New Tires and Brakes, any leads?

I finally need a new full set of tires and am wondering what you guys are riding on outside of the Standard Pirelli's? Is there a tire a better with the same or longer tread life? Of the course the dealership wants to hit me for $900 for front pads and rotors. More than likely I'll do them myself. What pads and rotors are you guys using?

Tires--> Nothing beats the PS2 but they are costly. The Conti's are much cheaper, N-Rated, and a great street tire. Pads/Rotors--> Get the factory rotors and pads. Nothing better out there for street driving. Now if you are going to move to DE, etc, then you could move up to a racing/eduro compound. Factory rotors can be had for roughly $400 for all 4 corners and pads run roughly $200 for all 3 corners. You can do a brake and rotor change in under an hour. These cars are VERY EASY to work on, especially the brakes.

Hey Dell? Do you normally only replace the pads on only 3 wheels when you put all 4 rotors on? How do you decide which wheel to skip? Sorry. Just taking advantage of your obvious typo.

Ooops! I meant all 4 corners.

I am in the same sutiation, ready to get new pads/rotors, when you say "...move up to a racing/eduro compound..." what brand/type of pads would you recomend. I would like to get something a bit better than stock but not too agressive on the stock rotors..

On the street I use the factory pads in both my GT3 and 996CAB. For the track they both run the RS19 "Yellow" pad which is an endure pad that is VERY popular in the track circles.

Thanks a lot..

Pirelli Rosso Asimmetrico on rear andDireczionale or fronts? Is anyone doing as Tire Rack states?

What other street tires have you tried so far?

Very welcome.

I have tried the PS2's, the Conti's Contisport Contact's, the SO-2's, and the P-Zero's. For the money, the conti's are a great tire. If money isn't as much of a concern, the PS2's are awesome!

I have Continentals on my car and they are good tires, but not as good as PS2's on the dry at least. Yesterday I test drove a 911 that had Continentals on the front and PS2' on the back. The way the car behaved was very scary, a LOT of understeer in turn in, and coming out of the turns the car just wants to go straight..

I got OEM pads and rotors (all four) for $560 shipped from Sunset. If your dealer is offering you pads and rotors installed for $900, thats a good deal.

So you think $340 is a fair number for labor? 3-4 hours of labor depending on the hourly rate (85-120/hr).

As far as tires, I will be buying some rims and tires for my ride in the next couple of months. After doin research, the BEST TIRE is PS2 no doubt but they are pretty pricey.Conti Sport 2 are good and Bridgestone Potenza I found to be a good tire. Pirelli Rosso suck in the wet and Treadwear is horrible. After all this I will be getting Toyo T1R with my rims. They are a good all around tire and are very good in the wallet too. Just my 2 cents. But thats just reading reviews not actual first hand exp

I think so. I'd say if the parts are 600 (including taxes) and the stealer is asking 300 for labor, it looks like a good deal. Here in the Bay Area, labor is 150/hr ... so 2 hours of labor for a complete brake job is a good deal. washington dc porsche: Are they going to bleed your brakes and put in new fluid too?

Holy crap! $150/hr???

Unfortunate but true Local mechanics (non-dealers) are cheaper, ~$110-125/hr

Oh dear Lord. Even the indy's are overcharging! As much as I love SF and my wife and I actually considered it when we left Vegas this past spring, I am glad I live in the land of "normal" standard of living costs

Toyos, T1R (?). Only had them for two months, but so far, awesome. So much better in the dry and wet than the Contis. Haven't had them on the track yet, but very pleased on the street. Got a great deal locally too, Silver Spring. Great job on the install. The indy race shop who put on my x74 recommended the Toyos and I couldn't be happier.

Any comments on Yoko Advan Neova AD07's?

No comment on Yoko Advan as I don't know them but a 1+ for the Toyo T1R that "996 Convert" mentioned. I got the tire recommended from Intersport in McLean and paid only $550 for a set of 4 (back when I had my 17'' wheels). They were great! When I changed to 18'' wheels I switched to PS2 but I don't recall any significant weaknesses. However, I've not done any track day with the Toyos, just with the PS2 which grip like glue.

They didn't say they were. I'll ask when I go back for my alignment. She feels fresh and peppy. Not sure if it's the cool weather or the new plugs and fuel filter. BTW. They put in 0w- 40 Oil.

Let me guess, Radial tire?

Just like Dell said... amen on Michelins and OEM posrche pads! Although I prefer the Michelin Pilot Sports 2, you wont get the 285 size for the rears, so second best IMHO is Pilot Sport Rib. My choice in this order are Mich Pilot Sport Rib then Bridgestone Potenza S-02A. You wont be dispappointed with their handling, feedback & grip. Besides, they're N rated, meaning matched & tuned with the porsche suspension. Remember when buying less expensive tires, as they say "you get what you pay for". The OEM break pads are more than you need. Even my instructor at the DE who drives an older 911, was unbelievably surprised with their stopping power. I would stick with the OEM cause the track pads would wear out your rotors fast.

