The World of Brakes: Understanding Carbon Ceramic Brakes

As we sit behind the wheel of our latest Porsche Cayman, it's easy to take for granted one of the most critical components of our vehicle - the brakes. No frills 50k sports car and all, this Porsche comes with an option that wants to preserve the exclusive supercars from Ferrari Lamborghini - carbon brakes. But are they really that much better and worth the extra cost? To understand this question, we need to delve into how a basic braking system works.

A basic braking system consists of hydraulic fluid being pushed down the pipes to the brake calipers, which then celebrate pairs against the brake disc. The disk is made of steel, primarily because it's a cheap material that's easy to mass-produce. However, steel has one major drawback - it's heavy and not the best at dissipating heat, which can reduce braking performance. This leads to what's known as "brake fade," where the brake pads get very hot and start releasing gases that form a layer between the braking surfaces, reducing friction and our ability to stop.

So, what is brake fade? It occurs when you apply the brakes for an extended period or under heavy loads. The brake pads get extremely hot and start to lose their effectiveness. This can happen when driving on long road trips, navigating downhill slopes, or engaging in aggressive driving. Brake fade can be a serious safety concern, as it reduces our ability to stop quickly and effectively.

Concorde, the first vehicle to use carbon brakes, made history in 1976 when it added these advanced braking technology to its design. These early carbon brakes were good for around 3000 landings, whereas steel brakes were only good for about 600. Not only did they provide better heat dissipation, but they also saved a significant amount of weight - around 5% of the vehicle's transatlantic payload.

So, how do these advanced braking systems work? To demonstrate this, let me use this rather large blowtorch to show you what happens when you apply the brakes heavily. As I press this heavy foot on the brake pedal, my brake disc is going to start heating up quickly. Because it's made of steel, this heat is going to be transferred very rapidly through the disc and into the surrounding components. However, if I were to use a carbon disc instead, it would behave differently.

In reality, when you apply the brakes heavily, your brake pads will get extremely hot. As they do so, they start releasing gases that form a layer between the braking surfaces, reducing friction. This is where the magic of carbon brakes comes into play. Carbon does not transfer heat as well as steel, which means it doesn't get as hot as quickly. As a result, the brake pads don't lose their effectiveness as rapidly, and we're able to stop more efficiently.

To put these advanced braking systems through their paces, I've arranged for a real-world test to be conducted on two identical Porsche Caymans - one with steel disc brakes and the other with carbon ceramic brakes. We'll take each car up to 80 miles per hour multiple times, using them as hard as possible to simulate various driving conditions. By comparing our results, we can see just how much of a difference these advanced braking systems make.

As I set off behind me in the first car with steel disc brakes, I apply the brakes as hard as I possibly can, watching my speed drop rapidly as the road markings whizz by. The pedal feels firm and responsive, but I know that my brake discs are heating up quickly. I check my speed regularly, taking note of how far it has dropped since my last reading. After a few laps, I see that my stopping distance is now around 15 meters longer than when I first started braking.

But now, let's switch to the car with carbon ceramic brakes and put them through their paces. As I apply the brakes as hard as possible once again, I notice that my speed drops more slowly at first, but eventually starts dropping even more rapidly as the road markings whizz by. My stopping distance is significantly shorter than when I was braking in the steel disc car.

