Help with brakes upgrade

[mriverao986]

Hi, I am trying to get the same pattern of vented brake disk as the 2000 986 S. I have a 1999 986 non S. Can somebody tell me if the S brake disk will fit to my car?

[Meir]

it will not be a direct fit, but you can find aftermarket replacement rotors for the base model, that are slotted and drilled.

[san rensho]

IM(not so)HO, just use the stock discs. The brakes on the non S are atomic. With standard rotors and standard Mintex pads, I had fantastic braking, no fade, no overheat on the track.

The brakes are beyond most peoples abilities on the track and certainly more than enough on the street.

[Topless]

If you want "S" rotors you also need "S" calipers. Ignore and just get cross-drilled base rotors for the bling factor, high temp pads, and high temp fluid.

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by mriverao986

Hi, I am trying to get the same pattern of vented brake disk as the 2000 986 S. I have a 1999 986 non S. Can somebody tell me if the S brake disk will fit to my car?

The front caliper and rotors from and S are a direct bolt on for your car. They will require larger wheels to clear them however. The rears are another story, to run them you will need the entire rear uprights and hubs from an S car as the emergency brakes are entirely different.

At the end of the day, your stock brakes, if in good nick, should be more than enough to stop your car under any situation.

[mriverao986]

Thanks everybody for the advice, I just wanted to change the brake disks to vented disks, but I would liked to be the same pattern as the S model. Its just for the look.

[MN 986]

Check these out. They start with Zimmerman rotors and drill them. Not exactly an 'S' pattern, but lots more holes than most drilled rotors out there.
I bought them and ran them all Summer, about 8k miles. They look good and seem to work great.

eBay item number:
170686225136

[Red2618]

Hi San, Not sure what kind of race Track you are running your 986 on, but I just bought a 1997 986 and have been getting mix ideas from the locals about the brakes. My Question is: Are the stock brakes good enough to handle autocross. I am only looking at about two to three races a season which adds up to a about 15 to 20 runs on the track total. I hope in less than 49 sec., but I may just be dreaming, we will have to see how it goes. Or should I install new racing brakes and high temp fluid? Also this is my first Porsche I do have another roadster SLK 350 but that car is just not something you want to race. OK OK OK I did one time and run it 9 times that day on the track and could only get in the low 50's. Will if you have any info that could help Thanks!!!!!

Originally Posted by san rensho

IM(not so)HO, just use the stock discs. The brakes on the non S are atomic. With standard rotors and standard Mintex pads, I had fantastic braking, no fade, no overheat on the track.

The brakes are beyond most peoples abilities on the track and certainly more than enough on the street.

[thstone]

Aftermarket drilled disc's are easy to find and reasonably priced. I get mine from Cquence Brakes for around $65 each (1999 Porsche Boxster Street Series Cross Drilled Slotted Brake Rotors | Cquence.net).

In regards to performance, on the street there is no noticeable difference, but I have raced on solid, slotted, and drilled disc's and greatly prefer the cheese grater's. They have a more consistent feel and cool better than the others.

The downside is that drilled rotors will crack when used on the track (street use is fine) due to the high temps and can't be turned or skimmed, so I end up replacing all of the rotors on each brake pad change. (http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/43520-i-think-its-time-change-rotors.html).

Your mileage and preferences may vary.

[Luv2Box]

I changed the brakes on my '99 to 2001 S "big reds" with cross drilled and slotted rotors and noticed the difference immediately. On the track is where I really noticed it as just a tap on the brakes slowed it down instead of the heavy pushing I had to do with the stock brakes.
The rotors, calipers and discs will fit just fine with 17" wheels and, as has been mentioned, you will need to change the rear axle housings to the S housings. Your stock axles will fit fine but the diameter is smaller than S axles so you will need to make a bracket that holds the sensor for the anti lock and air bags deeper into the housing so it can read the rotation of the axle.
You won't notice much difference in AX but on the street and track they can really make a difference and they look great too. Just my opinion but they are one of the best upgrades I did for my Boxster.

[san rensho]

Originally Posted by Red2618

Hi San, Not sure what kind of race Track you are running your 986 on, but I just bought a 1997 986 and have been getting mix ideas from the locals about the brakes. My Question is: Are the stock brakes good enough to handle autocross. I am only looking at about two to three races a season which adds up to a about 15 to 20 runs on the track total. I hope in less than 49 sec., but I may just be dreaming, we will have to see how it goes. Or should I install new racing brakes and high temp fluid? Also this is my first Porsche I do have another roadster SLK 350 but that car is just not something you want to race. OK OK OK I did one time and run it 9 times that day on the track and could only get in the low 50's. Will if you have any info that could help Thanks!!!!!

I haven't raced autocross, so I can't address that issue. The DE track I ride is Homestead in Miami FL It has two corners where you enter at around 100mph and brake hard for 2nd gear corners, and two corners where you enter at around 100mph and brake for 3rd gear turns. So the track definitely tests the brakes.

As I said, Iv'e had absolutely no problem with the stock brakes. My only problem is that I'm still a little timid and tend to overbrake.

[jdlmodelt]

Originally Posted by mriverao986

Thanks everybody for the advice, I just wanted to change the brake disks to vented disks, but I would liked to be the same pattern as the S model. Its just for the look.

Not sure what the drill and slot pattern is for the S. I also have a 99 and my rotors were worn too thin so I purchased a complete set of rotors and ceramic pads on ebay for just over $200. I've been running them for over a year and over 20,000 miles, they look and work great.

[Timco]

Brembo Look Brake Caliper Cover | eBay

[Pdwight]

Originally Posted by Timco

Brembo Look Brake Caliper Cover | eBay

OMG no....please Tim

[Topless]

Red2618,

Just run stock brakes with fresh fluid. They are really quite good and will never overheat on single lap AX runs.

For reference:
All the Boxster Spec Race cars run stock brakes to good effect. They run continuous laps from 20 min sprints to 1hr enduros no problem.
My car runs stock brakes in AX, DE, and TT with around 20 track days/yr and a handful of AX events. Brakes might be our greatest advantage in these cars.