Porsche Brembo 996 BBK conversion

[e36_325]

There are four options I found for seal and boot kits. Brembo, Racingbrake, Stoptech, and Centric. Porsche was not an option as they offer only the dust boots. The hardware I used was genuine Porsche, purchased primarily from Pelican. Hoerr Racing is good source for genuine Brembo parts. I also had 4 pistons I wanted to replace. Finding the pistons was a bit of a challenge.

Brembo/Porsche part numbers:
Front Caliper, Dust Boot (36mm): Brembo Part #BRE-20.4872.44
Front Caliper, Dust Boot (40mm): Brembo Part #BRE-20.4872.46
Rear Caliper, Dust Boot (28mm): Brembo Part #BRE-20.4872.40
Rear Caliper, Dust Boot (30mm): Brembo Part #BRE-20.4872.41
Front Caliper, Piston Seal (36mm): Brembo Part #BRE-10.55955.56
Front Caliper, Piston Seal (40mm): Brembo Part #BRE-10.55955.58
Rear Caliper, Piston Seal (28mm): Brembo Part #BRE-10.55955.52
Rear Caliper, Piston Seal (30mm): Brembo Part #BRE-10.55955.53
Brake Bleeder (sold in pairs – 4 pairs req): OE Porsche Part # 930-351-919-00
Front Caliper, (Left) Hydraulic Connecting Line: OE Porsche Part #996-351-961-00
Front Caliper, (Right) Hydraulic Connecting Line: OE Porsche Part #996-351-962-00
Rear Caliper, (Left) Hydraulic Connecting Line: OE Porsche Part #996-352-961-00
Rear Caliper, (Right) Hydraulic Connecting Line: OE Porsche Part #996-352-962-00
Brake Hardware Kit (Front): OE Porsche Part #996-351-959-01
Brake Hardware Kit (Rear): OE Porsche Part #996-352-959-01
Brake Pad Shims (Front): OEM Part #996-351-088-02
Brake Pad Shims (Rear, 28mm): OEM Part #996-352-086-02
Brake Pad Shims (Rear, 30mm): OEM Part #996-352-086-00

A complete set of genuine Brembo seals, dust boots, bleeder screws, and bleeder screw caps from Hoerr Racing came to $475.00 with tax and shipping. Time for more shopping.

Racingbrake offers seal and boot kits as well as stainless pistons. Their pistons will not accommodate brake pad shims, so this eliminated them for me. If you don’t care about using shims you may want to consider them.

After eliminating the Racingbrake pistons I did a lot of searching before I found out that Stoptech pistons are a direct replacement for the Brembo pistons. Zeckhausen Racing has a great page with all of the specs: https://www.zeckhausen.com/catalog/i...Path=6446_6472 Before ordering I gave Zeckhausen a call to confirm that they would fit. Dave Zeckhausen was kind enough to spend about 35 minutes on the phone with me answering questions. He confirmed that the Stoptech pistons are commonly used in the 996 Brembo and took the time to explain that while Centric owns Stoptech, there is a difference between the Centric and Stoptech boot and seal kits. They both use the same boots, but the Stoptech seals are made to withstand the higher temperatures of track use. Because my M3 is never going to see the track he recommended that I go with the Centric kits. I told him that I read a bunch on the web both for and against the Stoptech kits, with the negative reports centered around dust boots that would not stay seated. He confirmed that this had been a problem, and that it had been corrected. I went ahead an ordered the Centric boot and seal kits along with the pistons. He also strongly recommended the Centric caliper assembly fluid, so I went for that as well. After using it I would recommend it as well. Makes the job much easier than when using brake fluid. The boots fit nice and snug, and so far, show no signs of popping out. I will report back if this changes.


The Stoptech boot and seal kits can be had on eBay cheaper than at Zeckhausen, but the time and help he gave was well worth a few extra bucks to me. Zeckhausen also has several useful tech articles: https://www.zeckhausen.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=6446

Jesse

Thanks for posting the part numbers like this. I recently (July 2022) emailed with the folks at Hoerr (https://www.hrpworld.com/) and they have been extremely helpful over email.

I am likely going to upgrade my caliper pistons to the stainless steel option from Racing Brake.

Does anyone have any insight as to whether (or not) the Stoptech piston seals would be a better track-minded option over going with OE Brembo piston seals?

[fullyflaredd]

Who here uses this kit on track? Any downfalls? Reasons to avoid?

I am likely going with the freaky parts kit with 345mm rotors due to cost and availability, as well as not having to rebuild anything. Figure it's similar enough to the 996 kit so if anyone has experience tracking with the 996 kit, it should be similar with the FP kit.

I was curious to ask people who have tracked with this setup if there are any downfalls? Given that I'm currently on stock brakes, I assume the 345mm rotors + endless fluid + race pads should more than suffice, but wondering if the 28mm thick rotor is able to sufficiently handle heat or I should be looking for a more serious setup. FWIW I am not a track warrior, I'll do the occasional track day (maybe 4-5 a year?) with 15-20 min long sessions, and just want to make sure it is consistent throughout the session with no fade at the end. My car should be around 3150-3200 lbs, and will likely lose another 50-100lbs in the coming months.



