Brake Judder?

Seem to have aquired some brake judder. I recently replaced discs & pads about 2k miles ago, all was fine. On the way to Germany this weekend I noticed some judder with some relatively easy braking, there is nothing to feel at all from cold, it seems to be when some heat gets in there the problem arises, also I guess this was the first time I've driven the car with a fair anount of weight in it, 2 up + luggage etc. At the ring this weekend it just got worse & kept me down to only a few laps, not very confidence inspiring when you need to jump on the binders and you're getting some fierce juddery feedback throuh the wheel. So it seems heat, speed & weight make the issue more pronounced. I used oem parts for the change and although I assume the quality is good now I'm not so sure. If the discs have warped then I'd imagine the issue would be there all the time? Could it be that the pads are heating up & not dealing with it well. Any advice gratiously received, or at least a reasonable way of diagnosing the problem.

I'm by no means an expert, but is it possible that some air got into your brake system during the change?

Did you replace all the discs + pads ? I had the same trouble - turned out to be the rears which needed sorting , although I'd have put money on the problem being at the front. morgan BTW if you changed them all disregard above!

I only changed the fronts, the judder is in the steering wheel, it can't be the rears. No air in the system as I've had a brake fluid change during an OPC service after the pad & dis swap. I'm begining to think it's the "OEM" pads not being able to deal with the heat build up. I'm going to investigate some EBC's or Pagid,

I thought the same , could only feel it through the steering, but it was 100% the rears, I'd get them checked before you start changing pads, Sypmtoms you describe are the same as I experienced, after they had been changed the amount of work the rears are doing is alot more than in most cars which is why I worked on the basis it must be the fronts, interested to know if you find something else that causes it though! morgan

Try abrading the new pads, and giving the discs a going over with a light rotary abrasive disc (both sides). Check too that the Pads are snug but free in the Calipers. It sounds as though you have got some "glazed" points on the new discs. May be worth just checking track rod ends etc to see if there is any play that is amplified by the disc issue, Front Wheel Bearings play would not help either. Hope I'm not teaching Granny to Suck Eggs :thewife: Regards Big Bob ld: :bye:

Morg996, I will check the rears, not dumb enough to ignore advice! uh: what exactly needed doing to the rears then? pads & discs changed? Bigbob, all advice gratefully received, and I will have the front & rear pads out at the weekend to have a look.

well I checked the fronts, apart from a very slight line in the pad surface nothin untoward. DRiving around this weekend the brakes felt fine but no way was I really putting any heat into them. After having my wheels refinished & an awful balancing job done on the fronts, now corrected, I think I can feel some unbalance from the rears so I will have those re balanced & check the rear brakes over this weekend. If I was to consider a GT3 style upgrade to the fronts , where would I get the parts?

Hi Senoj With the clear understanding I'm not on a commission (Right Paul wink wink :lol: ) talk to Paul at the Porsche Shop. They give good service at competitive prices. Mention me if you like. Regards Big Bob :bye:

All, I embarked on first (ever) track session last night at Knockhill! Was fantastic!! Didn't at all mind being passed by heavily tuned 996 Turbo, Radical, Gallardo Superleggera...... :thumb: Anyhow, once warmed up, I too was suffering from a lot of judder from the brakes - could feel it through the steering wheel, and could hear it too, and did appear to be coming from the rear end. Visually, both front and rear discs and pads look fine, and to be honest not far off new (no lips at disc edges etc), although a mate suggested could be the inside of the rear discs (which I could not see). No judder / vibration except under (medium / heavy) braking. Comments?

Hi Before your trackday is your general driving style one of light braking, ie you drive well ahead and anticipate changes in traffic speed, so do not need to stamp on the brakes very often? If it is you may have slightly "glazed" the discs before your track day. And this will show up on hard "hot" braking. This is best resolved with a bit of light rotary scuffing with an fine grit carboronderam (spelling) disc. At the same time give the pads a rub on a flat surface on a piece of emery cloth. You will need then to re bed the brakes on reassembly. If you use your brakes heavily normally then let me know and I'll think again. Regards Big Bob

Try the following with safety in mind.... Go out on a smooth A road late at night/early hours. Accelerate to 60mph+ then brake gently at first all the way down to 20mph then keep repeating the process, progressively braking harder. Around 10 cycles should do it. By the last few you should be almost engaging the abs but not quite. That is basically the bedding in procedure but if you continue to do it you ***might*** smooth out any glazed spots. The idea is to transfer a thin layer of pad material on to the discs which is needed to make the brakes effective. Be sure to heat the discs/pads up gradualy as sudden temperature changes are to be avoided. I think what Bob is saying is if you're relatively gentle with the brakes under normal driving, that layer is wiped of and you don't generate enough heat to transfer it again. Hence go through the bedding in procudure on your first couple of laps of any track day. Also don't keep the breaks on after coming to a standstill when they're hot.