Brakes don't Bite Options

[bkrantz]

As part of my rebuild I completely replaced the brake system:
calipers and rear pressure valve rebuilt by PMB
new ATE 19mm master cylinder
new hard and flex lines
new disks and Porterfield R4-S pads

I went through many (many!) episodes of bleeding, with different methods. The pedal feels very firm from the first push, and does not pump up. Rear clearance is set at .004". I went through the PMB bedding process, and have driven around a bit.

But the braking force seems weak. When I get on the brake pedal, I do not feel any "bite". Another 914 friend drove the car and also agrees.

Any suggestions?

[ChrisFoley]

I used to sell KFP pads because I liked their performance, but not enough customers bought them so I stopped selling them. Their street pad compound 1935 has excellent cold bite and the full race compound withstood the heat I could generate with stock calipers and wide slick tires.
I tried using their autocross compound on my street 914 until I scared myself with an emergency stop that almost wasn't successful because the brakes were cold.
I bed my street pads with repeated heavy braking to warm them up to just smoking temp and then allow to cool. It isn't very convenient to repeatedly brake to a stop on public roads so I only go down to 10-15 mph but still gradually increase the brake temperature over a couple miles of driving until I smell the compound baking out and then I drive home without using the brakes at all.