Porsche Brake Pads – Material Science and Buying Guide

Squealing brakes, long pedal travel, or visible grooves on the disc – with Porsche, pad wear often becomes apparent sooner than many drivers expect. Depending on the usage profile, from a 964 on country roads to a 992 GT3 on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, the correct pad choice also differs significantly. Choosing the wrong pad will either result in premature wear or reduced braking performance.

Pad Materials and Their Applications

Porsche original equipment pads are organic or low-metallic and designed for road use with moderate temperatures. They provide good braking performance when cold, are quiet, and cause minimal disc wear. Sport pads contain higher metal content and ceramic fibers, can withstand temperatures up to approximately 600 °C, and are suitable for track days and occasional race track use. Pure racing pads require operating temperatures of around 200 °C to achieve their friction coefficient level – they are therefore unsuitable for road use and have little grip with cold discs. For most Porsche owners, a high-quality original equipment pad or a moderately sporty road pad is the right choice: It delivers consistent braking performance without the comfort loss of a track pad. A proven all-round pad for air-cooled models is the Pagid Street+ for 928/944/964/968/993 – road-legal, quiet, and with significantly more thermal reserve than original equipment pads.

Model Differences from G-Model to 992

The air-cooled models (G-Model, 964, 993) use comparatively small brake systems and are sensitive to overly aggressive pads – disc wear and shuddering are typical consequences. For the 996 and 997, significantly larger calipers are already used depending on the equipment, especially for Turbo and GT variants. From the 991 onwards, six-piston fixed calipers are standard at the front, and the PCCB ceramic brake is optional and exclusively requires approved special pads – normal steel pads will destroy the ceramic disc. Details on this can be found in the separate article on PCCB brake pads. For the transaxle series (924/944/968/928), the pad shape sometimes varies greatly depending on the model and year of manufacture; here it is worth checking the part number.

Installation and Typical Sources of Error

When replacing pads, always change them in pairs per axle, clean the guide pins and apply ceramic paste, and treat the pad backing with anti-squeal paste. The disc thickness must be checked before installation – below the minimum dimension, even a new pad will not provide consistent braking performance. New pads require a bedding-in procedure: the first 200 km without full braking, then several controlled braking maneuvers from 80 to 30 km/h for even transfer of friction material to the disc. Those who replace pads and discs at the same time save a second workshop visit; for the 964, for example, the Zimmermann front brake disc (drilled) is an excellent option – OEM quality with longer durability for sporty driving.

The correct pad choice depends on the actual use, not the model name. For road and occasional spirited driving, original equipment or sporty road pads are sufficient. Only for regular track days is a true racing pad worthwhile – and then only with suitable brake fluid and braided steel lines.