"Your brakes are terrible"

Having had the car for nearly 5 years, I always thought the brakes were ok, not had any issues for road use but I suppose you get used to what you've got. Anyway, I was at Donington Park on Wednesday and had a session with an instructor who noted afterwards that my brakes were terrible, in particular they lacked bite and power. So it's got me thinking about some upgrades. Coincidentally it's in for a major service at Revolution next month so will have the fluid changed but I'm now thinking about sports pads and maybe new discs. What would people recommend? Thanks

Get them to check the flexible hoses, they're 19 years old and could be expanding in use which could lead to poor performance/feel.

I think the 996 suffers from a slightly spongy pedal. I chatted to GCR central about this and they are all like it. I've had all new metal lines and hoses and change the fluid regularly and they still dont feel like a modern car, however, stand on them and they pull up well! I've read that a 997 GT3 master cylinder can be installed but needs an M12 to M10 convertor for one of the fittings. Do some research.

I did a test comparing the brake bite performance on my C2 with that on the CSL. Details here: Not long after this video I did change the front disks and pads as there was a fir bit of rust on the inner faces and it did improve it somewhat. CSL is still miles ahead though, to the point that it is uncomfortable for passengers when braking sharply due to the very high jerk rates. MC

Thanks all, I'll get them to pay close attention to what's there when it's in and see what they say. Replacing the flexi hoses definitely seems like a good idea though.

Wow, that's quite a difference!

My brakes were rubbish. I fitted new discs and RSL19's. They absolutely pin the nose to the ground and make the tyres howl with heat in them. Just my two penneth.

I replaced my pistons seals on all 4 Calipers last summer. (Repainted too by that isn't relevant) and it transformed the brakes. The "woody" feel that was in them (and my Boxster S before that) is a thing of the past. Much nicer pedal feel and progressive bite. Whatever about pads, disc, master cylinders etc, if your Caliper seals are more than a few years old, e.g. more than 5, get them changed. Also as mentioned, get braided flexible hoses if you don't already have them. You will naturally do a fluid change. Then see how the existing pads and discs perform. Food for thought.

Is there any special procedure to bleeding the brakes taking into consideration the abs module? Can it be done with a traditions vaccume bleeder or is the computer trickery required?

I believe as long as you don`t let the fluid reservoir empty and introduce air into the system before the ABS pump while bleeding , you will be fine with traditional methods :thumb: I`ve always found the brakes on my 996.1 nowhere near as nice feeling as my 987.1 Boaster S, just the way they are I`m told.

I should redo it with the updated brakes. I can tell from the feel it is about half way between the two. The 996 is better, but I wouldn't want it like the CSL, just too sharp for an everyday road car. You can have too much of a good thing. MC

Can you remember the seal/piston sizes you needed for the C4S? Looking at the Design911 website they list various sizes and say to check which ones you need. TIA Mark

Fonts are 36mm and 44mm Rears are 28mm and 30mm 2 pistons of each size on each calliper. Therefore you will need 4 of each seal and 4 of each dust seal. Brembo original seals are best. No debate. They are expensive not just because of marketing but because of quality. All that being said - Biggred sell aftermarket seals. I used these on recommendation and of others here. All that being said - brakes are far more important than most other components on your car. While the process of changing seals is simple on the face of it, doing it without proper equipment can be a challenge. Pistons can be stuck. Even if they aren't, it is easy to damage them if you grip them to pull them out. Pipe fittings and bleed nipples can snap. I made the mistake of cleaning my pistons in G101 cleaner - not in itself bad - but I forgot about them and left it in it overnight. It ate the anodising. 16 pistons wrecked. The short story is I had to replace them all. There are aftermarket pistons available, but while the outside diameter is correct, the inside diameter and wall thickness isn't. A very expensive lesson. When I installed my callipers post paint and new seals, one of the bleed nipples wouldn't seal. Upon closer look, it has been bodged in a previous life. So it had to come off and go to Thomas at procalipers for repair. That is the long way of suggesting to you that while paying someone to overhaul your calipers will seem expensive, it is a smarter decision. I recommend Thomas at procalipers. He uses genuine seals but the y cost less when he fits them. He will also repair any damaged threads etc no problem at all and will pressure test the calipers. Worth considering.

Many thanks for the information and shared experiences. I've seen biggred on Ebay and have those ones lined up along with pistons in the same kit. Best to get pistons as well in case there's corrosion on the ones that come out. I've got new titanium bleed nipples as well for good measure and braided flexi lines. It's going to be a winter project along with new stainless manifolds and titanium studs nuts and bolts. That's going to the pain job to do as I know that most of the manifold bolts will be seized Thanks again for the info. Mark

Pistons are about £50 each average. Consider before spending £800! Only replace if they need to be. Having spoken to procalipers- they rarely need to be replaced. The only ones that will work are Brembo. The inside diameter is critical as the brake pad dampers won't fit in any of the ones available from aftermarket suppliers. Even the wrong spec of brembo piston won't work. The bigg red pistons are not correct. I spoke to them last year - also other businesses that sell pistons. While the outside diameter might be the same, the design is different e.g. heat dissipation - so if you want brakes that operate as brembo intended, only replace pistons if needed and only with brembo. Also, if you are painting, having tried to strip the factory coating with chemical stripper to avoid blasting off the black factory anodising under it, I suggest not worrying about the anodising and blasting them. The factory coating has kryptonite in it. You will lose the will to live trying to strip them. Just make sure if you are blasting, to tape up the cylinders properly.