M4 Ceramic Brakes

[Four Litre]

I've been looking at M4s and noticed a few have ceramics. Has anyone driven the m4 with them? and I've noticed there is a class action lawsuit in the US of A about them squeaking / groaning!

Not looking for somebody to tell me I don't need them, after all nobody does! just first hand experience would be appreciated. I like the idea of less dust and the longevity. I'm no track day warrior so wont be killing them early. Most of the cars that have them are miles from me, hence asking.

[Max Maxasson]

The thing that puts me off is that they can be a little slow to bite when cold and wet...driving down a motorway when raining for instance.

[MDifficult]

What puts me off is that if one fails, or is damaged, the replacement cost is absolutely bananas.

[cosworth330]

I have carbon ceramic brakes and don’t get any squeaking or noise. They also seem fine from cold. You don’t get any brake dust. I did experience very poor braking though back in December when driving in very very heavy rain on the motorway for a long period. Went to use the brakes and they didn’t do a lot. Had to dab them 5 or 6 times to get braking back. The weather was exceptional and temps were about zero but still it’s an issue you need to be aware of. I’ve owned the car coming up to a year and only ever experienced this poor braking the one journey.

[tjlees]

No Brake dust, No rust, look stunning and last a long time. Has my vote.

Can’t say i’ve noticed any squeal unlike the m brakes, however in the cold and wet, you do have a 1 or 2 seconds of nothing before they bite - you just need to allow for that!

[Steve Rance]

With most common braking systems on gt or sports cars the limiting factor is the grip of the tyre. Ceramic brakes do not improve braking performance but they have a marginal effect on reducing unsprung weight and the pad material does not create dust and tends to wear slowly. The disks can be very easily damaged during wheel/Tyre changes and to stone or road debris impact. If the car is tracked they must be cooled down after a session to prevent a stubstantially reduced life span. To bear out the performance aspect compared to steels, the standard 997 Carrera Cup car had steel brakes but the supercup car had ceramics. Both cars essentially the same in all other specification. On a like for like circuit there was no performance gap between them. Given the cost and relative fragility of ceramic brakes, one has to balance this against the benefits.

Edited by Steve Rance on Saturday 24th February 07:31

[squirdan]

Significant improvement in unsprung weight = better turn out marginally different steering feel and turn in. There may not be any extra braking but there is definitely less fade. No noises on my M3

[NIgt3]

The post above by Steve really hits the nail on the head, there's no performance difference for a professional racing driver let alone a few goons like us taking the wife to tesco's!