Discussion
NorthDave said:
Hi All
A mate of mine has a 56 Cayman and hates the brakes. Reckons they are not responsive enough, especially compared to his wifes TT.
He isn't a member on here (yet!) but I wondered if this was a known issue? Are there well worn upgrade paths for these cars?
Thanks in advance
Dave
Either the brakes are faulty - in which case replacement with standard Porshce brakes will be more than sufficient.A mate of mine has a 56 Cayman and hates the brakes. Reckons they are not responsive enough, especially compared to his wifes TT.
He isn't a member on here (yet!) but I wondered if this was a known issue? Are there well worn upgrade paths for these cars?
Thanks in advance
Dave
Or he is confusing the over-servoed Audi brakes with the more progressive brakes typical of a Porsche - you just need to brake a bit harder as the initial bite from the first press of the pedal will be lower.
Ultimate stopping power is not in question with the Cayman, if the brakes are working properly.
As said earlier is he just mistaking a longer pedal travel for 'rubbish brakes'!
Most modern cars have huge initial bite which is very difficult to modulate, but when you press harder they are sometimes lacking.
Cayman is the opposite, more progressive but always more than enough stopping power.
I remember jumping into my brother's Elise 111S, I don't even think it had a brake servo. Initially it just felt like it had NO brakes but after a while I realised they were very good when you press hard enough.
Most modern cars have huge initial bite which is very difficult to modulate, but when you press harder they are sometimes lacking.
Cayman is the opposite, more progressive but always more than enough stopping power.
I remember jumping into my brother's Elise 111S, I don't even think it had a brake servo. Initially it just felt like it had NO brakes but after a while I realised they were very good when you press hard enough.
They are far less servo assisted than an Audi brake. Longer pedal travel, harder to depress the pedal.
For someone not used to it it can result in some readjustment of muscle memory.
They are Brembo calipers, great quality.
I'll add that the first time I drove mine (obviously used), the pads had worn down or were glazed, so there was a genuinely scary amount of hesitation under braking. New pads sorted it immediately.
For someone not used to it it can result in some readjustment of muscle memory.
They are Brembo calipers, great quality.
I'll add that the first time I drove mine (obviously used), the pads had worn down or were glazed, so there was a genuinely scary amount of hesitation under braking. New pads sorted it immediately.
Edited by FisiP1 on Tuesday 10th September 17:56
New front discs, pads (all Pagid) and decent Ate Dot 4 fluid totally transformed the braking on mine. They are fabulously feel-some and progressive, just need to keep on top of wear / fluid. The parts are not expensive (certainly on the 2.7), particularly taking advantage of one of ECPs numerous sales.
NorthDave said:
Hi All
A mate of mine has a 56 Cayman and hates the brakes. Reckons they are not responsive enough, especially compared to his wifes TT.
He isn't a member on here (yet!) but I wondered if this was a known issue? Are there well worn upgrade paths for these cars?
Thanks in advance
Dave
Honestly i'm surprised at almost everyone in this thread; I have to conclude some of the commenters simply don't own Caymans.A mate of mine has a 56 Cayman and hates the brakes. Reckons they are not responsive enough, especially compared to his wifes TT.
He isn't a member on here (yet!) but I wondered if this was a known issue? Are there well worn upgrade paths for these cars?
Thanks in advance
Dave
A majority opinion over on the Planet-9 forums is that the pedal travel and initial bite point on the Cayman is too low giving an apparent squishy feeling. This feeling results in people not having the confidence required when breaking from high speeds, despite the fact that the braking potential is there.
The brakes are almost definitely the weak link in the Cayman chain in my opinion.
This is an issue with feel rather than performance.
In order to improve feel you can upgrade the master brake cylinder to the GT3 master brake cylinder which is the same part but with a 13% larger internal bore. This displaces more fluid as the brake is depressed giving you higher initial bite and a firmer pedal. Want your Caymans brakes to FEEL like a GT3's? Do this mod. The part number is 977.355.910.30, the original Porsche part is approximately £300 however the OEM manufacturer TRW sells the exact same part for approximately £100 less.
