[968Z]

My front calipers need to be rebuilt. I've searched the usual suspects and can't find the kits. Do I need to go to Sunset for these? Also, is there a consensus on which brake pad is the best for street use that stops well, wears slow, and gives off little or no dust?

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Greimann]

Looks like Vertex has a kit of some kind. They don't say exactly what is in it. Vertex Brake Kit



I like the Metalmasters for the zero dust properties.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[BruceWard]

Porsche (Sunset) has kits with seals, dust covers, pistons and little packs of grease. I believe a enough for two calipers will cost you $150 to $200 from them. Each kit is for one piston so you need to order eight kits in a range of sizes. The Sunset guys know the exact part numbers you need but make sure they sell you four kits per caliper, they only sold me enough to do one side and said I would have to wait months when I called back for more.



Paragon can provide seals and dust covers on their own at a reduced cost. I ordered a full set from Paragon when I was told to wait by Sunset. At the time the full set of seals and dust covers for all four calipers was ~ $190. The parts appeared identical to the factory parts and 5K miles and many autocrosses later I can vouch for them being a quality product. I also purchased metal masters and Zimmerman rotors from Paragon and find both to be excellent products.



Why would you rebuild only the front calipers? I rebuilt all four. I could not see a reason to rebuild the rears until I had them apart. The rears were less clogged up than the fronts but were on their way to similar problems.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[968Z]

Thanks Bruce. I'll reload the Paragon site. I couldn't find them earlier. The main reason on the calipers is cost. I'm not that mechanically handy, so labor will be an issue. I've got a local guy that lets me source parts, and he will install at his regular hourly rate.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Brian]

i also bought seals from paragon for about $200. make sure you grese them with some silicone or they'll tear and make you very angry as brake fluid leaks all over your nice garage floor.... <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/sad.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

i also use metal master pads and have pretty much no dust at all. they work just great. make sure you seat them. when i first dropped mine in, they hardly worked. 10 minutes later, with 5 0-60 trials with some cooling time and they're awesome.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[BruceWard]

I have never seen the Paragon caliper supplies listed online. It is an item that you need to call them for. They can get almost anything if you call and ask.



There is a caliper rebuilding tutorial online at http://vista.pca.org/sch/tech_articles/cal...per_rebuild.htm . Very little skill is needed to rebuild the calipers. I am sure that you can do it if you want to. The most difficult part is probably getting them off the car which is only a couple of big 17mm or 19mm bolts.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Dave]

If I may ask, why are you rebuilding the calipers? Is there a specific issue with them?



I've recently been there and done that.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[968Z]

Dave,



The right front caliper is binding on the disc. The pad is shot at 8000 miles, and with new rotors, also with 8K, I don't want to replace them too.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Dave]

Sounds like it's time then.



I had ordered all parts through Paragon. We miscommunicated and I ended up with the wrong size for one of the pistons. Due to time constraint, I ended up ordering the seals/dust covers through Foreign Car Parts in my area. They were able to drop ship the kits to me overnight for about the same price.



Now, the spring plates on the ends... they are the devil to get out, but worth the change. If you are not having issues with getting pads in/out of the calipers, you can skip this excursion to he!!.



If they are requiring grinding/filing/hammering to get pads to slide in, then let me know. I have a couple of tricks up my sleeve on that project.



By the way, the write-up in the link above is VERY good. You WILL need compressed air to get the pistons out. They shoot out like rockets at the end of their travel, so place a stack of old pads or some similar object between the opposing pistons. You can slowly remove them (shim down) to get all four pistons to reach the end of their travel at pretty much the same time.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[sasilverbullet]

Thanks for the information everyone.



I was thinking of powder-coating my calipers, now I feel brave enough to do it!

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.