I would love to do the AP racing 8350 kit, but given that it's nearly 2.5x the cost of the freaky parts kit after pads/taxes, seems like money can be spent better elsewhere (weight reduction, suspension, cooling). I don't mind spending the extra money if it will provide me with a better experience, but if it is unnecessary and something that I won't notice, then I would hate to allocate funds poorly. Wanting to avoid stoptech because of multiple horror stories of cracked rotors and poor QC.

[heinzboehmer]

The problem with using any old hardware that matches the thread size/pitch of the bleeders is that the threads alone will not stop fluid, it's the tapered "nose" of the bleeder that blocks the fluid port.

Yep, that's exactly why I asked about the hardware used. I'll buy some cheap bleeders and use those to plug the holes then.

[Tbonem3]

Oh I didn't realize that. Should have looked at the calipers more closely. Thanks!

No problem. I would recommend finding cheap bleeders or old ones, but not so much for painting stage, but the baking. The increase in heat will increase pressure and, even if you've drained the calipers, still some fluid will want to come out.

The problem with using any old hardware that matches the thread size/pitch of the bleeders is that the threads alone will not stop fluid, it's the tapered "nose" of the bleeder that blocks the fluid port.

[heinzboehmer]

The brake line input hole is the same thread size/pitch as the bleeders. See my OP for how I cover holes.

Oh I didn't realize that. Should have looked at the calipers more closely. Thanks!

[duracellttu]

Cool, thanks for the info. What did you use to cover the threaded holes? Guess I could use old/cheap bleed screws for the bleed holes, but what about the one where the brake line goes? I have a feeling that if they're not all sealed properly, brake fluid will inevitably leak out and ruin the finish.

I completely rebuilt the calipers and bought all new Brembo hardware, just used the old hardware. For the brake line I went to Home Depot and found some cheap bolts with the same thread pitch.

[Tbonem3]

The brake line input hole is the same thread size/pitch as the bleeders. See my OP for how I cover holes.

[heinzboehmer]

I powder coated. The finish is really nice and more durable. The only precaution I will give you is that you need to prep the parts accordingly. Mask the areas around the piston, mask the pad rails and keep bolts in all the valve/threaded locations. If you do that properly you won’t have any issues.

It was was worth the extra money in my option. I also ceramic coated them afterwards and they clean up so easily.

Cool, thanks for the info. What did you use to cover the threaded holes? Guess I could use old/cheap bleed screws for the bleed holes, but what about the one where the brake line goes? I have a feeling that if they're not all sealed properly, brake fluid will inevitably leak out and ruin the finish.

[duracellttu]

Any opinions/experiences on powder coating vs refinishing with the VHT 900F paint and clear for a car that will see track use? I'm not great at painting (and kinda hate doing it), so I'd rather pay for the powder coating than have to refinish the calipers in a couple years, BUT only if it's going to last longer.

Saw a similar discussion a couple pages back, but no mention of how the finishes wore/faded after years of tracking.

I powder coated. The finish is really nice and more durable. The only precaution I will give you is that you need to prep the parts accordingly. Mask the areas around the piston, mask the pad rails and keep bolts in all the valve/threaded locations. If you do that properly you won’t have any issues.

It was was worth the extra money in my option. I also ceramic coated them afterwards and they clean up so easily.

[heinzboehmer]

Any opinions/experiences on powder coating vs refinishing with the VHT 900F paint and clear for a car that will see track use? I'm not great at painting (and kinda hate doing it), so I'd rather pay for the powder coating than have to refinish the calipers in a couple years, BUT only if it's going to last longer.

Saw a similar discussion a couple pages back, but no mention of how the finishes wore/faded after years of tracking.

[Mr.wReckless]

Ferodo DS2500 pads both front and rear, swapped over the rear callipers, got FreakyParts 360mm size up front and zero squeal. I did apply liberal amount of a type of ceramic paste to the pads to hopefully alleviate this, which seems to have worked. What I do get though is 1 single clunk from the pads as they move in the calliper when I have gone from braking in reverse to the first brake application once I move forward again and vice versa.

Regards

[Nardo S54]

Apologies as I’ve not read all 36 pages but for the members who’ve been dealing with squealing, have you confirmed the rears were not installed backwards? Given the orientation on BMW’s (rear of rotor instead of front like Porsche), the calipers need to be switched between driver and passenger, and of course then bridge pipe must be installed on the opposite end. This was well documented in the original thread on the other site but only offer it up in case it got lost.

And if the rear orientation is not the issue, well perhaps this is par for the course lol

https://m.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=203&v=fUNHb9O52WQ&feature=emb_logo

[Mr.wReckless]

For what it's worth, I had my local garage blow out the pistons, I cleaned them up and put them in the freezer. The calipers went in the oven, and with some piston grease the cold pistons were super easy to slide into the warm caliper cylinders. New o-rings and dust boots of course.

Regards

[DoubleSidedTape]

From Apex: https://support.apexraceparts.com/hc...ance-e46m3.png

They indicate that an 18x9.5 +35 Arc 8 needs a 5mm spacer, but an EC7 will fit without one.

[repoman89]

I test fit my new TA16s yesterday and they have a ton of clearance. 18x9.5 ET35.