I've got just over 7,300 miles on my 997s w/ ceramics. Most of my driving is highway driving and I do try to brake sparingly. I know we are still on a wait and see stance, in terms of how long the new generation of PCCB will last. However, how much do just the ceramic brake pads cost, and at what point do you think they will need to be replaced? I know that the ceramic rotors are supposed to last much longer, so I'm guessing the brake pads will be replaced multiple times before the rotors need to be replaced--is that right?

Ceramics are new to me, for the most part, so any insights others can provide would be helpful.

 

911 & Porsche World had an article about these brakes. (Dec 04)

They quoted GBP 5349 extra cost for this option and about GBP 16000 for 4 corner disk and pad replacement. In the UK, many PCCB cars are after market equipped with Big Reds; replacement costs are ridiculous.

They suggest to get "back to basics." (Title of the article)

Good luck and if you decide to get big reds for your 997, send me the PCCBs, (I'll pay shipping) I'll use them on the track.

 

My understanding, and I will research this now, is that the pads are not ceramic just the disc. Therefore, the pads are on par in price with regular high performance pads. The ceramic disc, I have been told will cost around $12,000 if you have to replace all four. However, as more go into production the cost should come down with time. I have been told that with normal street use, the ceramic disc should last a minimum of 100,000 miles. There is a member in my club who swears by ceramics and has them on three of his cars, one a GT-3 RS with limited DE. (That's not a misprint. It's the only GT-3 RS in the US.) His experience prompted me to get ceramics and with 3000 miles, I love them. Very minimal brake dust and no noise. I personally can tell a difference in braking with these compared to my Big Reds on my C4S, though I know others will disagree.

I would recommend just drive it and enjoy it and don't worry about it!!!

 

Thanks for the great info and advice.

There is no doubt in my mind--the ceramics are awesome, and yes, it is nice that they don't generate any brake dust. I just wanted to have a general understanding of how much it will eventually cost to replace the system. As you point out, dhud, I'll drive the car, replace the pads as necessary, and then when it's time to replace the discs, I'll see where the prices are. If a complete replacement still costs about $12,000 at that time (though I doubt it will), I will just switch to big reds. For now, though, the ceramics are great and I'm really please that I got them with my car.

Thanks once again.

 

Hi infestation

there's an article about PCCB brake in the dec-jan edition of Christophorus. Donatus Neudeck, chief engineer in the brake department gives an interview about his last generation of ceramics. Among other things said in the article, he claims that the rotor had been used on a test car for 300,000kms [482803 miles] with the result of a low sign of wear on the disc. Nothing is said about the pads, except that adapted pads are used for the ceramic brakes.

He doesn't really precise if the same test discs have been used on the same car for these 300,000 kms but if this is the case, this gives a rather impressive hint about longevity of our cars.

 

Does anyone have track experience with the latest version of the PCCB's (e.g. '05 996 Turbo S or '05 997's w/ the option)? Have all the major problems the GT2/3 crowd ran into with the initial version been fixed?

 

it seems that the 2nd generation discs/pads are much better than the originals, i havent heard of a single failure of them

heres a fact to think about

the old discs were made from carbon fiber bundles that contained 3000 fibers per bundle,

the second generation ones contain over 300,000 per bundle

the also feature a new air inlet design that essentially makes the disc a turbine that ejects hot air out as it spins, versus the old design which did the opposite.

(alll this as per christophorus 341)

 

Is it pretty easy to swap out the PCCB's for standard brakes if you don't want to pay the price for replacing them?

 

That's what I've been told by my service mechanic.