Hey guys/gals, what brake upgrades have you done to your 914 with good results? What is a good combination for front/rear and master cylinder? I heard of people using Boxster, 930, BMW and other combos. I would like some of your experiences before upgrade. Also what is your application - street, track, both. TIA
Steve

I've got the 318i front brakes, stock master cylinder, stock rear brakes, and I replaced the proportioning valve with a T. I also replaced all of the hoses with new ones, and I replaced a couple of the hard lines. There are still a few bugs to work out, but overall, it seems to work pretty good. I think I will also be changing to the 19mm master cylinder over the winter.

Edit: I also added speed bleeders. They're the cats ass when it comes time to bleed.

for a stock car on street tires in anything but track applications the OEM parts are good.

i have a 914.6 used in DE events and went to 911S front calipers with Turbo street pads, ventilated rear disks - all four cross-drilled - removed the proportioner (in keeping with the balance change the bigger front calipers effected) and added a 23mm master cylinder.

i'm now using that brake setup in the 911, and for next year's track events i'll add a front brake cooling setup. and now that DOT-rated braided stainless hoses are available i'll use those, because i am committed to the inspection and replacement schedule required. i use them but i don't recommend them - you must make that choice on your own. for most people the OEM lines are a better choice.

i never had any issues with stock brakes on the street. they are very light and keeping unsprung weight down can be an advantage in autocross.

i would recommend that you very seriously think through all the potential consequences of any change you make. all modifications cost something and most have side effects.

Street car has BMW fronts, needs a 19 mc, got it that way. With the 17 and rubber lines brakes ok but I can't lockem up.

track car, 944t front, carrera rears, 19 mc, still new to me but pretty strong. Looking at reinforcing the pedal area for better feel.

For street, well cooled and maintained with better pads, i heard that the stock brakes can get it done.

Boxster, adapter $500 or so plus the calipers and at least a 19mm m/c.

Some of the 914 supply houses sell a "big brake" set up, ATE calipers, maybe the bmw setup I don't know.

street car: 19mm m/c, Porterfield R4S pads, stock rotors, calipers, SS lines
track car: 19mm m/c, 944 turbo fronts (1986), boxster rears, Carrera rotors fronts, SC rears (I think), Hawk pads, SS lines, Tilton adj prop valve

the mods depend on the use of the car, really IMHO

19mm m/c,
stock calipers f/r,
ss lines,
carbon pads,
bleed em',
bleed 'em,
bleed 'em

The stock setup is adequate. I found them to be spongy. But, that was on a stock car that had been sitting in a garage for 13yrs. I had a 19mm mc, ss lines, new rotors, bearings, and pads put in, and found them fast and hard. Plenty of stopping power. If your talking track, then people like to go with vented rotors to prevent heat fading. So, you have to go to different calipers to use the thicker rotors. These always have larger pads, more surface area gives better braking and cooling. Anybody who puts a V8 in their street machine needs them to stop the extra weight. Do you need them? Depends on the car and what your doing with it.

I'm using:

19mm mc
stock brakes with spacers for my vented 5-lug rotors
just ordered speedbleeders...tired of the regular bleeders leaking around the threads and bleeding bleeding bleeding!

Hope others have had good luck with speedbleeders?

Jim

19mm m/c
911 'M' calipers on front
Stock rears
cross-drilled solid disc rotors all the way around (no vent)
SS lines all the way around (just replaced from older SS lines)
Ferodo pads
No proportion valve
DOT 4 fluid

Car is for street and DE use. I have experienced brake fade from overheating at DE events, so when the time comes I'll either upgrade to vented rotors, put in some kind of air ducting, or both. I'm not sold on the cooling advantage vs loss of surface area for the drilled solid disc (but the PO must have thought it worthwhile )

I didn't know stock brakes would work with vented rotors. Is that what the spacers are for?

Yes..the caliper spacers are for the vented rotors (you have to split the calipers and add two more "O" rings). The spacers I used for the fronts are from 71 911 "M" caliper rears (ATE caliper halves are the same). The rear spacers were custom made by one of the members in here from canada. The rears rotors I had to have turned down abit (the diameter not the thickness)..but that only cost me about 40 bucks at a local machine shop.

Thanks, Jim. Mike should also check out the billet hubs thread, even more options to confuse your choice.

'86/'87 Carrera with vented rotors on all 4 corners, 19mm 911 MC, brake bias valve replaced with a "T", mostly street with occasional AX and maybe TT some day ...

Andy

944 Turbo front and rears with carrera rotors, Porterfield RS 4 pads, Speed bleaders, 23mm master cylinder and a kelsey hayes adjustable proportioning valve.
Very firm pedal feel.

Volvo 4 pot fronts
19mm Mc
Tee replaced the porp valve
Works very good on the street and cheap to do

Bernie

1979 911 Turbo brakes, 19mm M/C. Plenty to stop a car with a 2.7RS clone engine. The lack of a suitable parking brake was a drawback, as was the unconscionable cost of Galen Bieker's adapters for the rear calipers........................ The Cap'n

I previously built 2 sets of rear brakes with vented rotors....

