I'm considering Brembos as my last upgrade (as least for now ) but am concerned about brake noise. One person that I spoke to mentioned that his Brembo GT brakes squeal when coming to a stop. Is this something that is to be expected with the Gran Turismo package (on a car that is only street driven)?

It would depend of course on the pad material that Brembo uses with their kit. So, I wasn't too interested in getting side tracked on the issue of why it's the pads, and what causes it, etc. Honestly, I don't have time or energy to try out 10 different pads until I get it right. If the pad material chosen by Brembo squeals in a street application, then I'll probably pass on the upgrade for now rather than spending the time on finding the pad material that is just right. Too much work right now to play Dorothy and the Three Bears with brake pads!

Thanks in advance,

 

I am running PFC 97 pads with the Brembo GT kit up front and turbo brakes in back. The stock pads squealed a little. I think they would have quieted down if I'd left them on. The PFC's howl. The rears are actually worse now with the PFC's, but they were pretty quiet with the stock Textars. You can run different pads for street or track (I'm too lazy to switch them, so I live with the noise). Or you can find noise treatments for the pads.

 

racer,
ever consider GT3 brake kit?

 

I didn't think it was significantly different than the turbo? What's the diff?

TIA,

 

6-piston front calipers with a 350 mm front rotor. Comes in yellow. The rears are the same as on the Turbo.

 

GT3 is a six piston kit. Brembo GT kit can be had in 4 or 8 piston with 14" or 15" rotor respectively. Generally as brake pads go the higher the operating window in terms of temperature the more noisey they will tend to be. The GT3 brakes may be a nice middle ground from a stock to a 8 piston 15" kit, but if you do the math the 8 piston is capable of generating more clamping force than the 6 piston (i understand that logic may dictate this but stated anyway for clarification purposes) We have installed a number of 15" kits and they do not seem to squeak any more than the stock pad. Almost all pads will squeak at one point or another in there lifetime. As far as noisey pad keeping you from upgrading brakes, A small price to pay for the ability to late brake into a corner and thus spend more time @ higher speeds= lower lap times.. Or to help you stop earlier to avoid the child chasing their ball into the street.... Good luck and enjoy

 

Racer,

As I have mentioned I have the 15" 8 piston Brembo GT setup on my car. I have not had any problems with squeeling at all...and I have done over 5,000 miles of all different types of driving with this setup. Whatever pad is stock on them is still there.

Hope this helps.

 

My Movit kit (322x32mm) squealed the first 1000 km or so, but then n o t h i n g just nice stopping performance.

It has a lot to do with the pads I assume.

 

I agree with Colin@PES. I would not let a little squeal be a factor. The benefits greatly outweigh a little noise. Call any Ferrari dealer and ask them if their brakes squeal. It is a by product of performance. It is also hugely effected by driving styles and conditions. I live close to the ocean so the salt content in the air exagerates the squeal. My buddy has the new 15" 4-Piston front w/ the 13.6" rear and has not experienced the tinniest amount of squeal.

 

Thanks all for the responses. The GT3 fronts sound like an interesting possibility for my application. It'll give me some increased clamping power. And, combined with the larger (and much lighter) rotors from another vendor that I located, might make for an excellent all around upgrade.

Can you buy just the calipers and pads? Is color an option? i.e., could I get them in red (to match the rears)? Or is yellow the only option?

 

I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into with the 6-piston Gt3 caliper.

First, that caliper is designed for a 13.8" disc. You cannot go any larger. The caliper is not radial mount so you cannot just space it out for a larger rotor. If you try to space it out you will change the radius and find that you will have pad over hang on one end only.
Second, that caliper is made for the 2wd vehicle. You have to change wheel carriers to get it to bolt on. That is about $1600 alone.
Third, that caliper is extremely heavy.
I have personal experience with this "conversion" and it was all wasted time, money and effort.
I am curious who your source is for the "larger and lighter rotors".