The N4 Pirelli P Zero Rosso is asimmetrico front and rear. I just put them on and I think they are much stickier than the Dunlop 9090s I had on before.

Yup.

You are missing the fact that his dealer quote is for the FRONT ONLY. Outrageous.

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Hi all. A related question. My e-brake requires major heft to pull it hard enough to hold the car for parking on a slope. Is this typical? Does one usually service the e-brake at the same time as normal brake pad replacement or is it easy enough to do on its own?

$900 is a killer deal when compared to the $1200 the local dealership quoted us last month. Oh, and they can change the front wiper blades also for the low, low price of $147....

Well, I didn't say I was looking for a cheaper priced tire. I'm actually looking for an equall or better tire with a longer tread life. From what I've been reading here and a few other places is that no tire is really going to give me a longer tread life. The Pirellis are fine but I want to try something different. Plus, I don't like how flat spots seem to take a full day to get rid of if I don't drive the car for a day or two. I've heard many rave about the PS2's on other cars, but I've had problems with other Michelin products in the rain so I wont try them. I love Bridestone tires but they don't seem, from what I hear, to be as sticky as the Pirelli. Toyo's are great tires, so I've heard. BUT I don't want to do the 300-600 mile break in to get that oil or whatever the manufacturer puts on them to keep them fresh. All the people I know with TOYO's say they are rough at first but get sticky later. I just don't want to wait. I decided to get the Yoko Advans. I don't know anyone with them though. Out of all the tire brands I've had in the past, Yoko's have always been the stickiest though the tread life sucked. lol! I really can't believe it can get any worse than 5000 - 7000 miles but if so back to the pirelli's or maybe I'll try the TOYO's. Now I need brakes.

My blades were changed for $38 I believe while they were performing the 60k service. $340 in parts and $900 in labor. I guess all the checking, and topping off takes alot of time.. lol!

If you need a good winter tire, Dunlop Grandtreks are incredible on snow and ice. The only drawback is they are on the noisy side.

I have been really impressed with the traction and wear of Bridgestone Potenza RE050's.

Any special tools needed for front brake and rotor changes?

Dell is there an upgrade from stock pads that can be used for both street and track? Also would you just replace worn rotors with new factory or would you suggest a diferent rotor? tia

3 pads come up on Pelican, Textar, Minex, and Pagid, as OEM pads. Any suggestions anyone?

Suncoast? I found everything except for the pad retainer kit ($25) for $378 not including shipping at Suncoast. I can't find Sunset.

PS2s are dual compound and superb in the wet. Don't let previous experiences put you off. You pay for the privelige but PS2s are the best out there at the moment - and they last so long (many 997 C2s owners are getting 15,000 out the rears and 25,000 out of the fronts). Mark

Beer. No seriously. Very easy and no special tools needed per se. Loren has a GREAT diy with text and pictures over on Renntech.org LINK It might take you a couple hours the first time if you are very methodical and want to make sure you do everything perfect but in time you can do all four corners in 1/2 hour! If you decide to do it there are plenty of us here that can walk you through it either through posts, PM, or phone. Link to Sunset Get the OEM pads through a place like Suncoast or Sunset since they have the best prices. The stock pad is EXCELLENT on the street as well as the track. However, let me caveat the "on the track" comment. In my early days of DE, the stock pad and fluid was just fine and gave GREAT stopping power. But that was when I was climbing through the groups. Once I really learned the car and was really pushing it (deeper braking zone, etc) I needed to move up not only to a better pad that operates at the higher temps I was generating, but new fluid as well. Currently I run RS19 (Yellow's) and Castrol SRF.

Good job ^ Dell! O/T note to self: *I really must try to be nicer to the "Newbies"...... NEXT year!* (hee hee)

Depends on your definition of special. To change the rotors you need to remove the caliper, which requires either an 8mm or 10mm Allen (I forget which). I, for one, did not have one that big and had to go buy it. Everything else is pretty standard. I spent more time getting the car up and the wheels on and off than doing the pads and rotors.

I meant like a tool other than a c-clamp or something to push the calipers back.

Thanks, brakes were ordered from Suncoast. Now, what to do with the $600 saved in labor cost.. "Hello, GHL?"

10mm, IIRC the 8mm is used for the oil drain plug.

Oh, the possibilities are endless.

So Dell you run stock rotors with both types of pad?

Yup. But don't be fooled by the word "stock". The "stock" rotors are awesome. The only "upgrade" would be to save weight (PCCB) or a 2 piece floating setup which IMHO is over the top overkill.

With the Porsche this can be done with a small screwdriver, just push the pistons back before you take the old pads out. It's easier than any other brake sysyem I've worked with.

I use a microfiber towel and a pair of pliers with the pad "tab" and the caliper "tab" (where the pin goes through) and squeeze the two together. The pliers make it VERY easy and the microfiber protects the finish on my calipers.

Thanks, everyone.