Yet another newbie looking for input on brake pads/rotor brands
 

Hi. First time doing a brake change on my Boxster, trying to get an idea of what to get. Surprised to see that AutoZone carries Brembo pads and rotors for our cars, with the current 20% off deal they're offering, quite reasonable for the set (all-in for the fronts, with sensors, about $235 including tax and delivery). Both of my bikes (BMW) came with Brembo calipers so I have some faith in the brand, but clearly there are lots of options (and opinions, based on my search here for past queries on the subject) so before I push 'checkout' (the sale ends the 29th) I thought I'd check the current opinions out there.

03 Base, daily driver, no track.

I'm not necessarily looking for the cheapest, just not worth spending on performance I won't use (similarly, I just put a set of Pirelli Nero on the car, not Michelin SS, but not Wal-Mart specials either). Since the car didn't come with drilled rotors I wasn't planning on those, don't really need to worry about rust in SoCal but it seems many rotors are coated, which is fine but not necessarily a deal-breaker.

By the way, any extra hardware that I need to get at the same time? I don't usually replace pins, and sensors are not lighting so I presume I can re-use them, but is there a backing plate for the pads I need to get, or anything else that might be particular to these cars?

Thanks in advance.

It is all a mater of personal choice. I always use genuine Porsche replacement parts and always replace the sensors, hardware and dampers. I purchase from ************************************************** **.com.

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Brembo rotors are chinese. If u want to spend money for german made stuff zimmerman is good. If not, chinese meyle is fine at rock bottom price. No hqrdware necessary

Porsche doesn't make brake pads or rotors. :rolleyes:

There is no *Best* as far as replacement pads and rotors. Finding a set that works well for your driving style at a price you can manage delivers good value. I have used Brembo, Zimmerman, Mahle, and Sebro rotors with little noticeable differences in performance. I prefer plain rotors over drilled and slotted rotors over plain.

For street pads, any OEM pad will work and some produce less dust than others. I used Texar and they were fine for street but did not stand up to high heat of track work. For a DD street car I would choose them again.

Fwiw
 

We have 5 automobiles at our house that I take care of, I have used Bosch Quiet Cast rotors with great success on all of our vehicles. For Pads if you are just doing street use I have had great luck with Akebono...almost zero dust and very quiet.

I have bought both that have porsche genuine parts labels attached to the boxes. Thank you very much.

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You should know what you are talking about before you speak. Very rude!

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Don't listen to particlewave. He doesn't know what he is talking about!https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...07c5aa7cc0.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...2761739030.jpg

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Porsche doesn't make brake pads or rotors. I know what I'm talking about. ;)

It's called "OEM". Original Equipment Manufacturer. Porsche doesn't make them, they just buy them from a manufacturer and put their name on the box. :rolleyes:
It's odd that you don't know this.

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You sir are ridiculous. Porsche does not "make" spark plugs, mass air flow sensors ore 1000 other parts for their cars. But that does not mean there are nor genuine Porsche parts for each of those.

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It's ridiculous that you think slapping a Porsche sticker on a Bosch, Beru or Brembo part somehow makes it magically better and worth paying the 200%-500% Porsche tax instead of just buying the Bosch, Beru or Brembo part at a much lower cost...or better yet, buying an even better and/or lower cost part with a proven track record.

You probably shouldn't send snarky PMs to members you don't agree with, like you did to me, either. It's impolite. I've had to add you to my ignore list to prevent you from sending additional PMs, so now I can't see your replies, either.
My statement, "Porsche doesn't make brake pads or rotors" is 100% true, which you even just admitted to. Don't get so worked up, chief. ;)

My point was that you can buy OEM parts without paying the premium for the "Genuine Porsche" sticker on the box.

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Ok "chief" keep being a dick...you are soooo good at it.

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Hey dude. Sorry particlewave decided to make this post his personal attack post. I gave you an honest post based on my personal experience. I personally like using "genuine porsche" parts it is my preference. If he does not he can give you his reasons. I never said porsche makes the parts. To be a "genuine" part porsche will only accept manufacturers parts that they inspect/test and meet their standards. That goes from engine parts to suspension to tires etc. They are not oem parts. You can chose any you like. I was only giving you my take based on my preferences. Good luck.

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I think I know what you mean here, but I'd advise you to lean on the side of performance a bit. You never know (especially in SoCal) when you are going to need to slam on your brakes and stopping distance may be the difference between a really bad day and a sigh of relief. Going one step up from what you think is the sweet spot between performance and economy may be cheap insurance, especially for a daily driver.
Also, stop-and-go traffic for miles heading down towards the Grapevine had my brakes (on my other car) starting to fail so I take that experience into consideration when comparing brands, ratings, and level of performance I want.
Just my 2-cents. Enjoy the car and the driving. I loved driving mine in and around San Diego while I was there.

Thanks for your input. My iPhone is made in China also, I don’t necessarily consider that a dealbreaker. The company that’s willing to put their name on our product is responsible for QCkarma wherever it is made. But I will have a look at those others that you seem to like. I was really looking for suggestions on a qualitative basis.

No worries. I for one understand that two identical parts can come off the same line one day, and one meet Porsche's specs/tolerances, and another not, and the former may appear in a Porsche-branded box and the other bear the name of the manufacturer. Oftentimes, that might indeed get me to buy the P-branded one as you do. I just think in this case that a respected manufacturer (who Porsche trusts with their production) would have high enough standards for even their house-branded (let's call them perhaps b-grade) to make saving a few hundred bucks worth going with those, since I don't come near to putting demands on my brakes that Porsche is probably considering when they set their specs. Like the Pirelli vs Michelin choice. If I had won that $1.6 billion I'd probably always buy P-brand, but I have to pick & choose where I'm willing to pay the upcharge.

I fully agree. I'd again refer back to my recent tire purchase; there were certainly many probably adequate and far cheaper options available, but I went Pirelli to save much over the Michelins but still have something I can trust. That's why the Brembo caught my eye, given my experience with them in other applications. I was just wondering where folks might think they fit on the continuum of quality, and whether they are in fact at the right place on the curve, or if there was something preferable at approximately the same price point, or equal and even cheaper. If I start paying much more, I'd just go with the Porsche; they might be double what I'm looking at for the Brembos, but at the end of the day its less than $200 difference for the one axle.

Thanks, I'll add these to the list to consider.

To end all the bickering.

Buy zimmerman rotors and textar pads. They arent too expensive and you wont have to worry. Done