bwhale

Tried looking for a thread on this topic to no avail, so here goes. Curious to hear thoughts on how PCCB's affect the handling on the 992 vs regular brakes. Is there a significant difference?

Note - I'm not asking about longevity or how they differ from 997/991-gen PCCB's. 100 people will have 100 opinions and 100 data sets on that topic.

F8Driver

While they reduce unsprung weight which should improve the handling, unless you drive back to back with identical cars (except brakes), I doubt you'd notice the difference. Theoretically, you might see a difference in lap times at the track, but unless timed under identical occasions, other variables may outweigh the inherent PCCB advantage. I think the big advantage for a daily driver is lack of dust, cool factor, and extended service life.

Fullyield

It is a option and an individual decision to be made based on intended use of the vehicle. Yes they are an advantage for competitive and track driving but come with additional cost and maintenance issues. These other additional issues may outweigh the benefits for a vehicle primarily driven on the street. So, is worth it to some buyers whereas not worth it to others. I have liked driving 911’s with PCCB’s on track. But, did not option them on my street 911.

detansinn

Yes, they reduce unsprung weight, but you’re not going to notice a handling difference in a car where the typical build weighs in at around 3500lbs. This is princess and the pea stuff.

CanAutM3

Unsprung weight is not related to sprung weight. The lighter the unsprung weight is, the better the wheels can react to road imperfections and therefore the better the tires will stay optimally in contact with the road surface, regardless of how much the vehicle weighs.

Vicbastige

The main difference between PCCBs and non for 95% of 911 owners will be the brake dust (and quite a bit more coin). In fact, one could argue PCCbs are not as suited for everyday road driving. Track? PCCBs win.

ipse dixit

I noticed on track with two 991 GT3, driven back-to-back, same day, same tires, only difference was one car had OEM irons and the other PCCBs.

On the streets, or really anywhere outside of a closed circuit, no one will ever notice a difference in driving dynamics unless you are breaking the law.

siberian

Also PCCBs do NOT do well in cold climates but given they're over twice the price, they do last longer. As to everyday driving? Doubt you'd notice as per @ipse dixit mention

siberian

Jeff4598

Best comparison I can offer is on my M2C- aftermarket wheels 3 lbs less- very clear increase in steering feel, turn in and responce to bumps was faster and ended more quickly.

Rothen

Is that something related to the 911? Because chevy put standard ceramic brakes on their corvette e-ray, with all-seasons tires.

ipse dixit

Ceramic brake pads are more sensitive to cold temperatures.

Ceramic pads have less cold bite than semi metallic brake pads, making them less effective in cold weather.

It doesn't mean they are unusable, or even unsafe.

You just have to be aware of their properties and account for them. A few hard stops and the pads will warm up, mitigating the issue.

aggie57

Back when I was competing in Alfa's the GTV6 came standard with 2-pot alloy Brembo's which many people replaced with iron 4-pot calipers off Volvo 260's of the era. Man those Volvo calipers were heavy, personally I stuck with the 2-pot Brembo's and just made sure they had fresh fluid before each event.

Point is unspring weight can make a difference when you get into track setup, it's not the same as sprung weight. On the road meh, not so much.

siberian

All season tires ? I don't think so, not up here

If they don't bite in the cold they're unsafe, all season tires will crack from the cold ergo they're unsafe. Up here, elsewhere...ymmv

siberian

TuvaD

I have the larger steels on my 4 GTS.

The brakes are excellent at any temperature with summer Michelins or P-Zeros.

However, the braking performance with winter Michelin Alpins on very cold, dry/wet roads, even when the brakes and tires are warm, is really poor. Speeds on snow are too slow to really notice.

Ceramics could improve that winter performance (assuming you can get enough heat into the brakes) and they also enable a slightly better ride as Autocar discussed back in Feb ‘21.

It’s noticeable that their entire road test team choose PCCBs on their ideal spec 911s.

siberian

It just won't happen. Ceramics due to their heat dissipation will never get enough grip in "cold" (and I need to emphasize when I mean "cold" I don't mean chilly but well below zero).

Furthermore, I alas, also have Michelin Alpin and they don't come close to studded Hakkas from Nokian. Having done some rallyes in Switzerland in my youth with both my 356SC and 911 both on Nokian, they are my tire of choice for winter driving. When I test drove for VW/Audi/Bentley they had us test some Vredestein for a customer... as I said, the definition of Hakka 10s on the wife's Macan S is "where others slow down".

Do have Autocar come here by -40 and test their ceramics.... There's a reason car manufacturers come up her to winter test.

siberian