Notice to 997-S drivers with steel brakes:

On my 997-S, there is an audible clunk which is coming from the front brake pads when you apply the brakes sometimes (steel rotors). This happens when you reverse and brake, then go forward and brake.

I thought the 997-S steel brakes were the same as the Turbo brakes, but they are not! A tech told me that Porsche redesigned the calipers, but now the pad shifts back and forth when you load it forward or backwards. I think he said they went from 2 pins to 1 pin holding the pads. This appears to be a design flaw. He said a similar problem happened on the 944. We will have to wait to see what P does about this. Perhaps a different size pad.

 

Keep us posted

 

It never ceases to amaze, Porsche must have put hundreds of thousands of miles on these cars yet these things still seem to occur.

 

Does this affect brake performance?
Doesn't sound safe to have pads shifting around. IS there a fix? Did the tech give you any details?

 

I remember having the same "problem" on a Lexus GS400 I used to have. At that time, it was explained to me as "normal" as the pads were designed to "float" to allow for expansion?!?

 

It does not seem to affect braking performance, but it's a little annoying. My dealer will follow up with Porsche on this, and I'll keep you all informed.

I'm wondering if anybody else with this car has this?

Edit: Tech will talk with Porsche rep next week about this. (week of Sept 27th). I'll update when I know more.

 

According to what little factory documentation I've received, the 997S brake is exactly the same item on the 996 Turbo. In fact both PCCB and iron rotors have "Turbo" stamped into the metal. But I might be mistaken because I've only really played around with the PCCBs thus far. The PCCBs don't clunk and a I spent have a day playing with a stock 997S (no PCCBs) and it didn't clunk despite a lot of maneuvering.

 

I was told the steel rotors are the same as the Turbo, but the calipers have been changed.

 

Update: just got back from the dealer. We had the car up on the rack and the front wheel removed. The brake pads clearly are loose. You can rock them back and forth by hand. They appear to be installed correctly. The problem is that there is only 1 pin in the center holding the pad in, and it can rotate around the pin. On other models, there are guides that hold the pad in place, or two separate pins.

Tech says that the calipers on the 996TT steel brakes are different and do not have this problem.

At this point, there isn't anything that can be done. Perhaps P will come out with a fix in the future, such as a new pad, or a bracket or something.

The dealer will report the problem to his P contact and wait to hear, but I'm not holding my breath. I may try to contact Brembo myself.

 

Update: The loose brake pad problem has been fixed. Service replaced my front pads and also knurled the posts that hold the pad in place to make it a tighter fit. Problem seems to be gone.

I'm guessing there was a slight variation in the size of the brake pad's backing plate..

 

Good to hear Ray. Are you going to get rid of the 996 TT, or is the intent to keep both Porsches?

Lovely stable of cars you have there. Are you on FerrariChat.com too?

 

Thanks. I plan to keep both 911s for now. They are so unlike it's liking having 2 different cars. Yes, I do post on Ferrarichat sometimes. Here is my profile there: http://ferrarichat.com/forum/member.php?u=322