M4 Ceramic Brakes
Discussion
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.
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.
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.
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
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