Experience with Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake option
#1
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Does the option justify its $8,520 price tag? Shorter stopping distance? Longevity of rotors & pads (especially considering the replacement costs)? And, and, and.
If you had to do it again, would you check the option box?
Thanks in advance.
If you had to do it again, would you check the option box?
Thanks in advance.
#2
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Define "justify." The answer is probably no unless something below justifies it for you.
No. That's going to be tire related more often than not.
Longevity on the street is likely incredible.*
*You may, in fact, never need to do a brake job. Chipped rotor during tire change is a risk, as are pebbles caught between pad and rotor.
Longevity on track has inspired whole threads on RL.**
**Worth searching and reading up on.
Several have found the 991.2 Carrera/S/GTS/T to be powerful enough to tax their brakes in extreme driving—both on mountain passes and on track. If you will really use the car, PCCB may be worthwhile—whether you keep the CCB rotors or convert to iron rotors. Do check the price of non-factory brake upgrades.
Minimum unsprung weight, mechanical art, high tech
Your wheels stay a LOT cleaner. Basically, no brake dust. Someone will point out that clearance inside the wheel is tight, and it's possible to have the inside of the wheel scratched by a pebble caught between the caliper and the wheel. Had seen this on GT3 RSs, and it has happened to me...but it doesn't bother me.
Yes.
No. That's going to be tire related more often than not.
*You may, in fact, never need to do a brake job. Chipped rotor during tire change is a risk, as are pebbles caught between pad and rotor.
Longevity on track has inspired whole threads on RL.**
**Worth searching and reading up on.
Several have found the 991.2 Carrera/S/GTS/T to be powerful enough to tax their brakes in extreme driving—both on mountain passes and on track. If you will really use the car, PCCB may be worthwhile—whether you keep the CCB rotors or convert to iron rotors. Do check the price of non-factory brake upgrades.
Minimum unsprung weight, mechanical art, high tech
Your wheels stay a LOT cleaner. Basically, no brake dust. Someone will point out that clearance inside the wheel is tight, and it's possible to have the inside of the wheel scratched by a pebble caught between the caliper and the wheel. Had seen this on GT3 RSs, and it has happened to me...but it doesn't bother me.
Yes.
#3
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Lucky enough to have them on my preowned 09 Targa. Couldn't justify pulling the trigger on my 17 Cab S
What I'll miss:
Superior braking performance
Never worrying about status of my brake pads
No Dust
Coolness factor
What I won't miss:
Constant worry about cracking a rotor on the miserable NE roads
Constant worry when changing tires the mechanic will not be gentle with rotors while changing
Squeaking if I dint deglaze them often.
What I'll miss:
Superior braking performance
Never worrying about status of my brake pads
No Dust
Coolness factor
What I won't miss:
Constant worry about cracking a rotor on the miserable NE roads
Constant worry when changing tires the mechanic will not be gentle with rotors while changing
Squeaking if I dint deglaze them often.
#4
Race Car
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Many threads on this and Stout has summed it up very nicely.
I had steels on my first 991.1S, PCCBs on my second 991.1S, and on my ordered 991.2GTS (which will hopefully be arriving in a month or so!), I went with PCCBs. It wasn't an easy decision due to the cost but in the end I went YOLO and included them. I will not track the car (although I will autocross it). I like the looks (they are massive!), the feel, and the lack of brake dust, especially with the black wheels that come with the GTS.
EDIT: My steels squeaked after heavy use. My PCCBs never squeaked. YMMV.
I had steels on my first 991.1S, PCCBs on my second 991.1S, and on my ordered 991.2GTS (which will hopefully be arriving in a month or so!), I went with PCCBs. It wasn't an easy decision due to the cost but in the end I went YOLO and included them. I will not track the car (although I will autocross it). I like the looks (they are massive!), the feel, and the lack of brake dust, especially with the black wheels that come with the GTS.
EDIT: My steels squeaked after heavy use. My PCCBs never squeaked. YMMV.
#5
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I overheated the rear rotors a couple of times on track on the GT4 and lost 50% of the carbon density. Fronts were only down 10% after 17 track days so on the street they should last for a long time.
#6
Pro
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I’m surprised the replies have stayed so civil. ![Smilie](https://rennlist.com/forums/images/smilies/smile.gif)
I have them and really like them but appreciate the counter arguments. Your car won’t stop faster so measure performance in other dimensions. Most of the arguments against PCCB are based on the price tag and replacement costs. Fair points.
