Rear brakes - Brembo (OEM) vs Porsche disks (rotors) and pads?

Time for new rear pads and disks. My local specialist suggests I consider Brembo's "OEM" parts, which are less expensive than the parts from Porsche. He doesn't think Brembo's OEM front disk is as good as Porsche's, but thinks the rears and pads are fine. So I'm wondering: Does Brembo really make the original Porsche parts? And if so, are the Brembo OEM parts the same parts? (I'm especially interested in the regular (non Turbo) brakes for a 996.2, since that's what I have.) Did some searching. Most helpful was a 997 thread ( https://rennlist.com/forums/997-foru...-brakes-2.html ) suggesting Brembo does NOT make the 997 disks, contrary to what many apparently think; and also pointing out that Brembo OEM and Brembo high performance are not the same. I also found a post here saying MY2002 pads are Texstar: https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...00-brembo.html Anyway, any insight into whether the pads and/or disks are the same parts would be greatly appreciated!

What are you planning to do with the car and how much do you want to spend? There are lots of people here that know a lot more than me who can provide good advice. For a daily driver with occasional DE use I had a reputable shop recommend Sebro rotors and Textar pads as a lower cost option. I’ve found (edited to remove "Zimmerman", changed to "Meyle") Meyle rotors and Textar pads as a fine inexpensive option for street use.

Meyle rotors and Textar pads will be your cheapest option, and will be indistinguishable in performance from Porsche-branded parts. You should be able to replace the rear rotors for about ~$120 and rear pads for ~$70. Half the cost of Zimmermann, 1/3 the cost of Porsche. I use them on my car which sees ~10 track days a year with no issues. For a street car I DEFINITELY would not spend money on something more expensive!

dkraige, your post got me to look at my receipts - yes, Meyle is the low cost option I used with Textar pads, not Zimmerman. There is a seller on eBay that has a set of all four Meyle rotors for $177, free shipping. They're almost disposable wear items at that point - keep a spare set in the garage and throw them on at the next oil change . The quality seems to be fine for any use I've had. They've taken some abuse (serious heat) on the track and not had any issues.

Porsche's rotors were/are made by ATE, not Brembo. Stock pads were made by Textar. You can buy both of these under ATE and Textar brands for much cheaper than the same ones that come in a Porsche box.

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I guess that is kind of important for choosing the right parts! I basically just want Porsche parts for less. I've no need for something that can take more abuse, or last longer, or makes less noise, etc. Lighter I'd pay extra for though ... .

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Interesting. I used ATE rotors on a different car and had no desire to use them again. And even that car's stock brakes were no where near as good as the Pcar's. I guess it's a case of a supplier making parts in various different quality levels. So if I buy ATE "OEM" rotors, I can be sure I get Porsche quality? Is that you (or anyone else's) experience with them? Thanks!

It seems Textar OEM pads will cost me neary as much as parts from Porsche, and are a lot more expensive than Brembo pads. But my local specialist believes Textar T4045 pads are identical to the Textar OEM pads and they cost a lot less. Does anyone know if that is right? Thanks - and thanks for all the helpful advice so far!

Yes, the T4045 pads are identical to Porsche pads and will serve you just fine: https://www.ecstuning.com/b-textar-p...635294903~tex/

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I have burned up several sets of track pads on my 996 using ATE rotors (ATE being the Porsche OEM supplier purchased thru Pelican Parts) with no issues. As far as I know they are the same rotors in a box that says ATE instead of Porsche. If you really want top-shelf quality you should be looking at a set of GiroDisc 2 piece rotors. That is the "ultimate" upgrade.

Look around on the internet a bit and you can find those same Textars, front and rear both for under $180 with four new wear sensors. Believe it or not, eBay has some good deals. Partscontainer is a seller that I've purchased pads and rotors from. The last set (four Meyle rotors, Textar pads all around, four wear sensors) ran me $361.90, free shipping. Also, one thing to note (in case it matters to you): the low cost Meyle rotors are made in Asia, whereas Sebro are made in Germany.

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Thanks for the quick reponse! After posting my last post I searched the forum for T4045 and found less information about them than suddenly turned up here! However, I did find something interesting which is a bit less encouraging. On a 997 thread, three or four people, while praising Textars, also believe something along these lines: " get the original Textars from a Porsche dealer in their Porsche boxes and part numbers, I recently had my specialist fit textars, but not purchased from Porsche and my specialist said that the compounds are not the same, I thought it was banter because I had denied him of his parts 'mark up' but they do feel less efficient than my old OEM's. Maybe they are bedding in but I'm not sure!! They just don't seem to have the same 'bite'. Jonas at JZM said that Porsche purchased the 'rights' to this particular coumpond so Textar can sell Pads for 993/964 etc independantly but not made of the same compound...........mmm?” So if T4045 = Textar OEM, that's good. But does Textar OEM = Textar from Porsche???

