Time for brakes!!

[Box on 19's]

Morning all!!!

Anyone have any experience with these?? For the price they look to good to be true.

Porsche Boxster FRT RR Set Cross Drilled Brake Rotors | eBay

And.. Can anyone recommend a good pad??

[Topless]

No experience. The low cost Balo rotors are pretty good though. Pad choice depends on driving habits and needs:

- Daily driver
- Spirited weekend warrior
- Dual purpose Street/track
- Track use only

[Timco]

On my mobile but didn't see any spec for which type. Typically cross drilled are for S models. Pretty sure those are bigger than the base brakes?

[golonaus]

I just installed Cbrakes from ebay.
pads and rotors
drilled and sloted
183$ shipped
I think it was best 183$ I spent on this car
Porsche Boxster 97 04 Brake Rotors Pads Fr RR | eBay

[thstone]

Originally Posted by Timco

On my mobile but didn't see any spec for which type. Typically cross drilled are for S models. Pretty sure those are bigger than the base brakes?

OEM rotors are solid for the base and drilled for the S. In the aftermarket, you can find any type you like (solid, drilled, or slotted) for either model.

I use cheap "no name" rotors like you found on eBay for the Boxster and the 996 and have never had an issue. I even race them on the Boxster without issue (but they do get replaced every pad change on the racecar).

Pad selection is based on your driving. If regular street + some curves, the OEM replacement pads are perfectly fine. If you want less brake dust, go to a ceramic pad.

[jsceash]

+1 I'm am using ones like that, they work OK. Similar to Thstone on highway and track.

[Rob175]

Can I "trust" the wear indicator light (on the panel) to accuratly alert me when my brakes need to be replaced? Since I don't work on the car myself, i'm hesitant to just "open my checkbook" and take it to my indi shop and ask them to check them.....they already told me to expect to pay $800-$1000 for a 4 wheel brake job (w/ceramic pads, new rotors, labor).

If the wear sensor light can be trusted to light up when they need replacing I'll just wait. The brakes seem fine and I'm easy on the car so I'm hoping the sensors really work.

Any advice??

[Timco]

Originally Posted by Rob175

Can I "trust" the wear indicator light (on the panel) to accuratly alert me when my brakes need to be replaced? Since I don't work on the car myself, i'm hesitant to just "open my checkbook" and take it to my indi shop and ask them to check them.....they already told me to expect to pay $800-$1000 for a 4 wheel brake job (w/ceramic pads, new rotors, labor).

If the wear sensor light can be trusted to light up when they need replacing I'll just wait. The brakes seem fine and I'm easy on the car so I'm hoping the sensors really work.

Any advice??

The wear sensor is a wire stabbed into the pad. If it wears until the wire grounds out, it trips. So yes, the sensor is reliable, but once it trips, you have to buy a new one. Another $40 or so. It's like a 6-10 minute job to pull the tire and pull the pads. Unless rotors are too thin, just drop in pads.

[RandallNeighbour]

Rob, I typically change my pads well before they wear down to the point that the brake sensor sets off the lamp on the dash. Why?

Because of heat buildup and the fact that pads are cheap safety insurance. When pads are so thin they'll set off the warning light, they heat up rather quickly with each decent sustained use and you can run the risk of brake fade when you need it most. Plus, the added heat is tough on the calipers, rotors, and fluid.

Tires and brakes. I replace both prematurely because they are the only things on the car keeping me from an accident.

Temper all this with the fact that if your pads have a lot of meat left on them, drive the car like you stole it and don't give it another thought for a couple of months. I inspect my pad wear most every month with a flashlight and peer through the spokes of the wheel. If you pull a wheel off a couple of times and learn just how thick the pad is you'll be able to do this too.

OP: Sorry to hijack your thread!

[Deserion]

I did new pads all around last year (new sensors too as mine tripped). Went with OEM Textar pads, as I was very happy with the stock performance aspect and didn't want to diminish that.

When I did the brakes on my E320, I used Balo rotors F/R, Akebono pads on the front and Textar on the rear.

Don't skimp by buying low-quality/no-name parts.