How to identify what brakes are fitted on my 944 Turbo?

[poprock]

It's time for me to buy new brake pads for my Turbo, but I've realised that I don't actually know which brakes I have fitted.

The callipers are glossy black with white Porsche script. What I need to figure out is whether they are standard M030 spec which have been refurbished and coated in black, or they are actually the Promax Big Black kit.

Any ideas on how to spot the difference?

 

[Diver944]

Visually the callipers all look identical apart from the size so, using data from the EBC brake site:

220 bhp Turbo has pads that are 98mm x 68mm
250 bhp Turbo has pads that are 132mm x 71mm
Big Black GTS has pads that are 132mm x 75mm

Using data from my head

220 bhp Turbo disks are 298mm in diameter
250 bhp Turbo disks are 304mm in diameter
Big Black GTS disks are 322mm in diameter

 

[John Sims]

250 Turbo and Big Black disks are 32mm thick

 

[sawood12]

Compare your rear and front calipers. If your fronts are visually and dimensionally the same as your rears then they are the 220 turbo/non M030 calipers.

The M030/250 turbo medium blacks are a different shape and significanly larger.

To me the 220 turbo brakes have a pretty symmetrical (not perfectly but near as damn it) oval shape wheras the meduim blacks have a curved outer edge and the inner edge is sort of wavy as it follows the pistons. I.e. the medium blacks are not symmetrical in shape. But the size difference is significant and you will notice it.

 

[poprock]

Sorted. My callipers are the M030 set that were fitted when the car left the factory. They've just been refurbed in black for cosmetic reasons.

Cheers for the help, and to Andy at Promax for talking me through the differences on the phone.

Here's a handy tip from Andy: The Big Black set requires removal of the back plates, because they're so big. If you've got back plates on, then you don't have the Big Blacks.

 

[DavidL]

Big blacks weren't fitted as standard were they?
The 928 S4 brakes are the same as the 250 post 88 model but are they the same as the MO30 or are these different again?

 

[poprock]

No. Big Blacks have never been standard items. The M030 kit was standard on 944 Turbos for a short period, before Porsche stopped including the adjustable suspension, but they continued to include the M030 brakes.

I think the 928 S4 brakes were the same as 944 Turbo M030, yes, but I've never owned a 928 so don't take my word for it.

 

[John Sims]

ORIGINAL: poprock

No. Big Blacks have never been standard items. The M030 kit was standard on 944 Turbos for a short period, before Porsche stopped including the adjustable suspension, but they continued to include the M030 brakes.

I think the 928 S4 brakes were the same as 944 Turbo M030, yes, but I've never owned a 928 so don't take my word for it.

Correct.

Oh, and you can have back plates with big blacks, you just cut away some clearance around the calliper.

 

[sawood12]

Not so sure about that. The problem I had with the backplates was that due to the larger diameter of the discs the rim of the back plate, which has a semi-circular stiffening bead bent into it, fouled with the disk so it had to go. I did try bending the plate away but that didn't work.

 

[mik_ok]

Couple of threads that might help you (no info from me in them though [] )

Clik1

Clik2

 

[John Sims]

ORIGINAL: sawood12

Not so sure about that.........

I know what you mean but it worked fine on mine.

 

[Diver944]

Here's one of Ollis pics shamelessly nicked from Rennlists. It shows the 220caliper at the top and GT2 six piston, GT3 four piston fronts & rears and 951 S calipers along the bottom

 

[sawood12]

I would have thought that the calipers in the photo were big reds/blacks rather than 951S calipers judging their size relative tho the GT3mk1 fronts.

Going from left to right I think the photo shows:-

GT3mk2 6-pots, GT3mk1 4-pots, Big Reds/Blacks, GT3mk2 6-pots, Boxster S 4-pots or GT3 rears?, GT3mk1 4-pots. And of course the little, ikkle 220 turbo/S2 4-pots at the top!!

I've wonderd as an alternative to the GT3mk2 6-pots you could use Cayenne 6-pots. The main dirference apart from size is that the Cayenne 6-pots caliper bolts mount axially, like the 220 turbo/S2 calipers instead of radially as with the GT3mk2's and BR's. This might make these an easier option to install on 220 turbo/S2 hubs. Those 6-pot GT3mk2 calipers just look the business.