What brake upgrades do we have for base Boxster?

[motoadve]

Can we put Boxster S brakes in a base model?
Or what other brake upgrades options can the base model have?

[FrayAdjacent]

Originally Posted by motoadve

Can we put Boxster S brakes in a base model?
Or what other brake upgrades options can the base model have?

Putting S brakes (same as the 996) on the base Boxster is one of the common upgrades. I believe the fronts need some sort of adapter bracket, though. You might check the DIY forum here, or search on RennTech.

Other than that, you'd have to look at a kit from Brembo or something. Finding a set of used 996 or Boxster S calipers from a dismantler would probably be cheaper!

[rick3000]

Dismantlers normally sell a set of four about $500. I am not sure about any brackets that might be needed. You could also get cross drilled rotors.

[blinkwatt]

Originally Posted by motoadve

Can we put Boxster S brakes in a base model?
Or what other brake upgrades options can the base model have?

You can fit the 986 S brakes on the 986 but you must change some parts for the handbrake as well. Local dismantlers around Sacramento sell a kit for $1k for the brakes & another $100 for the handbrake hardware.

You may want to talk to the user 'insite' more about this,he recently did it to his Boxster.

I am currently considering all these options myself so I am reading with great interest. We all need to remember this: the base Boxster has excellent brakes. I read somewhere once that the monoblock design is one of the first to go in a production car, the same article went on to say the design was derived from a Porsche race car. They never made it clear why monoblock is an important feature, if anyone knows I'd love to know myself. Anyway, for street driving, they are probably excellent as is. I was thinking of just putting the drilled rotors on and painting the calipers red, but that seems like design dishonesty, I don't want the car to look like a poser...

[djomlas]

if you go with larger calipers, you will need larger rotors as well, keep that in mind

[der Geist]

For street driving I think the standard brakes are more than enough. If you want to beef them up try slotted and/or drilled rotors with pagid pads.

[Topless]

If I remember right you are driving a Tip. in the mountains of Costa Rica. Before you spend thousands on a brake upgrade, consider this:

If you are burning up brakes you may have a sticky caliper so the pads do not release completely when you get off them. Or just a bad set of pads. It happens. A lot of my friends use aftremarket Pagid racing pads and they are excellent on hot days at the track but they often squeal like crazy.

My car has stock brakes with OEM pads, approx. 10,000 mi and 6 track days with multiple 15-20 min. sessions. Pads are only about 1/2 gone so far. They are very quiet and very dusty. No noticable fade. The best brakes I have ever owned. And yes I do use my brakes but given a choice I usually choose the pedal on the right. I also shred my tires regularly on mountain roads here. I usually do my traction limit driving uphill and I use a lot of engine braking coming down hill so I stay off the brakes as much as possible so they cool down.

Food for thought.

[racer_d]

I beleive the Boxster S front brakes are a bolt on procedure. Not sure if the rears are a simple bolt on or if more is needed. Given that it is a Porsche, it is likely more is needed.


Monoblock - Creating a caliper from a single block of metal allows for a stonger caliper. Less flex is a good think. Surer feel. Better contol. "Porsche" brakes on the new cars are made by Brembo.

Boxster S front brakes are the same used on the 996. They have thicker rotors that are cross drilled and correspondingly, larger calipers. Cant recall how much (percentage) that are larger over the stock brakes.

The advantage to larger brakes is HEAT MANAGEMENT. The larger swept area and calipers can absorb more heat before fading and boiling of brake fluid.

I think in another thread you were disappointed/suprised that you "needed new brakes" in 10,000 miles.

Brakes are a tradeoff. You can get really ****************ty brake pads and hard rotors to last 100,000 miles, or you can use softer materials that decrease braking distances and wear out quicker. you can't have it all.

You might consider keeping the stock brakes, but upgrading your brake pads to a different material that works with higher heat ranges and higher friction quotients. You might also consider changing brake fluids to higher temp ones if brake fade is an issue.

Sometimes, 10,000 mile brake changes and tires that wear out in the same mileage ARE the reason why the car performs so well. Part of the price of playing.

Also, consider the cost of upgrading (lets say, $1000-2000 in parts, maybe more with outside labor) can pay for a lot of pad changes on your current brake system, especially if you DIY the work.

[motoadve]

Brake fade has not been an issue.
But more braking power will be nice.
If brake pads alone can give more braking power which ones do you guys recommend?

Problem with the tip, is sometimes you need to brake hard, when it just autoupshifts before a turn that I had setup at 7000 rpms and use compression braking, its goes a higher gear bu itself and its time to brake hard.

Maybe that's why they are worn out.

[Topless]

Heat, brake fade, and wear are mostly a function of brake components. Stopping distance is mostly a function of weight and tire grip. Your stock base Boxter already has a stopping distance that rivals the Ferrari Maranello or F355. Upgraded tires are the best way to improve stopping distance. Upgraded brake components are the best way to overcome brake fade and brake overheat problems.

