What details do you know about Ferrari's carbon ceramic brakes? They are exotic, yes. They come from F1 racing, sure. Ferrari offered them as an option before now making them standard on their 2008 model year cars. Are they better than traditional steel rotors? If so, how and why? Are they best for track use or for road use too? How much do they cost, exactly? Is it worth it? I went straight to the source and asked an expert. The goal is to dispel misinformation, seek the facts and convey it to those, like me, who want to know more about this new technology.

Lenny Peake is the head mechanic at Ferrari of Silicon Valley, in Redwood City, California. He's been working on Club Sportiva's 2006 Ferrari F430, 2007 Maserati Quattroporte and 2003 Maserati Spyder for some time now. Lenny started with Ferrari in 1997 after a long stint with Jaguar. He has worked at Ferrari of Washington D.C., Ferrari of San Diego and now, Ferrari of Silicon Valley. Who better to ask than the man himself, tasked by Ferrari to run the service department at one of its top dealerships.

On a hot sun scorched Friday afternoon, Lenny and I sat in his office discussing the nuances of Ferrari's decision to make carbon ceramic brakes standard on all its cars and to turn its back on the traditional steel rotors that were once ultra high tech decades ago. Brakes aren't as sexy as exhaust systems that sound great or as involving as transmissions that you shift with but they are a critical component of every sports car.

A few highlights before we talk replacement cost, a common hot button for many are part of the gossip mill. First, Lenny informs me that the carbon ceramic brakes don't help you stop in a shorter distance, but instead they provide superior all around stopping performance across a variety of scenarios from repeated hard braking to emergency braking. On the track, they are most at home in an environment of heavy use with no signs of weakness. This is the strongest benefit to carbon ceramic brakes - ultimate brake performance under the harshest and heaviest usage.

The rotor and the pad are both made of carbon ceramic composite material. The terminology is a little different than with steel rotors. Ferrari uses the term carbon "discs." Carbon ceramic brake performance also improves as they heat up, which is generally the opposite of traditional brakes. Carbon ceramic brakes work fine when "cold" too, at least as well as steel rotors, but their performance increases as the composite gets warmed up with use, which is another reason they work exceptionally well on a track. Early Ferrari carbon ceramic brakes had a tendency to squeal at low speeds, when cold or when wet, making owners uncomfortable with what sounded like shoddy brakes. The pad compound has changed and this embarrassing squeaking issue has been resolved for the most part.

Ferrari doesn't let you retrofit your steel rotors for carbon ceramic discs due to the car's computer algorithm that calculates everything from wear measurements to stopping distances and ABS management to traction control decisions that differ greatly between the two different braking systems. So, if you want carbon ceramic brakes, you'll need to sell one Ferrari and get another!

The carbon ceramic system lasts longer than traditional braking systems, but not dramatically so. An indicator light will come on in your dash pod telling you that your pads are 50% worn. Ferrari recommends changing pads at 50% so that, should you do a grueling track day, you don't wear your brakes down to an unsafe level unknowingly or ruin your steel rotors/carbon discs. An important point to note, you can change your pads two times before you need to install new discs. Lenny also points out that carbon ceramic brakes don't improve your driving, they instead enhance the skills you already have. I think this means, don't get over confident just because you have the technology; applying it appropriately is what makes you faster around a track.

Now, let's talk cost. Yes, carbon ceramic brakes are exotic and thus, expensive. When you could still add them as an option, the package cost buyers about $18,000. Now that they come standard on all Ferraris, that cost simply goes into the base MSRP price of the car. Ideally, as Ferrari builds more of them and recoups its development cost and makes a handsome profit, hopefully we will see the carbon ceramic brake component prices drop to an even more reasonable level.

It is the replacement costs we must contend with on a more regular basis. Let's talk pad replace first, since that happens twice as often as disc replacement. Pads are replaced per axle, meaning fronts and/or rears, but not just the driver side front, for example. Parts cost runs $1,800 per axle, or $3,600 for front and rear. Parts for traditional brakes would $1,000 per axle, or $2,100 for front and rear, leaving a $1,500 price premium for carbon ceramic, or a 71% increase in service cost. The labor remains the same for either system and is not included in these rates, as it varies slightly from state to state.

