Brake pad questions???????? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

nautiquelfe · 06-19-2005, 08:52 PM

Need some more input guys. Today while driving a red light indicating "brake wear" came on. It went off when i parked car and started back up but after 2-3 brakings . I guess the pads are worn out. I have noticed a bit of excess squeeling over the past few days, do porsche pads have those metal clips that make noise at a low pad depth. I guess since im gonna be changing pads i would like to know what brand you guys have had luck with. Im not into racing or auto cross. Just the occasional enthusiastic drive. I'm looking for a pad w/ descent life, and minimal noise. Low dust production would be a plus but is not my main concern. I would love to paint my calipers while i have everything off and am considering red and silver. I havent seen a silver kit on the market, but i will keep looking. I'd also love to go w/ slotted rotors but just dont see myself having the $$$ for that at the moment. I have access to a lathe to maching the rotors if needed. I gave a quick inspection at rotors through the tires and there does'nt seem to be any irregular wear. I guess i will have to pull em off to see if they are still un-warped or hi/low rings. :ah:

donv · 06-20-2005, 05:58 AM

That light you're seeing replaces the concept of the metal clip wear indicator on the Boxster. I haven't yet installed the Pagid blue compound pads I purchased for the Boxster, but that is what I plan to do when my first set wears out. They were billed as "performance street/autocross" if I remember correctly.

I installed a set of the Hawk HPS (high performance street) on my Subaru with Brembo rotors all around about a month ago and have been very pleased with them in that application. Stopping distances are improved and they have been quiet with little obvious dust.

ntmatter · 06-20-2005, 10:48 AM

For street driving I've always had very good luck with the EBC GreenStuff pads at www.greatbrakes.com. Great stopping power, no squeal or dust, and they're cheap.

Adam · 06-20-2005, 11:01 AM

Why not stick with OEM pads? Who makes them pagid? Also, are the Pagid oranges more aggressive than the Blues? Alot of the guys on the BRB like the Oranges but I think they may be more suited to auto-x/track.

RandallNeighbour · 06-20-2005, 11:07 AM

My independent mechanic recommended Mintex pads as they are a German company that supplies Porsche with pads quite a bit. I bought mine from ****************************************.com and they've worked well for me thus far—only had them on for about 1500 miles though.

dennizxxx · 06-20-2005, 11:38 AM

to go back to nautiquelfe's first post...

I read somewhere ( in the car manual) that if the "brake wear" light comes on, that it is critical and that you are supposed to pull over right away...

any truth in this..or am I simply misunderstanding this?

TOM986 · 06-20-2005, 01:00 PM

You don't need to pull over right away. There is quite a lot of time left to replace the pads. You will also have to replace the wear sensor or sensors that indicated the wear. I also use Mintex red box brake pads for the street. Less dust and they seem to work well.

nautiquelfe · 06-20-2005, 04:11 PM

thanks for input guys. I was trying to get a feel for whether or not many people stay w/ oem or go aftermarket w/ pads. I have changed alot of pads on many cars, and have found that aftermarket tends to be a better option than oem. Then again i'm not a veteran porsche owner. Price is also a factor.