Brake ducts revisited...

[insite]

After seeing the discussion on here I bought a set of the GT3 (non-RS) ducts from Suncoast for my '99 Boxster for about $30 and installed them this past weekend.

$30? Seriously?

[blinkwatt]

$30? Seriously?

Yep,that's how much they cost.

[insite]

$30? Seriously?

Yep,that's how much they cost.

wow; for some reason i was under the impression they were like $230. for $30, it's a no brainer.

[seafeye]

$30? Seriously?

Yep,that's how much they cost.

wow; for some reason i was under the impression they were like $230. for $30, it's a no brainer.

Picked them up last week and installed them today.

Very easy to install and fit great. Enjoy pics...

[geoff]

I started this thread and have been remiss in reporting my final results and findings. After driving around with the original brake ducts on one side and the GT3 ducts on the other, and measuring brake temperatures on numerous occasions, I found that the stock ducts keep the brakes slightly cooler in slower driving, whereas at higher speeds and/or more braking, such as driving through the canyons, the GT3 ducts keep the brakes at least as cool or cooler, as measured with an infrared laser thermometer. I can't tell any improvement in braking, but if cooling were an issue, I could always rationalize these as less unsprung weight than swapping in Boxster S front brakes, and a lot less expensive :D

As others have said, installation is pretty straightforward. I found the only easy way to install the brake ducts was to jack up the front of the car and remove the front wheel to get unimpeded access to the duct on the control arm. (It was also a good excuse to break down and finally buy a jack pad)

Here are side by side pictures of the stock and GT3 ducts, with the stock at the bottom and the GT3 at the top

Here are the before pictures showing the stock brake duct

and here are the after pictures with the GT3 brake duct in place

For reference, here's a view of just how far down the ducts go. I recently had the ROW M030 suspension installed, and the front of my car now scrapes the bottom of my driveway, but these don't seem to have any problems scraping

And last, here's the jack pad I used, which I highly recommend for fit and function

Edited October 18, 2007 by geoff

[mee]

Great pics! Thanks.

[pjalexandre]

Geoff,

I think that you need to go back and get baselines. You are assuming that under normal conditions your left and right rotor surface temps are the same as a starting point. This is not the case. As observed on other folks cars and my own... My rotor surface temps differ from left to right by as much as 50F using the same ducts on each side. Without before temps and after temps you can tell conclusively anything.

Also: I having been using these 997 GT3 ducts for about 1 year now and am pretty happy w/ their performance on the track.

Edited May 31, 2008 by pjalexandre

[silver arrow]

I'll order some this week, thanks for the info. I love this site.

[PFPADM]

How aboult the big 996 Cup anyone install theis big ducts?

[ericinboca]

I have a set of GT3 RS brake ducts installed on the front of my 986S race car. The picture shows the driver side. You can see how much abuse they have taken - much of the bottom is simply ground away from curbing and the front being raked low. And in the second picture, you can see me holding a regular GT3 brake duct for size comparison. The picture does not show it well, but the RS duct is much bigger....but it is also stupid expensive.

And for giggles, I have attached some images of the rear cooling system we made. We fashioned an aluminum bracket that attaches to the wheel carrier using the holes that existed for the brake dust shield. The silicone aircraft hose attaches to the aluminum tube we made as part of the bracket. The other end is a lightweight, plastic and inexpensive air scoop commonly used with old air cooled 911s for brake cooling. It is screwed onto the aluminum "v" brace. I haven't taken any rotor temps with the new setup, but it is clearly moving a lot of air - the dust accumulation on the wheels is a fraction of what it used to be.

[Loren]

How aboult the big 996 Cup anyone install theis big ducts?

Somewhat good for smooth race tracks -- not so good on ordinary streets. Street life will be very short.

[infocusf8]

Sonnen Porsche in San Rafael sold me the GT3 non RS ducts for $6.95 ea. and shipped them. They installed easily on my '99 Boxster. I've attached a pic of the right side installed.