I can't help but wonder why Porsche carbon ceramic brakes cost so much. The material used must be extracted from Mt Olympus and made with thousand lighting rods under the watchful eyes of Zeus. That has to be it or why would it cost as much as a full year college tuition? Then there is another question, do all carbon ceramic brakes cost the same across different automaker and who make these amazing light and durable rotors?

Well, the first question was easy. It turns out that Brembo and it's domestic partner SGL group were happily married in 2009 and make these amazing ceramic brakes as follow:




"Brembo SGL Carbon Ceramic Brakes S.p.A., a fifty-fifty joint venture between Brembo and SGL Group, is a leading company in manufacturing of composite ceramic braking systems for automotive and in research and development for innovative materials.
The carbon/carbon material is being used since 1970’s for braking systems for aerospace vehicles and since 1980’s for the racing world. Since 2000’s, the Carbon Ceramic Material (CCM) is being used in the production of braking systems for sport cars.
The CCM guarantees advantages in terms of performance in dry and wet conditions, weight, comfort, corrosion resistance, high lifetime and technical image."

Here is another Brembo SGL article

The second question is complicated. Is the price of the carbon ceramic brakes the same across the board? Why of course NOT! I did some research and found out that a complete set of Porsche carbon ceramic rotors are THREE TIMES more expensive than a set of carbon ceramic rotors on a Corvette ZR1. Same manufacturer, same material and ZR1 rotors are larger than PCCB but three times cheaper??

Each of ZR1's carbon ceramic rotor can be had for $1233.96 from gmpartsdirect compare with an average price of $4075.25 per PCCB rotor. So I ask the question again, why does PCCB cost three time more than ZR1's ceramic rotor? The PORSCHE sticker can not be that expensive and PCCB does not stop better than ZR1. Matter of fact ZR1's ceramic brakes took 142 feet to stop from 70 mph which was the shortest stopping distance Car and Driver ever recorded on a production car.

PCCB price justified? ... I say NO.

Here is a nice article from Brembo on ZR1 ceramic brakes:

BREMBO WINS FIRST OE CORVETTE FITMENT
First Use of Carbon Ceramic Brake Discs on North America Production Car

DETROIT, January 13, 2008 – Brembo took the opportunity of the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) today to showcase major original equipment (OE) fitments on two of America’s top performancevehicles, including the Corvette ZR1,



the highest-performing production car in General Motors’ history.
The 2009 Corvette ZR1 debuting at NAIAS will be the first-ever North American production car to be fitted with Brembo’s state-of-the-art carbon ceramic brake discs (CCM), developed and produced by the company in its Kilometro Rosso R&D Center in northern Italy. In 2004, this leading-edge technology received the “Golden Compass,” the most significant award in Europe for engineering design.



The ZR1, Corvette’s long-awaited and widely praised “supercar,” will join the ranks of Ferrari’s Enzo, Challenge Stradale, FF430, 575 HGTC and 612 Scaglietti, FXX along with the Mercedes SLR, as the only production cars fitted with this technology.

The Corvette ZR1’s Ceramic Brake System includes six-piston front and four-piston rear, aluminum, monobloc calipers with a distinctive “Blue Devil” color and Corvette logo, cross-drilled stainless steel radiators, unique semi-metallic friction materials, dedicated pad noise insulators, as well as the cross-drilled CCM rotors {15.5-in (394 mm) fronts and 15-in. (380 mm) rears}.

The benefits of the Ceramic Brake System include significant improvement in performance, reduced weight (rotors weigh 6-7 kg), more resistance to corrosion and the longest rotor life in the industry.

“The past year has been nothing short of remarkable at Brembo,” commented Adrian Smith, general manager of Brembo North America. “With the Harley-Davidson contract and the recent acquisition of Hayes-Lemmerz’ North American plants, the new hi-tech fitments with Corvette and Cadillac are a tremendous opportunity for Brembo to shine in the New Year.”

The basic production of the ceramic composite material is a seven-step process beginning with 1) the mixing of the carbon fibers with the phenol-derived resin. The mixed raw material are 2) hot molded into a “near net shape” and then subjected to 3) pyrolysis before 4) the infiltration of silicon into the compound. The CCM brake discs are then 5) machined using special diamond grinding technology, 6) protected from oxidation, and 7) finally assembly onto the aluminum hat section.

