Any ideas if its worth the extra expense for the castrol in my de turbo. Mechanic says either the pads need changing or I have to upgrade the brake fluid; pads look like they've got more than half their life left (just eyeballing).

 

brakes don't feel soft but fade (pagid blaks)

 

If you use it on the track...


I use the SRF to avoid lots of swaps during the year as wet it (boiling point) is darn good. If you don't track the car, it may be excessive...but if you don't track the SRF could be your once every 2 year fill.

Jeff

 

Jeff is absolutely right. Motul is just fine but you may need to bleed it a bit more than SRF as it's wet boiling point is quite a bit lower. Pagid yellows will last longer than blacks btw.

 

I don't understand what your mechanic is saying. If you need pads you need them. Fluid is another issue it is not either or.
Elliot

 

he said the pads were degrading or overheating and that this is why I saw fade when I pushed them hard. He said changing to the more expensive fluid might help

 

When pads wear down they do transfer more heat into the caliper .Yes you probably boiled the fluid . and you could bleed and change fluid (you should do this anyway.) but the pads have come to the of their useful life for high performance driving .So do yourself a favor and get some real brakes .you won't be disappointed.
Elliot

 

Why don't you consider some real performance rotors. We are only 4 more short from making it happen.

Where are you tracking?

I have been using motol 600 for a little over a year now and either Pagid or PFC 01 pads, never had a long pedal yet or loss of brakes. I get through rotors though. Pads are lasting a little longer than rotors, I bleed the brakes every track event, flush once a year minimum. I think with Castrol you'd be able to go longer between flushes and bleeds.

 

AP racing 600 is good too. You need some extra ventilation to the brakes as well, GT3 Cup racing ducts at the least. Combine those with the tubing through the radiator ducts for the most cooling efficiency. That should relieve the long pedal for the most part. Move up to 6 pistons for even greater braking surface area to dissipate braking heat.

 

With Castrol SRF, can you just bleed the brakes once a year and do about 12 to 14 track days or do I need to bleed more than once a year? I'm trying to decide between Castrol SRF, Motul 600 or Super Blue, but if I have to bleed more than once a year with Castrol SRF than I'll use one of the other two.

Thanks.

 

Porsche does not recommend the use of Castrol SRF. It causes corrosion of the the seals.

Professional instruction, including proper braking technique, is probably a wiser use of $$$ versus mods and upgrades... at least initially.

 

Really? I've read in the forum that a lot of people use Castrol SRF.

I continue to attend PCA DE events and hope to get better, but I can feel my brakes fade towards middle/end of the day. I've been to 6 PCA track weekends and while that's still only a few events, I feel like I need to do some brake and tire upgrades.

 

^

Maybe so, but there is no shortage of "internet" myths, or "common" advice that is just plain wrong.

Talk to your Porsche Dealer, they won't put it in ( they wouldn't in mine). The chemical composition and operating temperature of SRF exceeds the design limitations of the seals.

Try the Porsche driving school for a few programs to complement your technique and experiences it will yield dividends and teach you "momentum", lessening the need for brakes (and fluid) to save you.

 

I would try and improve your cooling first. not sure how the look of your pads would determine changing brake fluids is concerned? if you are using pagid blacks on the track they may overheat.