Brake Upgrade Question

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Originally Posted by MNBoxster

For the Track, it's a worthwhile upgrade, but unless Tracking the car regularly, it's a waste of money.

i would have thought so. there are some things i really like about the upgrade, even on the street. particularly, i always felt with my base brakes that i had to push the pedal too hard to get the car to stop properly. in fact, under heavy braking, the brake pedal would dip below the throttle, making tough work of a clean heal and toe. the new setup cured this issue (which was NOT pad related; trust me).

Originally Posted by MNBoxster

The pads will wear more quickly and generally cost more (though not always).

in many cases this is true. in the case of the 996 upgrade, the pads have a larger surface are AND are thicker, resulting in longer life. the downside is that the pads generally cost more, negating any real gain. i think in the long run i'll break even on pads.

Originally Posted by MNBoxster

You could gain all the advantages and save the weight and expense by going to either a more agressive pad, or adding insulators to the pads you have. Then get a Paint Kit and paint them Red if you want the look...

this is true, but the more aggressive pads tend to suck in the cold and eat up your rotors. that's been my experience. unless you get a great deal on the upgrade calipers, jim's probably right that it's cheaper in the long run to just use aggressive pads. i still would have done the upgrade knowing what i know now. as for the paint, i have to do that anyway. bought mine off a 996, so they're black.