My recommendation is Brembo's new 15" 4-Piston front with the 13.6" 4-piston rear.
Less expensive than their 14" kit (it requires wheel carriers), less expensive and lighter than their 15" 8-piston, and it offers the firmest pedal and best modulation. It is essentially the same as the full race kit without the billet calipers.
Retail for the front 15" 4-P is $3595 and the rear 13.6" 4-P is $2795. You should be able to sell your factory turbo brakes and get about $2500. Then you'll have a full 2pc front and rear set up, saving as much as 38lbs. for less than $3800.

Just my opinion. Hope it helps.
I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into with the 6-piston Gt3 caliper.

First, that caliper is designed for a 13.8" disc. You cannot go any larger. The caliper is not radial mount so you cannot just space it out for a larger rotor. If you try to space it out you will change the radius and find that you will have pad over hang on one end only.
Second, that caliper is made for the 2wd vehicle. You have to change wheel carriers to get it to bolt on. That is about $1600 alone.
Third, that caliper is extremely heavy.
I have personal experience with this "conversion" and it was all wasted time, money and effort.
I am curious who your source is for the "larger and lighter rotors".


My recommendation is Brembo's new 15" 4-Piston front with the 13.6" 4-piston rear.
Less expensive than their 14" kit (it requires wheel carriers), less expensive and lighter than their 15" 8-piston, and it offers the firmest pedal and best modulation. It is essentially the same as the full race kit without the billet calipers.
Retail for the front 15" 4-P is $3595 and the rear 13.6" 4-P is $2795. You should be able to sell your factory turbo brakes and get about $2500. Then you'll have a full 2pc front and rear set up, saving as much as 38lbs. for less than $3800.

Just my opinion. Hope it helps.

Less expensive than their 14" kit (it requires wheel carriers), less expensive and lighter than their 15" 8-piston, and it offers the firmest pedal and best modulation. It is essentially the same as the full race kit without the billet calipers.
Retail for the front 15" 4-P is $3595 and the rear 13.6" 4-P is $2795. You should be able to sell your factory turbo brakes and get about $2500. Then you'll have a full 2pc front and rear set up, saving as much as 38lbs. for less than $3800.

Just my opinion. Hope it helps.

 

Latebraker -

Thanks for the feedback (although it was kinda repetitive ). I had just begun looking into the GT3 idea based on one of the recommendations above. Based on your experience, it sounds like perhaps it is not the best of ideas...

I believe the vendor with larger, lighter rotors (for the TT) is Perfect Power.

As for the $2500 for my brakes, who'd buy them? Are they an easy upgrade for another Porsche model? Sounds like an awful lot to get for a set of used brakes, although it would sure help to offset the cost of the Brembos.

 

Latebraker -

Just following up on a couple of issues from your last post. Are the GT3 brake calipers actually heavier than the TT calipers? The Brembo Gran Tourismo calipers are no lighter than the stock TT calipers, as has been verified by several vendors who have weighed them.

Also, for my application, purely street, I'm mostly interested in increased emergency stopping power and improved brake feel. I have a separate track car and don't plan to track the TT. So, I don't think that the larger rotors are going to do me much good (unless, of course, they are lighter and reduce unsprung weight and marginally improve handling... again, on the street).

 

racer 63,
Late breaker has some very valid points in reference to the lack of compatibility of the GT3 set up in the long run. The info on the radial mounting and the 4wd is correct. If you are looking for the classic Porsche firm pedal feel then the 4 piston would be your best choice. The 8 piston may offer a larger window for modulation than the 4 piston. Then there is the trade off of weight savings of the 4 piston vs. the heavier 8 piston kit. The 4 piston system may meet your needs the best in terms of what you are used to in your M3 race car.

 

Colin -

What is the relationship between firm pedal feel and the caliper? What causes one to feel firmer than another? That would definitely help me to make a better decision.

I've always raced in categories where I was stuck with the stock calipers. So, brakes are the one area where I have not done much in the way of upgrades - other than track pads, better fluid, ducting, stainless lines and cryo treated rotors.

Thanks!