Those who use Pagid RS4-4 compounds (Orange)...

Is your braking feel soft? By that I mean with the Pagids, there is no bite. Although the braking feel is linear, it always feels like the pad is soft. I'm getting decent wear out of it (I run it both on the track and street). The car has seen about 10 total track days, and the fronts are 1/2 worn. That's not bad coming from an S4, where it'd eat pads for snacks. Looking to get really firm pedal and initial bite. Yes, I've flushed the fluid (not boiled it at any point) twice. every 2 track events, i.e. about 4 track days. Is Porterfield or Hawk a better choice? Obviously, I don't want something that eats rotors, and also want a street friendly pad like the Orange.

joyteen, glad to see you at BW yesterday. i run orage on my 996C2 on street and track. yes if feels soft and no bite. first set (front/rear) lasted 500 miles on thunderhill, i was down to the backing plates. i didn't like the feel and re-bled sunday morning, still felt the same. i have used porterfield R4 and RS4. don't like them. maybe pagid black?

jyoteen, I used Oranges at Summit Point last October (2 days) and did not experience what you are describing. I thought it felt very close to stock in feel but with more bite. Granted it was my first time out in the 996 so coming from the S4, everything felt much better. I will be at VIR next week and will pay closer attention to brake feel.

Have you guys compared these to the Porsche "performance" pads?

Nope. Do tell. The reason I just went to the Pagids is because Porsche uses them (different compound) as stock, and I have pevious experience with them on the track, albeit with a different car. Do tell me specifics, though.

I normally use Hawk Blue and like them until I tried Performance Friction 97. Both Hawk Blue and PF 97 stop great for me. I like the PF 97 better because rotor wear was better (smoother). Hawk Blue wear deep groves on the rotors. Stock 996 brakes feel soft even after brake fluid flush. However, the brakes are very effective. The only thing you need to control is heat. Good braking techique will help or get some brake ducting.

stock brakes require a lot of pedal travel before you get any effective braking, at least for my car. even with good fluid in, theres no strong initial bite. i was hoping upgrading pads would solve that problem

I do believe that the 996 already has brake ducting, if you look underneath. Yes, I'd be concerned about rotor wear, but not really about how bad the rotors may *look*. How's the bite on the PF97? Do they chunk bad? Pagids have a habit of breaking apart into crumbs as they wear. At least that's my experience. Typically, chunks come off where they have those circular dimples on the backing plate, and/or in the corners.

i think he was referring to the GT3's brake ducting that you can fit onto your 996. those ducts are bigger and provide better cooling to the brakes

You might want to post this question on the Performance & Competition Discussion Areas for more answers

Oh, I don't know anything about the performance pads. I just saw them on the porsche site and was curious. I asked about them earlier on a couple of forums and didn't get any responses. Since you guys in this thread seem to know a lot about pads, I thought maybe you had tried the OE performance pads also. I might give them a shot for one of the DEs this year if they aren't too ridiculous $$$.

I found the Oranges to have a much better bite and firmer pedal feel than the stock Textars, at least with my 993. The difference is amazing. I've since switched over to Hawk Blues and have been very happy with them and the cheaper price. The main downside is that you have to really stay on top of cleaning your wheels and car as the material is quite corrosive.

Hope this thread can help, I was also looking for brake pads : https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...hreadid=116256 Good Luck !