993 brakes - advice please

[tertius]

This is the situation: the brakes on my 993 are due for replacement any time soon - the lowest pad had about 1mm to go to the sensor before I went to Vmax on Sunday - I assume it has rather less now, though I haven't actually looked, and the pads are lowest on the inside of the rear wheels anyway, so pretty hard to see without a lift ...

In addition it will need new discs - the rears especially have pretty heavy rust scaling, again worst on the inner faces (I assume the two are related ...)

So far so good, but here is the dilemma, my next track day is later this month, and I'm not convinced I'll have time to bed them in properly before then. Apart from anything else I probably won't get them done 'til the week after next. Additional complication is at the end of August I'll be going to the 'Ring and they definitely have to be done and bedded in before then, but at least I'll have the 300 odd miles from here to there to help with that.

So do I:

a) do them now and just try really hard to bed them in before the July track day?
b) leave them til after the track day (keeping my fingers crossed they last)?
c) (just thought of this) just do the rear pads now and then the rest after the track day, accepting that I may totally trash the rear set?

cheers

NB I'm no great driver so probably not going to be terrifically hard on my brakes.

[verysideways]

A or B, not C (you'll trash the pads on the old discs)
suggest A if at all possible - maybe spend the first half of the day at the track doing "warm" laps, and trying the old conservation of momentum (pretend your brakes have failed and see how much speed you can carry through the corners)

[tertius]

Cheers VS, it is only a half day day (if you see what I mean) - evening at Bedford - so I suspect they will last.

[clubsport]

Tertius from our conversation at the w/e I thought this was going to be your first real trackday in the 993?

You will have enough to worry about....get your brakes as close to 100% as you can and I would also suggest DOT 5 fluid if not new standard brake fluid before.

If you have less meat on your pads you will get heat into the caliper quicker and there is more chance of boiling fluid and a squidgy pedal.

You may use more brake pad than you anticipated which could be expensive, not only as you ruin your disc, but you may have to abort your track day just as you are getting into it.

Never worth taking a chance with brakes if going on track in my view....have fun at bedford

[tertius]

clubsport, that is right.

My concern was mainly that I might not get them bedded in in time, and would I be worse off in that situation than with the current well worn brakes? I need new discs anyway, so in itself that isn't a big concern.

[Pickled Piper]

I don't understand why you will not be able to get them bedded in in time. The procedure normally takes about half an hour. I use about ten maximum retardation stops from about 70mph don't induce ABS and don't let the car come to a complete stop etc.

Am I doing something wrong or missing something?

pp

[tertius]

Pickled Piper said:

I don't understand why you will not be able to get them bedded in in time. The procedure normally takes about half an hour. I use about ten maximum retardation stops from about 70mph don't induce ABS and don't let the car come to a complete stop etc.

Am I doing something wrong or missing something?

pp

I was under the impression that rather more than that was recommended before a track day on new brakes - happy to be proved wrong, hence my request for advice

[Pickled Piper]

Tertius,

I was in a similar situation a few weeks back with my 993; brakes were past their best and a track day was looming. I changed all the pads and disks, used the bedding in procedure that I descibed and attended the track day a few days later. My brakes are trouble free and all is fine and dandy. No vibration, rock hard pedal and superb retardation. Not the slightest hind of fade on the track day.

I don't think I missed anything or did anything wrong. No doubt experts will be along soon to tell me different and explain that it is a black art.

Edited to add;

Porsche brakes are top notch in standard form, so providing everything is working properly and you have relatively new fluid you are unlikely to experience any problems on track.


pp

Edited by Pickled Piper on Tuesday 4th July 17:36

[abarber]

If you have new discs and pads, can't see what the problem is. They will bed in very quickly.

Get DOT 5 fluid as suggested above, brakes should be great then and well up to reasonable track use.

[tertius]

OK thanks all, decision made, I'll try to get it in this week, before I go away next week.

Mind you, where I will find a road I can do 70-5 mph ten times I don't know ...