Brake pad wear

I was checking my Pagid Oranges after my last DE and found my front pads had at least one, maybe two more events left in them, but the rears were shot. I was used to the fronts going out long before the rears in my M3. Is this normal? Wondered is the rear-engine changed the brake bias. Still learning the car! Thanks

Hmmm, I'm running Oranges as well on stock calipers and rotors. My fronts are wearing faster than my rears.

Because the main weight of the 996 is in the "right" place rear pads tend to wear faster than your (and mine) experience has dictated in the past. With cars like the M-3 where the mass is in the front ( or IMHO in the wrong place!)more braking action takes place on the front brakes.

huh? My fronts are wearing much quicker than the rears. I have track events on them (about 4) and the fronts have a 1/4 of the pad left. The rears are still good (about 1/8th worn). I'm a heavy braker, even on the streets, just to keep the squealing down to a minimum.

My rears are wearing 30% more than the front ! I wonder if the TT brake setting is the same than the C2/C4.

Jyoteen are you going to Laguna Seca with June 26th with PCA? I'll be there http://www.coastaldriving.org

So.. ummm.. here's a stupid question: In two weeks I'll be doing my first D.E. with my 996 (done many driver's ed in my '97 M3 when I had that) and just ordered a set of Hawk HPS+ street/track pads for the event. My current pads are getting kinda thin anyhew... This particular D.E. is at Blackhawk Farms, a track that is noted for being hard on brakes. In my M3 it was generally accepted (by myself and other M3 drivers) that a set of these hawk pads would last one event... I'd go with new pads and be down to about 1/4 or less by the end of the day. I would run in Group 2 (intermediate) with BFG R1's. So, can I expect the Porsche brakes to fair better? It would be nice to get more than one event out of the pads. trev

I had my pads and rotors changed at 15K miles due to track use. The front and rears looked fairly evenly worn down, with maybe the rears just a touch more life left in them. Granted, these were stock OEM high performance pads, but it is my understanding that the brake bias is calibrated such that rears and fronts on the 996 will wear out evenly with heavy use. Fronts will go sooner on pure street use. If you have PSM, uneven wear or more wear on the rears is reportedly one of the signs that PSM has been intervening signifcantly with the driving style of the driver. I'm gonna go out on a limb for this, but I don't see any reason for Hawks or Pagids on a Porsche. The stock pads with the C4S red brakes haul the car down plenty fast for me, hitting threshold frequently or even ABS occasionally, with street tires or R-compounds. No fade either. For plain stopping power during DE with an essentially stock P-car except maybe for R-compounds, the stock high performance Porsche pads can't be beat. I've heard that Pagids are more forgiving on the rotors and prolong rotor life, but I'm not so sure this is not more urban legend rather than fact.

Interesting comment about the PSM. I must admit, it has kicked in more that twice on the track! I would be interested to know if anyone else feels stock pads would give the same performance as Pagids. I find that a little hard to believe, but I would love to save the money if possible. I do run R compounds, in the advanced group.