, some object is loose and rolls junder the car and there's no way to avoid it. It probably was a piece of tire retread or something like that. But somehow it did not damage the car. Florida driving on the interstates is taking her life in her hand it seems. I'm really glad that I have the 996 and that I was able to trust it in this almost accident. By the way, my C4 is running harder than it used to and I don't know why. I actually had the thermostat in the sender checked, and the water pump replaced (because why not once I was into the labor for all of this anyway, it has plastic parts and was just as well to change it now) but none of it did any good. Still runs hotter than it did. I also had the bumpers removed and the radiators thoroughly cleaned of leaves and detritus but that didn't help either. Anyhow, thanks for reading.

Good to hear. For me stories like this underscore the need for good tires. You can brake as fast as your tires will let you, mostly.

Congrats on avoiding the unpleasantness... I-4 between Tampa and Daytona is probably my least favorite stretch of road, ever. For starters, it's straight and boring, there's always traffic and construction somewhere between TPA and ORL, and WAAAAAYYYYYY too many tourists. I've seen sheets of plywood on the road with nails sticking up, and then a long row of cars with flat tires a mile later... I've seen rollover accidents, love bug swarms, and street racers in ricers, and motorcycle acrobats doing wheelies for miles at a time. It's a crazy road. Not sure what to tell you about your cooling system.... Good luck sorting that out.

I have new tires too, good point. Yeah that I-4 East is so awful, it's like worse than the 495 Washington Beltway, which is really bad in some parts.

I4 is a cesspool of horrific driving habits. It's a great cross section of window lickers, mouth breathers, and crayon eaters all paying attention to their phones rather than the 3500# deathtrap that they are piloting.

OEM Brembos on the 996s are one of the better parts of the car. Mine saved my butt once last year, since then I've tried to rely on them less

Big Brakes Save Lives (Good Tires, Too)

I refuse to even get on I4 anymore. It really has scared me to death so many times. For reasons stated by others, it is the deadliest stretch of highway in America. I used to drive it many times a week for years, not now. When we absolutely had to attend my son's wedding last year in Tampa, I rented a Chrysler 300C and got the full insurance on it. I figured WTH, if something happens to it who cares. Yes, it really is that bad. Glad to hear your brakes worked well and you are okay (the car as well). Hotter than normal - did they change the thermostat when they did the water pump? It could be old and you need a new one. Are your fans working? Turn on the AC and check both sides...they should be running on low. Does your engine compartment fan ever come on? Mine has a few times when it has been very hot ambient temperature and stop and go driving. When that happens (front fans on high and engine compartment fan on) and I pull into the garage, it sounds like I'm driving a hovercraft!