- with a stock rear caliper and retained the parking brake
- with a front caliper moved back (M size)

for seriously underpowered race cars... such as PCA club racing "I" class, you will not want the rear vented rotors.
(too much rotating mass)

my new car for vintage has to retain a 2.0/6 motor, and I've removed the rear vented for it, but had a machine shop slot the stock -6 rotor.

brant

911SC in the front, 19mm m/c, stock 4's in the back. Hawk Blue Pads.

HSDE'ed just fine last June

What are the piston sizes on the 911Turbo calipers?


Andrew

What are the piston sizes on the 911Turbo calipers?


Andrew

GT2 (PCCB) fronts with Pagid Yellow pads on 996TT 330mm rotors and '86 930 rears with stock pads. No proportioner and 19mm mc, but that's going to change to a 23mm due to the amount of pistons I'm moving.

Joe O'

rears...

Joe, those are pretty! Do they bolt right up or did you have to fab adapters?...

I had to fab everything. The fronts definately required a leap-of-faith mod:

IMO - drilled disks are not a cooling mod, they are a driving-in-the-rain mod.
once you've driven a car with drilled (or, nowadays, slotted) disks in the rain, you will never go back. the only real drawback: the car behind you does not have them

Wilwood Billet superlites front
carrera rears
Wilwood bias valve
drilled carrera rotors

I just got hats so I can run 12X1.25 rotors in the front, either Wilwood or Coleman

Steet use only (so far), just got my 19 m/c and ss lines in the mail today.

Everything else will remain stock for now.

914rs, what do your brackets hook onto? welded on?

Welded.

Joe O'

Joe: If you are looking for a master cylinder I have a new one from a Porsche GT2 (25 mm I think) that I am not going to use and will sell cheap. I bought it on e-bay but have recently bought a smaller master cylinder that will better suit my 1990 C2 brakes.

that will be interesting - the GT2 is a power-brake car ...
for that matter - isn't a C2 ?

320i Front Calipers
Stock Rear Calipers
19mm M/C
DOT S.S. lines
"T" fitting in place of Prop Valve
ATE Super Blue fluid

I think I want the 23mm. I don't want the pedal too firm.

Thanks,

Joe O'

My car is primarily for street use:
BMW 320i fronts
914 stock fronts on the rear
19mm MC
Prop valve replaced with Tee
New flex hoses (OEM not sst)
Ferodo street/AX pads all around
I am very happy with the performance, however, they do squeek once and a while.

Hey,

Does TimT (or anyone who run wilwoods) have the calipers/hats/rotors PNs that you are using? Looking at the specs, it seems a little overwhelming, someone must have been through this. Can you share your knowledge?

thanks,

-datapace

Car just used for heavy acceleration here and there: 986 fronts (TRE adapters) on cross drilled carrera disks , rear 9146 w/ spacers and 911s cross drilled disks (need the p-brake) . Troutman SS lines all 4 corners, 19mm MC, Porterfield carbon kevlar pads. Just waiting on someone to finish up the 986 rear adapter w/ p-brake puck caliper. Wilwood prop valve waiting in the box.

I have Wilwood p/n 120-5025-FS calipers, they arent made anymore though

The new Wilwood p/n is 120-7568 look here

The hats I have are custom, and I can use rotor 160-3846, or a Coleman rotor.

Wilwood also now makes a reallly nice 6 piston forged caliper

talk about the custom hats. It would be nice to get a 28mm thick rotor with my 944t calipers. ???

early (1976) 'Turbo Carrera' used the aluminum "911S" caliper with 48mm pistons. later cars (1979+?) used the 917 4-pot brakes; i don't have the specs on those right at hand ...

I have the standard calipers 19mm master cylinder, mintex pads.


Oh and they are painted red

Wilwood can provide hats if the "numbers" needed match up to what they have in stock...I believe they can make custom hats as well

4 30mm pucks per caliper, close to twice the front pad area of the 911SC, same calipers and pads front and rear. BIG rotors. Hey, if they'll stop a 917, they'll stop a 914! The Cap'n

Coleman makes 1.1" (27.9mm) rotors, I think in any diameter you really want, about $90 per , they work with 944 calipers. or you can clearance the 944 calipers to accept a larger rotor

interesting -- a lot of the GT2 / GT3 guys who run track days are pulling off the ceramics and putting on the steel brake system.

also curious - i see in the front the disk is marked 'L' and mounted with the holes curving 'backward' from the hub in the traditional Porsche style, but in the back, you have the disks mounted with the spiral curving forward. just wondering if there's a tech note or other guidance that recommends that ...

I just finished upgrading to boxster monoblocks on 4 courners, with a deleted proportioning valve and a 19mm master.

I havent gotten a chance to see if they actually work though, but they look real nice

Kelly...get some "real" shocks

the brakes look good

Thanks Mike.

I am hoping to replace the shocks before I actually drive the car.

ok...how did you/what type of fab work to attach the boxster calipers?

There are adapters available to mount the calipers, I used SC rotors.

I switched to 5 lug hubs shortly before. It is setup to run 911 e-brakes but I am short the cables that I will have to fabricated.

Give Rich Johnson a call or email he can set you up with the whole kit.

Stock brakes, new rotors, new (good) pads, and SS lines.

Stops like a champ!