GT4 Brake pad questions

[Bilzo1234]

Hey, I'm a recent owner of a GT4 with PCCB. Went out to Bedford Autodrome the other day for a track day and have noticed my front pads are looking pretty low. Had a few questions regarding discs/pads for someone who intends to track 4-6 times a year.

1) Worth sticking with the PCCBs or swapping them out completely for steel discs/ surface transforms/ something else? I'm acutely aware of the replacement cost of PCCBs and have read very mixed information on the life of PCCBs if you're tracking. Previously had an M2 and the braking power of PCCBs is brilliant, but I'm not setting any records so if steels are the safer option then I would be fine swapping them out.
2) Assuming I stick with PCCBs, anyone had experience with the Manthey Race pads that Porsche OEM offer? Worth the upgrade over the stock ones?
3) Any other general maintenance tips that could save a fortune in the future?

Thanks!

 

[Motorhead]

Hi,

I’m sure that someone with hands-on experience will be able to answer Q2 and Q3 in particular, but I can recall at least one person on here who swapped the PCCBs for Surface Transform replacements which [I think?] were cheaper and which can be refurbished.

Swapping to cast iron replacement discs will be a much cheaper alternative, but I don’t know if you will need to replace the calipers too.

Jeff

 

[Twinfan]

Morning

Only you can really decide if you want to stick with PCCBs. They are expensive to replace, but if you're happy with that and like the braking performance then all's good. Note that they can chip and score, so may require replacement before they're worn out due to mileage.

I have a mate with PCCBs on his GT4RS and he's currently running Manthey pads after the originals pretty much collapsed after some reasonably heavy track use. The Manthey pads have lasted really well, with loads of life still left, and they haven't produced the plumes of dust like the originals did. He's very happy with the performance of them too.

Surface Transforms are an option, with possible disc refurbs unlike PCCBs, but they're not cheap either to buy or refurb and the company stability may not be brilliant - I seem to recall reading various concerns over the last year or so.

Switching to iron discs can be done without needing to swap callipers. PFC are one company that can supply such parts, there may well be others.

As a slight aside, I do a similar number of track days a year to what you're planning and I'm running PFC iron discs and some of their pads on my non-PCCB 718 GT4 and another mate is running their discs with Ferodo pads on his 718 GT4. Both of us also run Manthey braided brake lines. Braking performance is a step up over the OEM iron setup, which we both found lacking - they lacked bite and they overheated and faded easily on track when pushing on a bit. With the current setup, my mate (who is a big PCCB fan but couldn't get them at the time on his order) is now more than happy with the brakes, and while he would still prefer PCCBs for the slight weight advantage and "bling" factor, he says the upgraded iron setup performance is on a par with how he found PCCBs on a previous 718 GT4. And the cost was half the price of ticking the PCCB box and would be the same again to replace......

As with a lot of things, the choice is yours and it all boils down to your approach to risk (of a big brake bill) alongside how deep your pockets are!

 

[MrDemon]

For 4 a year just fit endless pads for PCCB's best pad out there