[insite]

my stock brakes would fade a lot at some tracks. i upgraded to boxster S / 996 brakes. the fronts are a direct bolt-on (you will of course need new rotors). the rears require either an adapter for the e-brake or a special rotor available directly from brembo. this rotor has the base 986 e-brake / hub surface with the correct offset for the 996 / S calipers.

the rear 996 / S calipers are identical except for the guide pins. the rotors are the same diameter, but are 2mm thicker. you really only need to do the fronts.

at the track, the difference is VERY noticable. on the street, stopping distances are of course the same, but the feel & modulation are superior with the upgrade. i spend a lot of time at the track; for me, this was one of my most worthwhile upgrades. they knocked over 1 sec / lap off my times at TGPR.

[j.fro]

Another option is to switch out the stock hoses for a set of stainless steel hoses. When I swapped mine I noticed an immediate difference in the pedal feel: it was much stiffer. Also, you might try flushing the system and replacing the stock fluid with ATE or another good race fluid.

[arenared]

Originally Posted by insite

the rears require either an adapter for the e-brake or a special rotor available directly from brembo. this rotor has the base 986 e-brake / hub surface with the correct offset for the 996 / S calipers.

Do you have any part numbers or links? I've searched all things Brembo that I could find and could not find these "special" rotors. I assume the rear rotors are 24mm wide. Thanks!

[arenared]

For the original poster, I would not do the fronts without the rears as you will be increasing the already heavy front brake bias and decrease your braking capability although you would be increasing the heat soak capabilities of the front. I would recommend trying more aggressive pads, and if that is not enough (your pads/rotors overheating), then the S brakes would be the next logical step. The special Brembo rotors that 'insite' mentions and I've been looking for are the missing link. BTW, you can sell your calipers and recoup the majority of the costs of S calipers because Boxster brakes are in very high demand by VW/Audi modders.

I also put in braided stainless lines. No detectable difference IMHO. Flushing the fluid is a good idea if you haven't done it recently/regularly.

[insite]

Originally Posted by arenared

For the original poster, I would not do the fronts without the rears as you will be increasing the already heavy front brake bias and decrease your braking capability although you would be increasing the heat soak capabilities of the front. I would recommend trying more aggressive pads, and if that is not enough (your pads/rotors overheating), then the S brakes would be the next logical step. The special Brembo rotors that 'insite' mentions and I've been looking for are the missing link. BTW, you can sell your calipers and recoup the majority of the costs of S calipers because Boxster brakes are in very high demand by VW/Audi modders.

I also put in braided stainless lines. No detectable difference IMHO. Flushing the fluid is a good idea if you haven't done it recently/regularly.

actually, the more one increases the braking capability of the front, the less of a need there is for rear brakes. this happens because the car dives under braking, transferring weight to the front of the car. in an extreme example, the rear wheels would lift off the ground (endo) and 100% of the braking would be done by the fronts. this is of course limited by tire traction.

regardless, the caliper pistons, rotor diameter, and proportioning valve are all the same as on the S. the only difference is rotor thickness / offset. doing the fronts without the rears creates no problem; the system will brake better than the base system.

as for those rotors, do a search at boxster racing board. someone posted the name of the place that sells these. i can't remember off hand.

[arenared]

Originally Posted by insite

actually, the more one increases the braking capability of the front, the less of a need there is for rear brakes.

Actually, the more one increases the traction of the front ..., that is true as you note later. Also, these cars have a relatively low CG, so the weight transfer is not as much as on other cars.

Originally Posted by insite

regardless, the caliper pistons, rotor diameter, and proportioning valve are all the same as on the S.

This is not true. The S rotors are 318mm. The base are 298mm which give about a 7% greater front braking bias.

Originally Posted by insite

do a search at boxster racing board.

I've looked there and elsewhere for years. I have an 'S', so I'm mostly interested in providing the numbers to others when the subject comes up.

[insite]

Originally Posted by arenared

This is not true. The S rotors are 318mm. The base are 298mm which give about a 7% greater front braking bias.

i was referring to the rears. since the rears are the same diameter, with the same diameter pistons, the brake bias would be the same as it is on a stock boxster S. i was inferring that this was a bias Porsche deemed acceptable, so the upgrade wouldn't mess anything up.

I've looked there and elsewhere for years. I have an 'S', so I'm mostly interested in providing the numbers to others when the subject comes up.

i'll see if i can find them.

[tboyer]

Originally Posted by xusmnimij

I was thinking of just putting the drilled rotors on and painting the calipers red, but that seems like design dishonesty, I don't want the car to look like a poser...

It's your car! If you want to paint the calipers bright green, go for it! I would recommend sticking to red though

[arenared]

Originally Posted by insite

i was referring to the rears. since the rears are the same diameter, with the same diameter pistons, ...

i'll see if i can find them.

Thanks, insite!

I looked up the rears, and the base is 292mm vs. 299mm with the S. So, there is some small difference. I was thinking it was more like 20mm like the front. My bad.

There are some very nice gains to be had with shifting the brake bias to the rear. The trick is finding pads with different mu friction but with similar temperature curves. Messing around with different pads to change the brake bias, there is a very noticeable difference in Gs.