Correcting the Familiar Brake Squeal Associated With Porsche Cars

Porsche parts specialist offers expert solutions to diagnose and fix brake squeals in Porsche vehicles

Porsche is world-famous for high-quality, performance vehicles engineered to deliver the ultimate driving experience in any weather conditions. A brake squeal is, however, a sometimes annoying issue that can occur for a whole host of reasons.

Even factory-fresh Porsches can arrive with a slight brake squeal. Provided this isn't associated with any loss of stopping power and doesn't persist for extended periods, it's usually nothing to worry about. For most drivers, this is all down to variations within the harmonic frequencies caused by pistons firing and the torsion within the crankshaft.

While every brand-new Porsche is tested to exacting standards before you get your hands on the keys, the Porsche specialists at Design911 have shared some tips and advice to highlight some of the potential factors in a brake squeal and what you can do about it.

The Reasons Why Your Porsche May Have Squeaky Brakes

Let's start by assuming you're driving a new Porsche model and have heard an occasional brake squeal, because the age of the car is a big factor in diagnosing the underlying causes behind that unwanted noise.

In this scenario, it’s very likely due to your driving style. Leaving your foot on the brake accidentally or when you’re not about to stop can cause a build-up of dust on the rotors, even if you exert just a tiny amount of pressure.

Unnecessary friction causes dust to impact the rotors, adding a glaze to the surface, which creates the squeaking noise when you intentionally brake. Brake glazing means the build-up of material creates a glossy finish, which reduces the effectiveness of your brakes and requires fixing before it impacts the performance of your Porsche.

Most other causes of a brake squeal are associated with maintenance issues, such as worn friction on the brakes, which leaves the plate to come into contact with the rotor, or a poor fit where the brake isn’t closely fitted to the piston, which elevates the vibrations that occur between the brake pad and rotor.

Older Porsches, of course, benefit from regular servicing and maintenance. A common culprit of a brake squeak is the early signs of corrosion on the steel rotors, which can form small amounts of rust surprisingly fast, especially if you park your Porsche outdoors.

If the squeal happens as you drive your car after it’s been parked outside, this might be the most likely cause, alongside cold brakes, which are designed to perform in higher-heat conditions and can produce a slight squeak in cold weather before the car warms up.

Fixing a Porsche Brake Squeak Caused by Brake Glazing

If there isn't an obvious cause of the brake squeal, the best option is to book in with our Warehouse Workshop team. We are experts in Porsche servicing, very familiar with brake glazing and can rule out any other possible factors before recommending the best solutions.

Deglazing is something you may be able to do yourself, provided you can follow the steps safely. The alternative is to contact the Design911 team, and we’ll manage the process on your behalf.

In short, you need to find a space with zero collision risks or other cars, which makes a public roadway out of the question. You’ll need to accelerate along a stretch until you reach around 30 to 35 MPH and then apply the brakes with force – often assisted by the anti-lock braking system, or ABS, if you drive a more recent Porsche model.

This works by counteracting the glossy finish and ensuring the rotors have a rougher surface. That then enables the brakes to work without friction and noise and can eliminate the brake squeal once and for all.

The caveat is that we'd never recommend attempting this anywhere with other pedestrians, hazards, or cars. Deglazing in this way also only works in dry and clear conditions since rain and damp roads will impede the results.

Alternative Methods of Correcting a Porsche Brake Squeal

It’s worth pausing here to advise that the age-old myth that adding copper grease to the Porsche brake pads isn’t a good idea – this used to be a common tip but is now known to be a bad call and something that could cause damage.

We don’t recommend using this type of grease for your brake pads because copper can react with metals like aluminium and steel and create an ideal environment for corrosion to develop.

Rust and damage can cause the brakes to stick, especially at higher temperatures, impede the function of ABS sensors, and make your brakes less reliable. Other options, like silicone and ceramic lubricants, are far better if you need to grease your brake pads.

Adjusting Porsche Suspension Alignments

In some cases, brake squeals are caused by problems with your suspension, particularly if you often drive on poor-quality roads with potholes, deviations, sharp curbs, or bumps. These conditions put added stress and pressure on the suspension components.

Wheels that become misaligned can also cause a small squeak to become much louder, and having your suspension checked and realigned or replaced if necessary should ensure the squeak is a thing of the past.

Replacing or Resurfacing Worn Rotors

If your Porsche’s rotors have become bent or uneven, this can contribute to a brake squeal, which means that the best bet is either resurfacing the rotors or replacing them altogether.

Likewise, if you've found that initial wear around the brakes is causing friction, you can use a brake lubricant designed for your vehicle to help the moving parts, like pad contact points and calliper pins, move smoothly and effortlessly against each other.

Sourcing Expert Advice and Maintenance to Manage a Porsche Brake Squeak

As always, if you’re in any doubt about the reason for a brake squeal or the right corrective action to take, you are welcome to contact Design911 for advice or book your Porsche in with our talented mechanics and engineers.

If you’re an experienced Porsche restorer or love a DIY project, we can recommend the ideal products that will prevent the squeak and keep your brakes in top condition assuming you have the tools to manage this at home.

Alternatively, our workshop professionals can suggest the best quality anti-vibration shims, powerful brake lubricants, precision brake cleaning kits to banish dirt, oil and grease, and replacement rotors and brake pads to get your braking system back to top performance and offer an end-to-end fitting service here in Essex.

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About Design911

Design911 has established itself as the market leader, offering trade and retail customers a full range of OEM and aftermarket Porsche parts for general servicing and rebuild as well as restoration and tuning for the UK, European and world-wide markets. The Design911.co.uk website now sports a Porsche parts finder to help you get the exact aftermarket Porsche part your need. The company's impressive 34,000 sq. ft Essex headquarters comprise sales department, warehouse, workshop and body shop, as well as a showroom of classic Porsches for sale. We pride ourselves that we will be the company that can supply 'every part for every Porsche'.