porsche brakes - is it normal they're a bit sluggish?

Hi I'm a newbie on the forum. Did a test drive in a 996 recently, only my second go in a porsche so don't have a lot to compare it with. Is it normal the brakes feel a bit sluggish, ie you have to work quite hard to brake ? The brake discs looked ok (no big grooves or so), but I was thinking more in the direction of hydraulics? Any help would be appreciated!

Pad selection has a big bearing on how they feel as with any car. Porsche however put huge effort in making their cars very well weighted in every aspect, ie just the right amount of power assist, brake effort etc. I wouldn't have said they were lacking assistance but compared with a Ford KA, yes you will need to push a little harder. That allows better modulation..... The worst car ever for lack of assistance I've driven is the Chrysler Voyager - you need to lever against the steering wheel to get it to stop!

Porsche brakes are one of the world's best OEM. Many tuners use OEM Porsche Brakes as upgrades to other cars. In this case it sounds like a localised issue, fluid, pad ? a garage visit

IMO, the brakes do feel a little 'sluggish' in comparison to your average family hatch.....so much so that I had mine checked out under warranty and also drove Dave's Targa just to make sure they felt the same. However, rest assured they will stop you - they are awesome brakes.......my thinking is that the logic is if you really want to stop in a hurry they want to push on the pedal

There is nothing worse than an overly assisted brake pedal. I was going to convert my last car over to unassisted brakes with a pedal box. After driving an unassisted car you realise how much better you can modulate the brakes without vacuum assistance. I believe Porsche have got it spot on, like their power steering too, just perfect. In fact, that is why they always win the comparo's - because the whole experience is so well balanced.... I cannot rave enough about them... I don't know where I was without one!

Yep, common 'complaint' for 1st time Porsche owners when coming from modern family type cars is that the brakes do not feel powerful. As already mentioned, it's just that Porsche do not provide as much servo assistance and require you to use the leg muscles a bit more! But once you start using them, Porsche brakes are immensely more powerful and easier to modulate than the vast majority of all other manufacturers - especially those with highly servo'd brakes where braking feels like a binary on/off operation.

Thanks for your replies. I appreciate! It's comforting to know that more people have this issue when transitioning from a 'normal' car.

I had exactly the same question really. I test drove my brothers 996 as I am looking to buy it from him and I said the brakes didn't feel that great to which he was shocked as I was coming from a SAAB (company car, I wouldn't buy it ) and he said they are excellent.

Agree here too. The first time I drove a porsche 911 that too was my impression. Driven the cars from OPC, all the same. Agree with the other posts, once you get comfortable with the car and the power, you will adjust to the brakes and really appreciate how quick they slow you down. It really is amazing, so amazing that I worry that others may go into me in the rear because of how quick the car slows down!

The Boxster has a similar feel as well. You have to stamp on them to get them to really stop. I was convinced mine had a problem, but OPC said it was fine after a test drive. It's definitely just an adjustment from a normal car. I was on the motorway recently, where we went from 70(ish)mph to a complete stop. I was in a BMW with uprated brakes and a 996 was braking alongside me...I couldn't believe how quickly the 996 stopped.

Another agreeing post.... drove a 6turbo S with PCCB and 7C2S with steel and both underwhelmed me with their braking performance...... till i pressed harder !! Coming from a BMW, and making the first high speed stop, it was a bit of a suprise to say the least !!

Then why the big brake upgrade? Would condider this option myself as 4 pots on my old Audi TT were great, but on a 996tt they seem a little small.

I was more implying spot on for brake effort ie "feeling" more than capacity. I didn't put the kit on myself (was on from buying the car so can't comment on previous braking) and in fact I am trying to get hold of the 6 pot piston specs so I can do some calculations of before an after bias changes. In general the reason for bigger caliper / more pistons is to allow you to use a larger pad and maintain even pressure across the pad. Obviously the more pad in contact with the disc the better. More braking affect, slower pad wear. I am currently of the belief that the 6 piston upgrade and 360mm discs is putting the bias too far forward for optimum braking. I believe with the weight of the rear of the Porsche you can have a lot of rearward braking effort that would now be lacking. I have spoken to someone trialling 350mm rears that I believe will reinstate the balance from before and should provide unrivaled braking - however before I cough up and try it I want to do the sums myself and see where everything sits before and after.

always been a bit confused regarding more"pots" on a caliper meaning better braking? I would think that the amount of pots has little effect as it this in itself doesn't mean there is any more pressure/force being applied to the discs, Is it just the fact that bigger calipers allow more surface area contact (ie bigger pads) and therefore cooler operation? I can understand how a bigger disc will allow more torque to the braking force but 6 pot vs 4 pot on it's own i would think is a negligible improvement?

Edited..... I got lost while typing so to avoid confusion of fact versus fiction read the following posts