STOPPING POWER
In the latest round of updates applied to GCAP Performance’s Cayenne Turbo, Gary overhauls the sleek SUV’S braking system...
When I went to view my Cayenne Turbo, I couldn’t help but notice the brake pad wear warning indicator was illuminated. The seller said he’d fit new pads before collection, but considering I planned to blitz the brakes anyway, I settled for a few quid off the asking price and set about shopping for new discs, pads, hoses and fluid.
For many years, I’ve recommended MTEC brake discs to my customers. The company offers rotors for pretty much every performance car you can think of. A choice of drilled, grooved or, as I opted for, J-hook disc styles is available, as is a protective finish in black, gold or silver. There are people who will argue for and against each of these styles and each of these finishes, but regardless of personal preference, the bottom line is a grooved, dimpled, drilled or J-hook (sometimes labelled C-hook) disc will aid heat dissipation, which is of importance when it comes to high-output cars, especially those weighing as much as a Cayenne Turbo. Reassuringly, MTEC discs are designed to meet or exceed OEM specification, which is why I’ve had no hesitation in fitting them for the best part of a decade.
As far as pads are concerned, I always recommend OEM parts, unless a GCAP Performance customer is looking to enhance the braking abilities of their car or, as is often the case, I suspect they are driving in a ‘spirited’ fashion beyond what OEM pads are designed to cope with. I drive my Cayenne Turbo hard, which equates to heavy braking in a heavy Porsche. For this reason, I decided to fit EBC’S Yellowstuff pads. Manufactured with a high-friction formula to improve brake effect by fifteen percent (when compared to standard pads), the compound EBC uses to produce
Yellowstuff delivers excellent friction from cold, not requiring ‘warm up’ to work (as is the case with many similar products on the aftermarket), yet the hotter they get, the more effective they become. Yellowstuff is EBC’S fastest R90 homologated street pad and, coupled with the MTEC discs and the Cayenne’s fantastic six-piston (front) and four-piston (rear) Brembo calipers, give me all the stopping power I need, whether carrying my young family across town or blasting solo along rural B-roads.
As you’d expect, I renewed the pad wear sensors. Here, I used only genuine Porsche products. I’ve experimented with sensors from various brands, but they’ve all failed prematurely. The Porsche parts aren’t massively expensive — there aren’t huge savings to be made by skimping, so take my advice and stick with OEM.
If, like me, you decide to replace all braking system consumables, then it isn’t a bad idea to renew the accompanying
brake hoses. In truth, the parts on my Cayenne weren’t too bad, but factory rubber hoses perish with time, causing swelling and soft pedal feel, one of the symptoms of a braking system not doing its job efficiently. Replacing original hoses — let’s not forget my Cayenne is approaching its thirteenth anniversary — with braided stainless lines (I bought products from HEL, choosing an OEMfriendly black finish, although a wide range of colours is available from most braided hose manufacturers) will restore firm pedal feel, improve braking system responsiveness and withstand heavy use, including durability against the kind of prolonged exposure to heat and high pressure a standard rubber hose might struggle with over time. After fitting, I flushed the system and filled with genuine Porsche DOT 4 fluid.
Now my 957 Cayenne Turbo’s engine, transmission, differential and braking system have been fully serviced, it’s time to crack on with the jobs I’ve been looking forward to the most, chiefly the various updates contributing to personalisation of my Porsche. Custom trimming is at the top of my wish list, followed by wheel work. I can’t wait to get stuck in. ●