It's interesting that Pelican has ATE coated rear discs coming in at $60 ea, but another for a undisclosed OEM supplied for $179 ea, and then the Porsche Genuine part for $162 ea. I bought Textar 986 352 939 10 rear pads with no noticeable change in performance from "stock" FWIW. Don't forget to bed them. The brake flush interval is every 2 years regardless of mileage, might want to check your records for when that was last done.

The thing I don't like about the Brembo rotors are they don't come coated, so they rust and look like crap. I have the ATE coated, and of course the other brands too. https://www.warehouse33auto.com/cata...ake-Brake.Disc -Jason

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Agreed. This is why I like the ATE rotors. Your pricing on them is very good!

I just put Pagid branded rotors and Centric pads on my 996. They are working great for a street car, pads are quiet and very low dust. The Pagid rotors are made in China and the unmachined areas are a bit bumpier than the Zimmermans, but they have a good coating on them and they look great. Got them all from Rockauto for a great price.

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Porsche OE 996 rotors were sourced from SHW.

I got Meil (sp?) rotors �ceramic� pads(low dust) and wear sensors (front and rear) for around $300 - from �New Parts� on eBay... they�ve been great- very little to no rusting, very low dust and the car stops very nicely... not sure what else is needed.

Maybe Meyle?

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Hmm, all very confusing now. Some say ATE, some say Sebro, and now SHW? I haven't seen SHW branded parts for sale anywhere, so since I'm hoping to get a Porsche part for less, I hope SHW isn't the answer. Jason and Nickshu, can you share with us the basis for your conclusions? Thanks!

Porsche uses more than one supplier , sebro, Zimmerman , ate have all been used . Sebro is the most common one . compareing the sebro rotors I bought with my buddy's Porsche branded ones he bought from the dealer .( I installed them on both cars on the same day) they were visually identical , right down to the inspection and made in Germany decals . i also installed coolcarbon pads and goodridge brake lines . Happy with all

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Very interesting - thanks! Sounds like Sebro rotors are a pretty good bet for getting the same thing for less. I hope the others are too (having already ordered ATEs before I saw Jason's post). But to avoid any confusion, when you say "Porsche uses more than one supplier", did you mean they have been used over the years for different cars, or that they have in fact all been used for regular 996s? Thanks again!

Porsche OE rotors from friendly dealer are no more expensive than aftermarket ones. Find a friendly dealer. Also OE rotors have the wear indicator dimples on the outer periphery of the rotor. Kinda cool. Not sure aftermarket ones have these.

This is an old thread, but the question for today's market is........does anybody have knowledge of the Brembo discs and pads for the rears of our 997s? While the brand name is good, do they source some of their things from China or similar? I want good stopping power for street use, but also low dust production.

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This right here. Porsche changes OE suppliers over time. Heck 2 cars coming down the line may have �rotors� from 2 different suppliers depending on time of year, demand, raw material costs, contract negotiations, quality control��..Lots of variables. Not saying they change suppliers often, but working for an OE supplier to VW and Porsche for years I can tell you it is always changing. So I am sure over the years all the German brake rotor manufacturers have been used for rotors and pads. Its just the way the industry works.

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autozone/advance autoparts/rockauto its cast iron, not rocket science

I wouldn't put Brembo rotors on. Meyle more than fine. Ordering those and already have Textar pads from other recs on here.

Sebro is what I went with Martin's rotor upgrade... couldn't be happier.

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Same. Sebro slotted discs and Ferodo performance pads.

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We all know that there are different qualities of ferrous metals, but I don't know whether the cheap rotors are more or less prone to warping than the expensive ones. Why pay $160/rotor for street driving when RockAuto can sell me one for $27? There's not a "Gucci" label or anything on the rotors, so unless there's huge difference, what's the difference? Also, ceramic pads are supposed to be dustless, as much as possible. Is there a trade-off to getting ceramic pads for street driving?

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The tend to squeak, Have them on my VW Touareg with Brembo 18z calipers.

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why don't you like Brembo rotors?

Just installed Pagid/Hella rotors on my .1, this weekend. I had new pads laying around, still in the package. I think they're Powerstop ceramics.

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I don't hate them, I'd just rather put the money elsewhere. Especially on a street car.

I've bought and tested a lot of different discs and can say from this experience that the only think worth paying extra for is the coating to prevent corrosion. I've had expensive rotors crack at drilled holes, and I've had cheap ones stay just fine. None of them have ever warped (but I'm always careful not to hold the brake down on a very hot disc when staionary, as this is what causes warping). The pads are where the variety comes in. Textar give a good OEM feel at a great price point, and can be had very cheaply in the UK where I am. Fancier pads from Pagid, EBC, Hawk, etc are all a much better place to put your money than expensive rotors. Also, change your fluid regularly.