Just to get you all thinking..............it appears that most of us chose not to get the composite brakes for two reasons. First the stock brake seem to be so darn good. Second, the PCCB option is 'so' expensive. I've read post that stated the first generation of PCCB had 'issues' and cost $12K. We know that the second generation corrected some of the issues and cost $8K. Is it too much to hope for that 07 PCCB option could be greatly reduced and improved further? Food for thought.I doubt that I'd change my mind and add the option to my order but..........................it seems like a pretty good idea, in theory, to have lighter brakes that would not fade and have much longer pad life.


Couple questions:How longare the latest generation of PCCB pads lasting? How is the pad composition different than pads for stock rotors? What is range you lead foots are getting from stock pads? How much do stock pads vs. PCCB pads cost? Would there ever be a time when we would hope to find PCCB as standard equipment on the Cayman S? Would we want that? Am I the only one curious about it? [img]/fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/MWPX/whatchutalkingabout_smile.gif[/img]

For me, using this car as a daily driver it doesn't really appeal to me to have this feature added. I see what your saying though, if someday this technology will become standard on our cars, or even all cars, and I think its a real possibility considering there are always advancements made especially as a protective measure for car and drivers.

</P>Personally the stock brakes impressed me. While shopping for my cayman, a dealer brought the car up to about 100 on an empty dark road, asked me if I had my seatbelt on and then to fasten it. He let go of the wheel and punched the brakes, we stopped seconds later in perfect alignment with the road.

I had the same experience. My dealer did the same thing to me and I was impressed with the stopping power. Car's not that heavy so the brakes were not overwhelmed. I think if you know how to brake (know what I mean?) then you won't need the bigger brake option.

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Mike
2006 Midnight Blue Cayman S

Having the PCCB's on my 997S, one of the biggest benefits is no dust. It's so easy to clean my wheels. Of course I'm not saying you should spend $8k for clean wheels but it's a nice beni. Other than that, the feel and modulation is great. I am glad I have them though I do expect them to last 4-8x longer than the steels which would justify cost.

I think ceramic brakes are great when they are heated to about 400*C[img]/fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/MWPX/drivingskid.gif[/img]( that's when normal brakes starts fading!). this happens when driving on track rarely on street use. thus i would stick to normal brakes and use the change other options!!!

screebo,



To answer a few of your questions, from what I've heard, the jury is still out on the 2nd gen. PCCBs... There really haven't been enough miles put on them yet to get an accurate reading for rotor life. I've heard that a good race driver on some of the European 997 cup car teams can go through a set of rotors in one race. The pads I've heard don't cost that much more, though... but you pay $8000 for the option, but if you need new rotors, they cost about $6,000 each... $24k for the set. If it were me, I'd still be of the mind that I'd get them only if I were going to do exclusively street driving - no competition events. Odds are unless it's a manufacturing failure, Porsche will not cover these under warranty - in the owners manual, it says that Porsche considers rotors and pads as wear items on a high performance car, and you, not Porsche are responsible for their upkeep. I doubt thery're going to come down in price anytime soon.



I would say that for 99.99% of Cayman owners, the cast iron brakes are just fine... they're actually pretty much the same brakes that were on the vaunted 917-30, 1100 horsepower CanAm cars in the 1970's... that should be good enough for the Cayman, I'd think.



Also, from what I understand, the Porsche spec for brakes on their cars is that they have to make 15 absolutely fade-free panic stops from 90% of the car's top speed over something like 30 minutes in time. I'd say that's a pretty serious spec.



brad


Edited by - beez on 07/14/2006 09:42:53 AM

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21-year PCA Member
PCA DE Instructor

Carbon is great for the track, and thats if your a serious track junkie. Weekend outings the stockers hold up amazingly well. You will notice the weight reduction but definately not worth the investment, especially for daily drivers when it comes time for brake jobs (not that I expect it to take one for a long, long time).

I agree with beez's analysis. Such a paradox---ultra high performance brakes too costly to acquire for just street use and too costly to replace for the track!

Pretty solid concensus. Thanks.


John