DB9 Facelift MY 13/14/15 - Ceramic Brakes

[jonamv8]

Do they all have carbon ceramics?

Considering one of these but don’t want Ceramic brakes.

Any info appreciated - thanks!

[Grant3]

Yes all Carbon Ceramic, they have proved very durable and are very effective in the stopping and fade resistance stakes...but there is the occasional nasty expensive surprise. Although they have a long service life they are still classed as consumables, the key is to ensure they are specifically and properly professionally inspected before purchase and check that the previous owner hasn’t used acid based wheel cleaners!

[jonamv8]

Thanks Grant I thought as much.

Can you convert to conventional brakes should they fail or wear out? I just can’t justify the best part of £10k on a consumerable item on a £60k car and I’ve never had an issue with decent quality fast road brakes before and I’ve had 911 turbos, Vantages, fast BMWs etc

[Jon39]

If it is technically possible, one idea might be to replace the carbon brakes with steels, before they need changing. You then have the original carbons available to replace, if you later decide to sell the car.

[CSK1]

I would not worry about carbon ceramic disc brakes. If you don’t do track days or only occasionally, the discs are hard wearing.
Should they need replacing, you still have the option of refurbishing them at a fraction of the cost.
There’s a German company who specialises in carbon ceramic disc refurbishment.
They’re called redbrake. https://www.rebrake.de/refurbishment/?lang=en
I have no affiliation whatsoever with this company.

Edited by CSK1 on Sunday 1st November 16:18

[Phil74891]

If not tracked or abused when cleaning, ceramic brakes are fabulous. Brilliant performance, long pad and disk life and virtually no brake dust.

I can’t see that many DB9s being hammered on a track. May be wrong?

[Grant3]

jonamv8 said:

Thanks Grant I thought as much.

Can you convert to conventional brakes should they fail or wear out? I just can’t justify the best part of £10k on a consumerable item on a £60k car and I’ve never had an issue with decent quality fast road brakes before and I’ve had 911 turbos, Vantages, fast BMWs etc

There is no official Aston route to replacing them with steel discs. One of the other benefits of ceramics is they reduce unsprung weight enhancing both handling and ride quality. The official line is the suspension and stability control systems would need to be recalibrated for steels. You would need to talk to one of the good Aston specialists to see if they offer the option/ £’s(ouch)cost.

For me the ceramics are part of the package/character/originality of the car, you are right to highlight the high cost of replacement as the cars age, but many are relatively low mileage and ceramic last very well if looked after - as mentioned the key is to ensure a professional inspection at the point of purchase

[vernierMike]

It's a concern of many cars which have depreciated to the £50-60k mark and will only get worse with depreciation. As above, it's important to make sure they are fine before you buy, or negotiate £10k off! Road use should be no problem and they are great. A mate has a £50k Audi R8 with them and had similar worries until properly inspected. It's at the track that issues seem to occur, more of an issue for an R8 than a DB9.

I've read can be refurbished at around £4k, if you like that sort of thing.

[jonamv8]

Jon39 said:

If it is technically possible, one idea might be to replace the carbon brakes with steels, before they need changing. You then have the original carbons available to replace, if you later decide to sell the car.

This is exactly what a lot of the Porsche guys do, but they seem to more track days than the average DB9 owner. They have always told me its the risk of binning it into the run off that can ruin the ceramics so they convert to steel, and put the CCs back on at point of sale

[jonamv8]

vernierMike said:

It's a concern of many cars which have depreciated to the £50-60k mark and will only get worse with depreciation. As above, it's important to make sure they are fine before you buy, or negotiate £10k off! Road use should be no problem and they are great. A mate has a £50k Audi R8 with them and had similar worries until properly inspected. It's at the track that issues seem to occur, more of an issue for an R8 than a DB9.

I've read can be refurbished at around £4k, if you like that sort of thing.

Who inspected them on your mates R8 Mike??

[moveover]

Some might disagree, but I think the extra £10k is worth it just to avoid having to clean brake dust off my wheels.

[cayman-black]

Once you have had the ceramics you won't want steels again.

[DB9VolanteDriver]

cayman-black said:

Once you have had the ceramics you won't want steels again.

You know it!