Actually, the pad replacement is a bargain relative to the disc replacement, which an expensive proposition. When carbon ceramic brakes were brand new, disc replacement was $10,000 per disc, or $20,000 per axle, which they must be replaced in pairs. That's $40,000 for the front and rear...ouch. Fortunately, that has come down already in the past two years to $7,000 per disc, $14,000 per axle or a mere $28,000 for the front and rear. But, steel rotors are only $350 per rotor, $700 per axle or a paltry $1,400 for front and rear when compared to $28,000 for carbon ceramic disc replacement. That's a whopping...1,900% price premium over steel rotors.

The scarier part of carbon ceramic discs is that sometimes they need replaced early simply because they are more fragile than steel rotors and more susceptible to premature failure and thus replacement. For instance, if you get your car off the track (or road) and rocks knick or chip the surface, the disc (and thus the whole axle pair) needs replaced, unlike with more durable steel. If they cool too fast after hard use, they can crack, and again, the whole pair needs replaced.

One great upside to all this is there is no brake dust, so you won't have to wipe your ball polished rims down as often. Hey, don't underestimate that time saving benefit! Because carbon ceramic brakes are still very new, the dealers have limited experience with the variety of issues that will occur over time. To date, Ferrari of Silicon Valley has mostly replaced pads of a number of cars and only the discs on a couple Challenge/Scuderia cars that have been heavily tracked. The experience curve for owners of carbon ceramic brakes will be a bit like the early owners of F355 F1 transmissions. The systems will improve with more miles and those early owners pay a premium for the honor of helping establish the new technology on the street.

Ultimately, the question is, are Ferrari's carbon ceramic brakes worth the cost for the typical owner? Questions and comments welcomed. Look for another article on this and other great topics!

Labels: Carbon ceramic brakes, Carbon discs, Club Sportiva, exotic car share club, Ferrari, Ferrari F430, Ferrari of Silicon Valley, Lenny Peake, Steel rotors

We did this a couple months back. At that point, there were two challenges to fill our garages on a budget with a few constraints to keep it interesting. I suggested a three car garage with $300,000 to spend and another three car garage with "only" $150,000 to spend. This time around, I will suggest two challenges with a different twist.

Dream Garage Challenge #3
You have four parking spaces to fill in your garage. You have $500,000 to spend in total on four cars and no single car can exceed $300,000. At least one car must be a four door sedan. Cars can be new, pre-owned or classic. What are they going to be this time?

My Dream Garage choices:
My daily driver - Audi RS4 - grey over red leather (new, $70,000)
Significant other's car - BMW 335xi (new, $50,000)
Fun weekend car - Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera - orange (new, $225,000)
Other toy - Porsche 911 GT3 RS - lime green (new, $150,000)

Dream Garage Challenge #4
You have four parking spaces to fill in your garage. You have $1,000,000 to spend in total on four cars and no single car can exceed $700,000. At least one car must be a four door sedan. Cars can be new, pre-owned or classic. What are they going to be?

My Dream Garage choices:
My daily driver - Bentley Arnage T Mulliner - titanium over cabernet hides (2007, $200,000)
Significant other's car - Maserati Quattroporte - navy over navy leather (new, $130,000)
Fun weekend car - Ferrari 430 Scuderia - red (new, $275,000)
Other toy - Porsche Carrera GT - titanium over terracotta leather ($400,000)

Weigh in now with your choices! It is tougher than it looks... Comments please.

Labels: Aston Martin, Bentley, Club Sportiva, dream garage, exotic car share club, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lotus, Maserati, Porsche

Who offers the wildest factory custom interiors? I'd say Lamborghini takes the cake. It's hard to argue otherwise. Not only do they offer a lot of interior panel options, they also offer some crazy colors that buyers actually choose on a regular basis. Between the carbon fiber and florescent colored leather panels inserts, you can really make your car a one-off. Here are just a few I've found interesting over the past couple years!

