Brake Feel - Sanity Check 997.2 S

M5sime · 21 Mar 2025

Hi - I have only driven my 997.2 S and hence have no comparison in the Porsche family. Whilst my 911 brakes are perfectly good and 'work' (and I do not track my car), I cannot say I like the feel of them and wanted to check if what I experience is normal...

1. The setup is factory (pads and rotors), but one 'mod' - my rear brakes are fed with a longer flexi pipe to replace the corroded hard lines (a mod that RPM Technic did when I had a lot of work done. This is their way of not 'dropping the engine' to replace the rear lines. Perhaps this adds to some of the spongy feeling.
2. The pedal feel is 'mushy' but has bite with travel and a good push
3. They improve with heat
4. The pedal can be pumped with engine running and on hard pressure the calipers make a 'crunching' noise and the pedal will 'travel' towards the floor. When repeated with engine off the pedal can be pumped 'hard' and stays 'hard'
5. While I am not looking to replicate my 2010 S class.. This thing has superb brakes.. over assisted of course.. But little travel at the top. Instant 'bite' and easily modulated. I like to feel that 'bite' and have a hard pedal where my pressure = more braking. Perhaps the 911 is setup with more smush a the top to be less disruptive to the car balance and if you want more braking you drive the foot harder into the pedal.
6. The brakes work - had recent fluids. car will stop well, can trigger ABS on the fronts.

I can of course live with it, but just sometimes find myself slightly caught out.. Good example is 70 mph on the motorway in flowing traffic.. If someone brakes in front of me it's possible to not have enough initial force and under braking.. (or feels like it).. Again - back to that wanting to feel bite and modulate from there..

I modded my old E46 330 clubsport with floating M rotors and EBC Yellows and once I learned how to bed in, these were fast road monsters.. I loved how hard I could lean on those..

Is this typical of the 997 setup??

Thanks

drmark · 21 Mar 2025

My pedal never “travels to the floor”. And no crunching sounds. Just brilliant brakes.Albeit you will have to push harder than in a S class.

FZP · 21 Mar 2025

997.2 brakes were, at the time, the 13th best performing car to come to a stop from 100kmh. I've had 2 and they are sublime. I'd suggest driving another snd comparing.
My only criticism is that they may be a little oversassisted.

gizlaroc · 21 Mar 2025

That is not right at all.

You need to get them looked at.

How long is the flexi hose?

jl-c · 21 Mar 2025

911 brakes tend to be progressive and a good shove is normal to stop quickly. No crunching noises though. Unlike VW's they are not overly assisted. I think they do need looking at.

M5sime · 21 Mar 2025

FZP said:
997.2 brakes were, at the time, the 13th best performing car to come to a stop from 100kmh. I've had 2 and they are sublime. I'd suggest driving another snd comparing.
My only criticism is that they may be a little oversassisted.

Mine definitely do not feel over assisted. I had an Audi once that would put your through the windscreen if you coughed. The 2 ton S-class is really surprising for brakes (no nose dive either). Thanks for the comparison.. Does sound like I need to try another one.

M5sime · 21 Mar 2025

gizlaroc said:
That is not right at all.

You need to get them looked at.

How long is the flexi hose?

Thanks. Not sure how long.. Guess 2M to go over the engine from the rear hard lines to the rear calipers.

M5sime · 21 Mar 2025

jl-c said:
911 brakes tend to be progressive and a good shove is normal to stop quickly. No crunching noises though. Unlike VW's they are not overly assisted. I think they do need looking at.

Thank you.. The 'crunching' noise is pumping a hard pedal while stationary.. Perhaps more 'clicking'

jl-c · 21 Mar 2025

So maybe sticking pads or anti-vibration shims ?

M5sime · 21 Mar 2025

I am closest to Northway independent so am in the process of emailing them for a potential review. I am in R19 in the Porsche Car Club, so will see about a pop along to the next meet for a comparison.

gizlaroc · 21 Mar 2025

M5sime said:
Thanks. Not sure how long.. Guess 2M to go over the engine from the rear hard lines to the rear calipers.

Have you got anything on the invoice saying what was fitted?

It might be fine.

I think I would get someone to bleed them again, before doing anything else. It sounds like my brakes after I snapped a bleed screw on the inside of a calliper and left the smallest of air bubbles.
Once it was sorted it was back to being a proper decent braking feel, very linear and decent feel.

M5sime · 28 Mar 2025

Update on the thread - I took the Car to Northway Porsche specialist in the UK where the Brake fluid change was done in Jan. As soon as I described the lack of bite and needing to push through the vague part of the pedal travel, the tech confirmed this is how all 997s are. Designed that way in his belief to not over brake or upset the nose of the 997. He did a test drive and confirmed all fine. Having lived with it some more, I have recalibrated my right leg more also.

In short - seems to be fine, seems to be as it should be.. do I fancy a little less mush stage (and hence perhaps an upgrade to the GT3/Turbo/C4S master cylinder - maybe.. I am reading some threads on this conversion and it seems to be relatively subtle.

Not related, but in Northway was a customer modded 997.1 Turbo.. Deep new metallic green paint, tinted lenses, Oz wheels, huge brakes and apparently 700bhp. Lovely looking!

Punchdrunked · 28 Mar 2025

I came from an SLK 55 AMG that had 6 pot callipers at the front, 4 at the back and floating disks. My 3.6 seemed too vague in comparison, mushy and not inspiring. When you need them though, stamp on them and they’re very good - the C2S even better still.