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I don't want a track car but I want something I can take to DE twice a year and drive dependably on the street for the rest of the time. I don't need to have the best most expensive components but the stock breaks are something I hate the feel of right now. I want a larger rotor, caliper and 5 lug.
If you hate the feel of stock brakes then they are probably in need of a little (a lot of) attention. A fresh set of 914 brakes should throw you through the windshield. In true Porsche tradition, they're about 3x the brakes most car companies would have used. They've been driving 914's around dependably for almost 40 years and a good set will outstop most everything in the showroom today.
Under the driving requirements you listed, once the wheel and tire lock up... the brake has done it's job and should be taken out of the equation.
Carrera rotors and calipers are a waste of time and precious money on anything other than a wide body car. That money could be spend on awesome tires, mild sway-bars and adjustable Koni shocks.
Given your driving requirements I would stay stock and make sure everything is working in tip top condition, otherwise; let the avalanche begin:
Carrera Front End = $600
Calipers = $150
Caliper Restoration = $249
New Rotors = $150
Good Pads = $30-$130
Wheels = $800
Tires = $300-$700
Talk to more people here who have both street and track cars (Brant for one can give you great advice on this subject). Go watch an HSR "2 Liter Classic" event, watch the 914 wide body -6's smoke everything in the field... check out the 20mm vented rotors and S-Calipers... report back your thoughts. These guys push those cars harder in 10 minutes then 99% of us would do "all year"
After you do that, it's extremely difficult to justify writing a check for a bare bones $600+ dollar Carrera front end for a narrow bodied 914.
I'm not trying to come across as a dick (which means I probably am), it's just that every now and again we seem to need a wake up call on 914 brakes. Check the "Classic" threads. Our dearly departed James Montibello wrote an excellent article on the subject.
Yes, you can put any caliper you want under a 914 as threads here prove. I admit, I remember the days when I had subscribed to the "it's bigger, it must be better" philosophy. Hey... they look cool too! In the end, in comparable cars, with the same tires, wheels and pads, they will stop in the same distance.
I hope that helps save some people some money.
Ben, eBay or these type of classifieds are the best source. I would look here (pelican, etc.) first as eBay can get a little stupid with uneducated buyers bidding up items beyond a reasonable limit