The Brembo-supplied braking systems on today's Porsches are magnificent out of the box and definitely track-worthy as long as the pads hold up. Still, because Project 997 TT will most likely see several track days, an upgrade was decided upon. Bigger brakes provide more consistent temperatures and are less prone to fading or overheating the fluid. I kept with Brembo, because of its near half-century track record in all sorts of racing-including Champ Car and Formula One-as well its successful involvement with many high-end European manufacturers.
Brembo's new six-piston monobloc braking systems are designed as vehicle-specific, accommodating several European models such as BMW E46, E60, E63, E64 and E90, Ferrari 360 and F430, Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 and Porsche 996 and 997 models. There's a wide range of piston sizes to suit different brake biases and master cylinders. The single-piece, aluminum monobloc calipers weigh only 11.5 pounds up front and nine pounds at the rear-1.5 pounds and half a pound lighter than stock, respectively.The two-piece, floating, cross-drilled rotors reduce rotating mass even further. Even though they're over an inch larger in diameter than stock, they're 6.5 and 4.5 pounds lighter per corner in the front and rear, respectively. The six-piston kits are only marginally more expensive than the four-piston systems, retailing at $3,995 for the front pair and $3,195 for the rear. The front brakes went inside the wheels without a glitch. The rears, however, needed to have one of the bolts (that secure the caliper to the Brembo adapter bracket) shaved a couple of millimeters to fit, otherwise the wheel would actually grind. Imagine Auto made it work.
On the road, the new brakes provide a pedal feel that's similar to stock, which is a good thing. They just stop a lot harder and are a little overkill for these tires on the street at speeds below 200 mph. But as well as the improved look and braking power, the car is lighter by a few more pounds. I tried a dyno test, comparing the lighter Dymags to the stock wheels, but found the heavier wheels help keep the turbos loaded harder in the top end, thus providing more power. On the road, this shouldn't be the case, due to the dyno's inability to mimic a real-world load perfectly, which would include wind resistance.