To get an accurate comparison between these two cars, I need to take them up to 80 miles per hour and stop them multiple times using each brake system. By doing so, we can see just how much of a difference carbon ceramic brakes make over their steel counterparts.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: ennow it's over to our engineering marvel Jimmy Deville who for once is not looking how to make a car go faster but stop faster when you jam on your brakes in your nice sports car not many of you think what's actually stopping you and how good brakes actually are these days this is the latest Porsche Cayman and no frills 50k sports car and yet one which comes with an option wants the preserve of exclusive supercars from Ferrari Lamborghini and the like I'm talking about carbon brakes but are they really that much better and worth the extra cost the first thing to understand is how a basic braking system works when you press the brake pedal hydraulic fluid is pushed down the pipes to the brake calipers these therefore celebrate pairs against the brake disc which slows you down in most cases the disk is made of steel principally because it's a cheap material that's easy to mass-produce however steel is heavy and it's not the best at dissipating heat which can reduce braking performance it all comes down to brake fade so what is it well under heavy or sustained braking your brake pads and you break this get very very hot when they do they start to release gases and those gases form a layer between the braking surfaces that reduces friction which reduces your ability to stop as cars got quicker manufacturers wanted something more efficient and they found their inspiration on something that was very very fast indeed Concorde the first vehicle to use carbon brakes in 1976 Concord made history when it added carbon brakes these were good for around 3000 landings when steel brakes were only good for around 600 they also saved a whole heap of weight in fact they saved around 5% of its transatlantic payload weight but crucially they had another all-important quality they dealt with a buildup of heat much much better than steel allow me to demonstrate this rather large blowtorch represents me with a very very heavy foot on my brakes and when I apply the brakes a lot my brake disc is going to start to heat up and because it's still it's going to transfer that heat very very quickly yeah and I burn my hand however the carbon tube is a different matter that is seriously hot and I'm feeling absolutely nothing because carbon doesn't transfer heat as well and this is exactly why you don't get brake fade when you use carbon ceramic brakes I can literally stand here all day and to demonstrate the difference on stopping performance between carbon brakes and steel grates it's time for a real-world test behind me you'll see two Porsche Caymans identical in almost every way however that one has steel disc brakes and that one has carbon stri brakes and I'm gonna test them head-to-head I'm gonna perform 10 runs in each car getting up to 80 miles per hour each time for braking as hard as possible I'll start with the steel disc one okay this is run one here we go theythey mark it with a cone over the runs the brake fade with the steel discs was becoming apparent as it took me longer and further to stop in fact the difference between my first stopping distance and the last was some 15 meters this car now definitely has brake fade so how will the car with carbon discs fare here we go to make an accurate comparison I need to get to 80 and then hit the stoppers at exactly the same place as I did with the steel brakes marked by the first code straightaway I'd managed to stop 5 metres shorter than the best start achieved in the other Porsche spinies you've got no chance and as the runs progressed there was only a fractional drop in performance that is exactly the same I'm still way better than the Steel's all right that is a completely different sensation the brakes remain feeling sharp they don't stink it doesn't smell it doesn't feel like I'm killing the car so how much shorter was my last run in this car compared to the last run in the steel brake version I just saw exactly 100 feet less when I had carbon ceramic brakes that's a massive distance without those I've just played through 3h TVs so you might be wondering why they're not fitted to every car well sadly there's a catch and it's cost because brace like these add about 5 grams to the price but if you're driving a high-performance sports car the extra safety and stopping power they offer is obviously worth considering it might be an expensive tick on option sheet by my opinion that's an option well worth having younow it's over to our engineering marvel Jimmy Deville who for once is not looking how to make a car go faster but stop faster when you jam on your brakes in your nice sports car not many of you think what's actually stopping you and how good brakes actually are these days this is the latest Porsche Cayman and no frills 50k sports car and yet one which comes with an option wants the preserve of exclusive supercars from Ferrari Lamborghini and the like I'm talking about carbon brakes but are they really that much better and worth the extra cost the first thing to understand is how a basic braking system works when you press the brake pedal hydraulic fluid is pushed down the pipes to the brake calipers these therefore celebrate pairs against the brake disc which slows you down in most cases the disk is made of steel principally because it's a cheap material that's easy to mass-produce however steel is heavy and it's not the best at dissipating heat which can reduce braking performance it all comes down to brake fade so what is it well under heavy or sustained braking your brake pads and you break this get very very hot when they do they start to release gases and those gases form a layer between the braking surfaces that reduces friction which reduces your ability to stop as cars got quicker manufacturers wanted something more efficient and they found their inspiration on something that was very very fast indeed Concorde the first vehicle to use carbon brakes in 1976 Concord made history when it added carbon brakes these were good for around 3000 landings when steel brakes were only good for around 600 they also saved a whole heap of weight in fact they saved around 5% of its transatlantic payload weight but crucially they had another all-important quality they dealt with a buildup of heat much much better than steel allow me to demonstrate this rather large blowtorch represents me with a very very heavy foot on my brakes and when I apply the brakes a lot my brake disc is going to start to heat up and because it's still it's going to transfer that heat very very quickly yeah and I burn my hand however the carbon tube is a different matter that is seriously hot and I'm feeling absolutely nothing because carbon doesn't transfer heat as well and this is exactly why you don't get brake fade when you use carbon ceramic brakes I can literally stand here all day and to demonstrate the difference on stopping performance between carbon brakes and steel grates it's time for a real-world test behind me you'll see two Porsche Caymans identical in almost every way however that one has steel disc brakes and that one has carbon stri brakes and I'm gonna test them head-to-head I'm gonna perform 10 runs in each car getting up to 80 miles per hour each time for braking as hard as possible I'll start with the steel disc one okay this is run one here we go theythey mark it with a cone over the runs the brake fade with the steel discs was becoming apparent as it took me longer and further to stop in fact the difference between my first stopping distance and the last was some 15 meters this car now definitely has brake fade so how will the car with carbon discs fare here we go to make an accurate comparison I need to get to 80 and then hit the stoppers at exactly the same place as I did with the steel brakes marked by the first code straightaway I'd managed to stop 5 metres shorter than the best start achieved in the other Porsche spinies you've got no chance and as the runs progressed there was only a fractional drop in performance that is exactly the same I'm still way better than the Steel's all right that is a completely different sensation the brakes remain feeling sharp they don't stink it doesn't smell it doesn't feel like I'm killing the car so how much shorter was my last run in this car compared to the last run in the steel brake version I just saw exactly 100 feet less when I had carbon ceramic brakes that's a massive distance without those I've just played through 3h TVs so you might be wondering why they're not fitted to every car well sadly there's a catch and it's cost because brace like these add about 5 grams to the price but if you're driving a high-performance sports car the extra safety and stopping power they offer is obviously worth considering it might be an expensive tick on option sheet by my opinion that's an option well worth having you\n"