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S8 Brakes feel soft


carlos50
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My brakes feel quite soft and un resopnsive on my 98 S8.I havent had it very long in all honesty and my previous car was 996 Porsche 911 so pehaps i am comparing with that.I just dont feel confident moving at speed with the car because it doesnt seem like it will brake hard enough. I think the last brake fluid chandge was some time ago, should i change it and if so is it a relatively simple job given that i have never done this before on any car.

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Changing the brake fluid should improve things a bit, especially if you've had the old fluid in there for a while, but it may also be that the brakes were so good on your Porsche, that it makes the 8's look bad!!

As for changing the fluid, its not as simple as it used to be due to the ABS system etc... definately a 2 man job with reference to the appropriate workshop manual

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Thanks thats what i am starting to think also.The Porsche would go nose first into the floor on braking so i am maybe expecting that.It does feel very soft though and there is a lot of travel on the pedal before it feels like the car is braking.If the fluid change is tricky i wont even think about it.

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The soft brake pedal was also my major complaint when I bought my new 2001 S8. When new, the brake pedal had about 5" of travel, and the brakes weren't even strong enough to activate the ABS system on a clean dry road.

Just start working down this list until you're satisfied,

1. Bleed the brakes.

2. Install new pads (both front and rear) with a higher coefficient of friction. The Ferodo DS2500 is my preference for the street.

3. The brake pedal assembly bolts to a flexible firewall. See The Block Project, and this is the final result.

347894-Block.jpg

4. Replace the rubber brake lines with braided stainless steel lines.

5. Install larger diameter rotors.

6. Install stiffer calipers.

I've gone thru the entire list, though not in this more cost effective order.

Good Luck,

Randy

post-517-137914296419_thumb.jpg

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The only time my S8 has stopped well was when I braked with my left foot (emergency). Boy, did it stop! Mainly because i've only had it a few weeks and still getting used to driving an auto!

I'm still awaiting a detailed quote from AMD for a complete brake upgrade: Pads, Discs and calipers.

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