996 brakes

[911 dreamer]

Hi everyone,

I finally got my first 911 a few weeks ago and I love it, a 1998 996 tt. I was lucky to find an immaculate one with about 90k on it and fpsh. I have a question though...the brakes on my wife's mini and my civic are very sensitive, you only have to touch them and the car stops on a sixpence. However, in the Porsche the brakes seem quite 'wooden' and you have to push the pedal pretty firmly to get any decent braking pressure. Is this normal? I appreciate the brakes in a car like this probably should feel different to a 'normal' car but wondered if this was right..any suggestions please?

Many thanks

[DaveCarrera4S]

Two questions, what year 996 TT do you have again? There was no 996 Turbo in 1998. And, what does fpsh mean?

[911 dreamer]

Sorry it's not a turbo, just a standard 3.4 Carrera 2, tiptronic gearbox....fpsh: full Porsche service history.

[JFP in PA]

Check the car's service records for the last time the brake hydraulic system was flushed, if it was more than 2 years ago, you need to flush the system.

[911 dreamer]

Thanks guys, it had a brake fluid change in January - maybe it's just me, how do yours feel? As sensitive as other cars?

[up4speed]

Thanks guys, it had a brake fluid change in January - maybe it's just me, how do yours feel? As sensitive as other cars?

Mine feels the same way.  I changed the fluid recently also using a power bleeder and no change in feel. 

The pedal definitely feels like it needs a good amount of initial pressure.  The brakes are strong, but they don't feel like they are too strong unless I push down with more pressure than I would expect to.

[j_beede]

Maybe someone installed high performance pads in your car? My MY05 997's pedal is reasonably hard and does not require unusually high pressure. It has stock pads.

[P.Viby]

Check rotors and pads. Use the Porsche OEM parts. Porsche is known for making some of the best brake systems. Worn out rotors and pads could give you the feeling of brake pressure you describe. See if you can get a look at the rotors from behind. It can be heavily corroded on one side even it looks good on the other.

[911 dreamer]

Thanks for all the replies guys, really useful. I'll check the rotors but it sounds like it might be normal ish too.

[machster]

Might be Ceramic pads. I used these people once and they required alot of push on the pedal. If you have clean wheels instead of brake dust covered wheels, change the pads.

[up4speed]

Might be Ceramic pads. I used these people once and they required alot of push on the pedal. If you have clean wheels instead of brake dust covered wheels, change the pads.

My brakes seem to behave as the OP's do.  I have a TON of brake dust right away, so I'm assuming that I have standard pads. 

[Varianti]

I would agree with the OP. The first time I drove the car I was disappointed of the brake feel. I had to push really hard to get some deceleration. I changed the brakes and I had the case that the inside of all 4 rotors was corroded. So I exchanged them and did a brake flush. It's somewhat better now but still not what I was hoping for. My Infiniti and Mercedes have better brakes with more bite. It might be an issue of having better feel when braking. I could imagine that the Porsche brakes are better on the race track but just daily driving they are not thrilling.

[P.Viby]

I would agree with the OP. The first time I drove the car I was disappointed of the brake feel. I had to push really hard to get some deceleration. I changed the brakes and I had the case that the inside of all 4 rotors was corroded. So I exchanged them and did a brake flush. It's somewhat better now but still not what I was hoping for. My Infiniti and Mercedes have better brakes with more bite. It might be an issue of having better feel when braking. I could imagine that the Porsche brakes are better on the race track but just daily driving they are not thrilling.

I strongly doubt that your Infiniti or Mercedes have better brakes compared to the 996. Be course you feel that you need to push the pedal harder for it to brake is just becourse the brake amplifier is adjusted in a different way on the 996. If you wanna compare brake systems with each other, take the cars on a track and see how they handle when they get pushed to the limit.

[up4speed]

 

I would agree with the OP. The first time I drove the car I was disappointed of the brake feel. I had to push really hard to get some deceleration. I changed the brakes and I had the case that the inside of all 4 rotors was corroded. So I exchanged them and did a brake flush. It's somewhat better now but still not what I was hoping for. My Infiniti and Mercedes have better brakes with more bite. It might be an issue of having better feel when braking. I could imagine that the Porsche brakes are better on the race track but just daily driving they are not thrilling.

I strongly doubt that your Infiniti or Mercedes have better brakes compared to the 996. Be course you feel that you need to push the pedal harder for it to brake is just becourse the brake amplifier is adjusted in a different way on the 996. If you wanna compare brake systems with each other, take the cars on a track and see how they handle when they get pushed to the limit.

 

I think Porsche adjusts their brake and throttle like that on purpose so they are easier to modulate.

If the throttle and brake are too touchy, it adds abruptness to the persons driving (very bad for track).  I noticed that the brakes are very strong, but need a very deliberate push to make them work hard.  Same goes for the throttle, it feels slow reacting, and has a long travel compared to my other cars. With the throttle and brake adjusted that way, I find my driving smoother when pushing it to the limit. 

Some cars I've driven in the past have obviously adjusted the throttle in a way that a slight touch makes the car lurch forward, therefore making the car feel fast and hyperactive.  While this makes the car feel faster than it is, it makes it touchy and harder to drive at the limit.  My Ferrari is like that.  It is actually slower than my Turbo, but with the incredible screaming sound and the touchy throttle, it feels way faster under part throttle acceleration.  The Turbo feels very docile like a Toyota when driven gently. 

I think the German engineers are all about making the better "tool for the job".

Edited May 7, 2015 by up4speed