[jritt@essex]

Hello Gents,

One of the most common debates we see raging on the forums today is carbon ceramic vs. iron brake discs for road and track cars. This debate has been playing itself out over many months and years, with proponents on both sides of the argument fiercely defending their viewpoint.

The purpose of our latest article is to first explain the differences between the three main types of brake discs on the market today. After examining the technical differences and limitations of each disc type, we will then consider what you can do to ensure that you have the brake system on your road and track car that best matches your intended usage. Check it out in the link below, and thanks for looking.

Are carbon ceramic brake discs better than iron?

[M Fifty]

EVO magazine did a side by side comparison of 2 Jaguar F Type V8s on a disused airfield - one with and one without CCBs.

The test was repeated 100-0mph emergency stops with no cool down time beyond the time it took to get back up to 100mph.

The CCBs were more consistent over repeated cycles, but only started to significantly outperform the iron brakes after 10+ cycles.

They concluded that the benefit of CCBs were reduced fade and minimal wear in what was a pretty extreme test, but that the only thing you would notice in normal use was that you didn't have to replace the pads.

They did also mention reduced rotational and unsprung mass.

[jritt@essex]

Originally Posted by M Fifty

EVO magazine did a side by side comparison of 2 Jaguar F Type V8s on a disused airfield - one with and one without CCBs.

The test was repeated 100-0mph emergency stops with no cool down time beyond the time it took to get back up to 100mph.

The CCBs were more consistent over repeated cycles, but only started to significantly outperform the iron brakes after 10+ cycles.

They concluded that the benefit of CCBs were reduced fade and minimal wear in what was a pretty extreme test, but that the only thing you would notice in normal use was that you didn't have to replace the pads.

They did also mention reduced rotational and unsprung mass.

Well then it must be true! Did they weigh the discs before and after to see if how much mass the discs lost? Did they note any wear on the surface of the discs after the test? Did they mention the cost of replacing the discs once they were destroyed? Did they take disc, caliper, and pad temperatures to see how hot the brakes were actually running?

Our article is based on 100+ years of experience in the brake industry, helping many thousands of people solve their brake issues, from pro racers to common enthusiasts. We have many, many instances of customers destroying their carbon ceramic discs. Here's a gent we helped just last week with his 991 GT2RS.

He destroyed his discs in 3 track days/3500 miles, and was asked to pay $29,000 to replace them.

In addition to the thousands of real-world examples we've lived through, we also have a brake dyno at our facility on which we do constant testing.

Just to be clear, I have nothing against Evo Magazine. I got my first subsrciption to Evo about 20 years ago from my girlfriend, who I ended up marrying. I think the Evo subscription was a legitimate part of my decision. You have to realize though that these one-and-done magazine brake tests are never terribly scientific, and contain a huge number of uncontrolled variables. Also, who do you think is paying to keep Evo Magazine afloat? Their advertisers, one of whom I'm sure is Jaguar.

Don't believe the hype. Carbon ceramics are great for the street, but with current technology they just can't hang with a proper iron setup for extended racetrack abuse.

[M Fifty]

Thank you for the response. Didn't watch yours, as those who advocate for CCBs seem to have some difficulty in understanding that - in addition to the cost - CCBs on a like for like basis aren't actually better on a road car. But they're unlikely to need to ever service them if they bought new.

In the meantime - go you. Hopefully your day improves.

[SEAT TIME RULES]

Originally Posted by M Fifty

Thank you for the response. Didn't watch yours, as those who advocate for CCBs seem to have some difficulty in understanding that - in addition to the cost - CCBs on a like for like basis aren't actually better on a road car. But they're unlikely to need to ever service them if they bought new.

In the meantime - go you. Hopefully your day improves.

CCB's on a street driven car are good for 80-100K.

If you take them out on a track all bets are off.

Many of the CCB owners end up swapping back to Steel BBK when its time to replace them because they are wicked expensive. I don't know any serious tract rats up here in the Northeast who use them. A few Porsche dudes who have cash to burn, but that's it...

My $.02