y'all have extra brake cooling on track?

[jmitro]

I don't have much experience with this Boxster on track yet. Started with OEM Textar pads, Motul RBF600 fluid, and 300 treadwear street tires.
Most recently I switched to 200 treadwear Bridgestone RE71Rs and Hawk HT10 pads; same fluid.

but the brake pedal is still not super firm and confidence-inspiring like I want it to be. I'm wondering if I need to add extra brake cooling apart from the factory wind deflectors.

[78F350]

Do you have the standard brake ducts or these?


They cost practically nothing and pull a lot more air.

[Racer Boy]

I have a base '02 that I track a few times a year, and I would get fade with the stock pads, as well as the two or three different EBC compounds I tried. Finally I went with PFC 08 pads and I get no fade with them. But note that they dust pretty heavily and can be noisy on the street. They also require correct bedding in or they don't really work that well (all typical with track-oriented pads).

I'm unfamiliar with Hawk HT10's so it could well be your pads. Driving style can also contribute to brake fade as well. In other words, you might be slowing down too much for the turns!

I also use the Motul fluid and the ducts that 78F350 showed in his post. No doubt the least expensive Porsche performance part you can purchase!

[jmitro]

will definitely look into those brake ducts.
I used HT10 pads on my BMW many years ago but I don't remember how they felt. I do remember I liked PFC pads a lot

[JayG]

The GT3 brake ducts are low $ and easy to install

I also after trying a variety of pads including EBC red and yellow went with Hawk DTC-60's
LOVE THEM. No fade and they don't squeal like a stuck pig on the street. In no stretch of the imagination are they low dust, nor would any track pads be

[jmitro]

Brake ducts ordered.

I've heard good things about the Hawk DTC60 and 70; I'll put them on my list of pads to try next

[PGas32]

Every single racer I've talked to about brakes uses Pagid (yellow or black, pick your favorite) or PFC 08's. Try one of those and report back

[jaykay]

One thing you made need to be aware of is braking duration. When I tracked mine way back I was too long and smooth right down to the apex for these brakes so they would get hot hot on a technical track. This is with GT3 ducts.

Try reducing braking duration by going harder and shorter (while still being smooth) so that they have more cooling time to recover. Easier said than done I know and I would not be able to do it now...

[jmitro]

good point

[rastta]

I have the duct plates on the control arms and actual ducting from the front bumper to a hose to the inner part of the brake rotor. Works great - never have and heat related braking problems. I've replaced the old black hose with high temp orange hose and put an aluminum junction in so that I can more easily replace shorter sections of the hose. I run Pagid Yellow or Black front and Black rear. Tried the new RSL instead of the RS29's last time in the front and they have a bit more initial bite - not sure if I'm sold on em but got a new set cheap so I gave them a try. I run oem style drilled rotors.

[thstone]

I'm a bit confused - is the complaint that the brake pedal isn't firm (even when the brakes are cold) or are you experiencing fade where the brake pedal starts out firm and then fades after several repeated stops when the brakes are hot?

I ask because the solution is different for each of those problems.

[jmitro]

the brake pedal was getting softer using the OEM Textars (even when cold); it was not progressively worsening throughout the day, just softer than what I like - meaning a fair amount of travel in the brake pedal but never had any issues with fade.

I swapped the front pads between sessions to a brand new set of Hawk HT10. At first the pedal was rock hard but as the pads bedded in it became softer later in the day; again no issues with fade, just a softer pedal feel (and now driving on the street at sensible speeds the pedal softness is about the same again)

after I got home and changed wheels, the rotors had a faint blueish tint which made me wonder if they were overheating. I'll try to get a pic when I install the brake ducts

[Racer Boy]

You say you have Motul brake fluid, how old is it? Normally if the pedal gets softer it's the fluid boiling, but if the pedal remains hard but the effectiveness of the brakes gets worse then the pads are fading.

I'd flush the fluid completely. Even if you bled the brakes, if you didn't get all the old fluid out that could be your problem.

[jmitro]

Originally Posted by Racer Boy

You say you have Motul brake fluid, how old is it? Normally if the pedal gets softer it's the fluid boiling, but if the pedal remains hard but the effectiveness of the brakes gets worse then the pads are fading.

I'd flush the fluid completely. Even if you bled the brakes, if you didn't get all the old fluid out that could be your problem.

the fluid is about 2 months old.

new brake ducts installed today along with new rear Hawk HT10 pads, so now I have HT10 all around. Here's the rotors. Maybe they don't look so blue after all....

another track day this weekend, so we'll see how it feels

[MaxD]

Did you open the valves in the ABS unit when you did your bleed? (Durametric) It is not a necessity but engaging ABS after the fact will put a small amount of old fluid into the system.

Just do one more quick bleed and the pedal may firm up.

Originally Posted by jmitro

another track day this weekend, so we'll see how it feels

You are a lucky man. We are still in track day limbo here in Utah.