If nothing else, getting PCCB and then spending some more to get the GiroDisc 380mm iron rotors that work with the PCCB calipers is a sweet option to consider.
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I have them and really like them but appreciate the counter arguments. Your car won’t stop faster so measure performance in other dimensions. Most of the arguments against PCCB are based on the price tag and replacement costs. Fair points.
If nothing else, getting PCCB and then spending some more to get the GiroDisc 380mm iron rotors that work with the PCCB calipers is a sweet option to consider.
#7
Rocky Mountain High
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I had the PCCB option on my 997 Turbo, and I have it on my 991 Turbo S. I won't buy another modern Porsche without it. I don't track my car, but PCCB is excellent if you do track because of lighter weight and less brake fade. The downside, of course, is cost. Many people who regularly track their car swap PCCB for steel rotors to control cost. For a street car, the main benefit (aside from the awesome look) is the lack of brake dust. I highly recommend PCCB!
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#8
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I like my PCCB’s a lot since I got the stone gouging problem fixed. They are more ‘touchy’ when braking than steels, but do stop extremely well. And one of the big reasons why I bought them in the first place is there is virtually zero brake dust. Keeping your wheels clean is a snap. No rusty spray on the wheel barrel after a wash. In spite of my early problems with them, I’d buy them again in a heartbeat. And Hurricane is right, they NEVER squeal.
#9
RL Community Team
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I would never buy another 911 (of any variation) without PCCBs.
Yes, for street driving ceramic brakes are overkill. But when you think about it, for street driving a 911 is overkill.
Yes, for street driving ceramic brakes are overkill. But when you think about it, for street driving a 911 is overkill.
#10
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I’ve had ceramics on all of my 911s since 2011. When I ordered the 2016 GTS ClubCoupe, I wanted ceramics, but not the yellow calipers, as they clashed with the color scheme of the car. I asked Exclusive if we could paint the PCCBs and the answer was “No!” The brake dust alone on the steels drove me crazy. Hence, big fan of PCCB for the brake dust elimination alone. Performance is also much better than anything I have experienced. Ferrari ceramics can’t hold a candle to our Porsche brakes.
#11
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The Giro replacements are actually 410mm F and 390mm R. A lot of people questioned feeling the weight difference changing to those from the carbon rotors. Can't say that I did on the GT4 but the difference in initial bite was the major difference over the steels IMHO. I'm a big fan of the PCCBs, especially for street only where I doubt you could ever wear them out.
#12
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We have done over 60 of the PCCB to iron conversions on GT4s and 991 GT3s. All customers have been very happy.
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#13
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Thanks for correcting me on that.
The Giro replacements are actually 410mm F and 390mm R. A lot of people questioned feeling the weight difference changing to those from the carbon rotors. Can't say that I did on the GT4 but the difference in initial bite was the major difference over the steels IMHO. I'm a big fan of the PCCBs, especially for street only where I doubt you could ever wear them out.
#14
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Eric
#15
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Ceramics are like ipods/smartphones or teslas.;Its the one option that you never knew you couldn't live without. I have a Cayenne turbo S with the 10 pot 16 inch ceramics and for the same reasons many have echoed above the brake dust and the braking distance makes having the option a cherry on top to its spectacular looks and for stopping a 5,000 lb SUV with much ease it is a great safety feature. I've also had a e63s with ceramics and for the same reasons I loved it very much.
The downsides are that they squeak. This is a characteristic of the compound and it will happen once the disks are hot and come to a slow speed where you have to be on and off your brakes.
Another downside is that the brake pedal does not have the same feel as steelies. You can't feel the disks as much. When you get to the friction point the brakes stop much quicker since the disks are half the weight. The overall brake experience is that the brakes feel more "grabby" with less overall feel.
If the budget allow me to I would have loved this option on my c2s.
The downsides are that they squeak. This is a characteristic of the compound and it will happen once the disks are hot and come to a slow speed where you have to be on and off your brakes.
Another downside is that the brake pedal does not have the same feel as steelies. You can't feel the disks as much. When you get to the friction point the brakes stop much quicker since the disks are half the weight. The overall brake experience is that the brakes feel more "grabby" with less overall feel.
If the budget allow me to I would have loved this option on my c2s.