I will soon be ordering my 2009 C4S coupe...this will be my third over the past 15 years. One of the options I am considering is adding ceramic brakes. I would love to hear pros and cons. Feedback from those that have them would be great. BTW - unlikely this vehicle will ever be on a track....but I love to drive...
cheers,
jgolf53

 

Loved mine. Zero fade, roughly a forty pound reduction in unsprung weight (!), and no brake dust ever. No doubt, any Porsche I ever order again will have them, track or no track.

 

No personal experience with them, but the only cons in my mind would be price. However, if I were to spec out my own car, they would be at the top of my list if I could afford them.

 

for $8K, arent there any better options for brakes??

 

I've always been on the fence about this one, because of the 8K price tag... Looking back now to last summer when I spec'd my '08 4S, I should have just done it. What does eight thousand get you these days anyway? A boob job for your girlfriend? At least with PCCB's there's a bit of value in the resale

 

If you're designing the car of your choice why would you not include the latest in braking technology. The average complaint is the price. (They are over $20K on a Ferrari so the $8k is a bargain on a Porsche). They will need little to no service for a very long time. It's my feeling that Porsche pursued the development of the PCCBs because environmental pressures were forcing automotive manufacturers to friendlier brake materials (and that's not necessarily good). Those materials have a tendency to wear out much faster, as well as to create a mess everywhere. The carbon fiber ones solve that problem. The bonus is lightness, which translates to a growth on brake size (and performance) without a growth in corresponding weight,--and it does make a difference in the feel when driving it. I highly recommend them.

 

Your THIRD 09 C4S coupe in 15 years!?!? LOL, sorry couldn't resist.

MexicoBlue has it spot on. Get the PCCB's. Amazing stopping, no fade AT ALL, huge unsprung weight advantage (you CAN feel it), and if it's just about looks, that MASSIVE disc with the yellow calipers, and NO brake dust.....YUMMY!! If you can afford 'em, get 'em. I'll never get a Porsche without 'em. I absolutely love mine!

 

Drove a 997GT2 and loved the PCCB's....if I ever get another P-Car PCCB is the way to go.

 

I am not 100% sold on PCCB. Sure they offer lower unsprung weight but the stopping distances are no different (per Porsche). As for fade issues, you don't see people complaining about Big Reds. Maybe some of the hardcore track junkies would disagree on this point,...maybe not.

The way I see it
PROS:
-Lower unsprung weight not necessarily translating to any notable performance gain
-No brake dust on wheels
-They look Cool

CONS:
-Expensive
-Wheel selection limited mainly to 19" and above (this is most important wrt winter tires selection)
-Cannot use inflatable spare
-Initial poor braking when wet


I would LOVE to see one of the car mags do an article on cars that have ceramic brakes as an option while keeping everything else constant (e.g. 997S vs 997SwPCCB. It would be very cool to see how the ceramics change a car's braking distances, fade, lap times, acceleration times etc. These types of brakes have become common on the highest performance sports cars and it would be nice to see some real data on their potential advantages.

As for me, as I spec out my next 997 in my head,...as much as I'd love those cool yellow calipers, the deal breaker for me would be not being able to use my current inflatable spare and my winter rims/rubber. Trivial matters to most folks, but for me in a DD in the Northeast, they are important factors.

 

to all - thanks for the feedback....and to the wiseguy re my '09 3rd C4S --- I will parse my words in a more careful fashion....but after all it is email.

Biggest question is that someone hinted at PCCB poor performance under wet conditions. Can that be correct?
cheers