If your friend does not mean the 'feel' of the brakes and is referring to performance instead then I recommend increasing the size of the discs (potentially to 340/320mm slotted floating girodiscs) or swapping the pads to a performance brand such as Pagid, Endless or Carbotech.
Best of luck to your friend.
Cayman brakes, if working properly, are excellent in my opinion - I've had my Cayman S for 3 years from new and never had any problems. Worth your friend getting them checked out by the dealer or a good independent, as that will sort out whether it's a perception issue, or if they need refreshing.
Maybe he has something wrong with the brakes as others have mentioned. When I had my Cayman S the OE pads were more than adequate for road driving. When going to a trackday I'd put in set of Pagids and then remove them upon my return. The brake dust from them was pretty bad and the squeal was annoying at normal road braking levels.
I'm sure not everyone thinks they are great brakes but every Porsche I have driven can't be faulted when it comes to brakes. One of Porsche's claims is that all their cars can stop from 60 mph in half the time it takes to accelerate to 60 mph.
Each to their own.
I'm sure not everyone thinks they are great brakes but every Porsche I have driven can't be faulted when it comes to brakes. One of Porsche's claims is that all their cars can stop from 60 mph in half the time it takes to accelerate to 60 mph.
Each to their own.
Try PCCB you will not have any braking issues,
Not only are the disks much larger, you get massive calipers also.
I find the cayman R travel ok though makes it heal and toe easy.
I would fear if you fit the GT3 master then the pedal will be to high to allow good heal and toe.
I find it very hard with The PCCB set up to heal and toe as the bite is harsh and pedal travel small.
But boy does it stop well.
if I take people out in the R people think I am a driving God as it allows very easy heal and toe.
I am happy with the pedal travel and would prob only change to rs29pads and oem disks are only £80.
The PCCB cylinder is bigger then oem but smaller than the GT3 and I think would be my choice for the smaller 4 pots.
There is NOT a braking issue on the road though, so depends what you are doing with the car.
Not only are the disks much larger, you get massive calipers also.
I find the cayman R travel ok though makes it heal and toe easy.
I would fear if you fit the GT3 master then the pedal will be to high to allow good heal and toe.
I find it very hard with The PCCB set up to heal and toe as the bite is harsh and pedal travel small.
But boy does it stop well.
if I take people out in the R people think I am a driving God as it allows very easy heal and toe.
I am happy with the pedal travel and would prob only change to rs29pads and oem disks are only £80.
The PCCB cylinder is bigger then oem but smaller than the GT3 and I think would be my choice for the smaller 4 pots.
There is NOT a braking issue on the road though, so depends what you are doing with the car.
I own a 2006 Cayman S (8th Porsche for me), have owned a Mk1 Audi TT in the past and currently an A6. As per previous posters, the Audis have too much servo assistance for my liking. My advice to the OP's friend would be to get someone familiar with driving Porsche cars to comment on the braking system performance before spending money on braking upgrades.
Top Gear review of the 987.1 Cayman S
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1c5Wct1weE&t=3...
"The only dynamic criticism's I have really are the brakes which are a bit... mushy really..."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1c5Wct1weE&t=3...
"The only dynamic criticism's I have really are the brakes which are a bit... mushy really..."
anonymous said:
[redacted]
there is def a lot more travel from steel set up vs the PCCB set up.A lot of people don't like it hence the GT3 master cylinder fitting, but that would NOT change the performance of the brakes.
The bite is a bit week imo on the Cayman, but that's driving back to back with a PCCB car, you get used to it.
A better pad would sort that and if you are on track you would want a better pad any way and some cooling ducts.
I have tracked the R and not had a issue though, my tyres melted before the brakes went off. I now have a set of R spec tyres, but have not used the R on track with them yet, only the PCCB car.
oem brake set up standard does not give confidence on track though, but did work.
I guess if you wanted the best and not PCCB, get the PCCB larger caliper and the larger Brembo PCCB steel replacement disks, with PC08 or RS29 pads.
that would be a nice set up.
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