Quite an extensive technical process, but, after all, doesn’t North America’s top-performing production car deserve the finest brakes in the world?

In addition, Brembo High-Performance already produces a complete line of GRAN TURISMO (GT) kits for big brake upgrades of earlier Corvettes, including C5, C6 and the powerful Z06. The GT system’s level of technology and performance in the aftermarket is unrivalled by any other product on the market. By utilizing larger calipers and discs, thermal capacity and brake torque are increased. This potent combination offers the extreme in Brembo’s leading edge technology for high-performance street or track applications.

Brembo, a world leader in engineering, development and production of high-performance braking systems and components, was established in 1961 in Bergamo, Italy.

Brembo is an engineering company with over nine percent of its 5,000 employees dedicated to research, development and innovation. Brembo has 25 plants and offices in 12 countries worldwide. Each product is designed with performance and styling uniquely matched to the vehicle that it equips. Of equal importance is Brembo’s total commitment to manufacturing and quality assurance. Brembo controls every step of the process, from design to iron casting through to assembly, by means of testing and simulations in the laboratory, as well as on the road and track to assure performance.

Brembo offers a comprehensive line of brake components and systems ranging from original equipment and aftermarket replacement parts, to racing and high-performance upgrades, as well as performance motorcycle components and systems.

As a global supplier, Brembo manufactures over 32 million brake rotors a year for more than 30 different OEMs, including Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Daimler, Chrysler, General Motors, Ford, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Mercedes and Porsche. 2006 sales were $1.012 billion.

 

the OE probably charges a lot more just because it's porsche. then porsche takes it out on the consumer. plus their added markup of course. :P

 

adding the name porsche on any product increase retail prices its kinda like dabears and diamonds.

 

not only adding the name porsche...anything regarding porsche repair, aftermarket, parts etc....means the retail price will be 100-500% more than say Ford. Building my worldchallenge Mustang in the 90s sure was a hell of a lot less costly....

I have come to the realization owning a couple of Pcars 996 and GT3 that "if you want to play you have to pay"

Ceramic Brakes IMO are way over priced...but for me and street driving...they are great brakes...especially if the service life is anything close to what is advertized...

 

Yes, the name of Porsche come with certain mystique that convey thought of racing and status etc. but from my post we can clearly see PCCB does not warrant three time the price of ZR1 ceramic brakes.

This is the reason why Porsche is the most profitable car manufacturer. customers are willing to pay 2-3 times more for cars of similar caliber. That said, I hope the force of free market and more abundant supply of carbon ceramic brakes in the future will drive down the price of PCCB. Hey, you can't get away charging $5000 a rotor when your cleaning lady pull up in a Civic with $75 ceramic rotor

 

Great post and interesting question...even more questions when you look at what Ferrari charges for the same brake ! Surprised no one has developed an aftermarket solution....I know "Movit" is there but havent seen them be very aggressive...wonder when GMG, Stop Tech, Movit etc will seize this opportunity

Bill

 

Can we purchase the replacement PCCB brake directly from Brembo at a lesser charge than the stealer or is the replacement Porsche "value added" up-charge already factored in from Brembo? Therefore, no advantage.

 

I believe Brembo is contract bound with Porsche not to provide after market replacement rotors in order to be Porsche OEM supplier

 

lots of manufacturer secrets that will never see the light of day. someone should write brembo to inquire.

 

the expensive piece is the hat and that's where they differ.

 

I don't think hats are that expensive. These things can cheaply made by CNC mill. I got one from ebay and I made a titanium alloy hand and tape it right outside of driver window so I don't have to let go of the steering wheel to give you a point by lol

 

Why, we seem to be willing to pay $700+ for footwell lighting that's standard on her car.

 

How much does Ferrari, Lambos, and other high end cars charge for their ceramics? I'm sure it's not just the Porsche brand.

 

2-3X more than Porsche I would guess

 

On my Lambo, the option cost on the window sticker was $15K
for the ccb's!
I have never inquired about replacement cost but I have to imagine it is absurd.