The ones shown here are just a few I've seen. Some help resale by being well appointed in a unique and tasteful way, while others probably (certainly) hurt resale with garish color combos that narrow the number of potential buyers who share the original owner's special passion for being extreme. Lamborghini owners are more flamboyant and are flashier risk takers than the more conservative Ferrari-set who are wild when compared to the understated Bentley and Aston Martin owners. Same concept goes for Lamborghini's exterior colors, with yellow, orange and lime green being among the most common. Interesting, red isn't a common Lamborghini color and I suspect that is because red is for Ferrari and thus Lamborghini owners shun red to stand out from their perceived cliche Ferrari-red counterparts. Lamborghini owners have never been know for being wall flowers. They achieved their success with hard work and now they are going to enjoy it and let you know it!


But is it the manufacturer who encourages the outrageous color patterns by offering them or is it the preferences of the owners requesting them over the years? I think the fact that Lamborghini designs and builds some of the wildest styled cars, people who like edgy expression are attracted to the Sant'Agata auto maker. The result is that the owners who like to push the style envelope then choose flashier interiors that are made available to them. A match made in heaven. The rest of us can live vicariously (which may be still a bit too much for most people) through the expressive decisions of these colorful risk takers.

Do the wild colors patterns hurt resale? Without doubt, Ferrari holds its value better than Lamborghini, but that probably has more to do with steeped racing heritage, market position and brand strength, overly limited production and other subtle factors than simply the funky colors selected. But yes, Ferrari's classic Daytona seat stitching is ever-classic, regardless of color. Has Lamborghini always offered wild colors or is this a recent phenomenon? Lamborghini and its buyers have always pushed the envelope of social norms on taste, but the institutionalization of florescent color interiors was popularized by the Gallardo, under the watchful eye of Audi (and VW) as a marketing method to further differentiate Lamborghini from under the shadow of Ferrari.

Ferrari also offers a lot of custom choices, but even the wildest combinations are still tasteful and relatively reserved. This might also be part of why Ferrari has the best resale; owners don't go out on a limb. Interestingly, in Europe, Ferraris predominantly have black interiors. Of the 20 Ferraris at Club Sportiva's partner in Germany, about 80% have black interiors, which matches Europe's preference for black leather over tan. The U.S. is all about tan hides. In fact, the dealers strongly recommend tan for a stronger resale. It is funny how different geographies of the world feel different about such simple things - social norms at their snootiest. ;) On the exterior, Ferraris are predominantly painted red and as such, it is rare to see a wild colored Ferrari.

Aston Martin, Bentley and Bugatti all offer bespoke interiors for owners specifying their new cars, but rarely do you see anything that borders daring. In my opinion, the more offensive and disappointing interior is likely to be drab and common black over silver paint. What a missed opportunity on an elegant and sophisticated Aston Martin or Bentley. I have yet to see a florescent lime green interior on a Bentley. I doubt the factory has ever been asked to die a hide a florescent color…

If you were specifying a new exotic, what would you choose? If you were helping Club Sportiva spec a car, as our Members occasionally do, what advice would you offer me? Are you daring or conservative in the way you would custom spec an interior?

Labels: Aston Martin, Bentley, Bugatti, Club Sportiva, custom interior, exotic car share club, Ferrari, Lamborghini

A few of my car buddies and I have played this game over the past 10 years. Join along and tell me what is parked in your dream garage.

Dream Garage Challenge #1
You have three parking spaces to fill in your garage. You have $300,000 to spend in total on three cars. At least one car must be a four door sedan. Cars can be new or used. What are they?

My Dream Garage choices:
My daily driver - Bentley Arnage T - blue over saddle hides (~2004, $120,000)
Significant other's car - Audi S4 - grey over red leather (new, $55,000)
Fun weekend car - Ferrari 360 Modena - red over tan w/ Tubi (~2001, $125,000)

Dream Garage Challenge #2
You have three parking spaces. You have $150,000 to spend in total on three cars. At least one car must be a four door sedan. What are they going to be?

My Dream Garage choices:
My daily driver - Audi S5 coupe - titanium over red (new, $55,000)
Significant other's car - BMW 335xi - blue over terracotta (new, $50,000)
Fun weekend car - Lotus Exige - orange (2006, $45,000)

Of course, by tomorrow, I will have picked some different cars for the garage. These are my selections for today. Every now and then I will repost this topic with an update...

What about your favorites? What would you park in your garage? Let me know with your comment!

Labels: Aston Martin, Bentley, Club Sportiva, dream garage, exotic car share club, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lotus, Maserati, Porsche