Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Ferrari: All Models To Get Ceramic Brakes As Standard From 2008

During the press day at the Bologna Show, Ferrari's General Manager Amedeo Felisa and Brembo Chairman Alberto Bombassei announced that Brembo brakes featuring carbon ceramic material (CCM) discs will be provided as standard on the entire range from 2008. The Italian sportscar maker introduced CCM brakes five years ago on the Enzo and later began offering them to clients as a personalisation option on other models. Braking systems that use carbon-ceramic material discs offer a host of advantages in terms of improved performance, durability and gains in weight. -Continued after the jump

Press Release - Braking system with Carbon Ceramic Material (CCM) discs

Brakes featuring CCM discs offer much more responsive braking as well as consistently excellent performance in intensive use. One of the most obvious advantages to adopting them is their exceptional fade resistance - fade in fact compromises the driver's feeling of control when it comes to the pressure required on the brake pedal and responsiveness.

The CCM discs have a longer life under normal conditions, a fact that has clear financial advantages. Furthermore, even with continual track use, CCM brakes offer greater resistance to wear for better durability on track. The CCM braking system also cuts around 15 kg off the car's total weight which not only improves overall performance but also reduces unsprung mass and thus improves vehicle dynamics and ride comfort.

On the 430 Scuderia in particular, the CCM braking system is specifically designed for the car and has unique brake dimensions which are aligned with the car's extreme performance characteristics. The diameter of the front discs has been increased (+18 mm vs the F430) which offers an improved effective radius and thus more efficient braking. Combined with specific 6-pot callipers, the front brake discs dissipate the extra heat created by the higher performance delivered by the 430 Scuderia.