While I have driven plenty of vehicles with carbon ceramic brakes, I always seem to come across the same question at the end of my time with said product: Are they worth it?
It's not like they're a cheap option, usually ranging from $10,000 - $16,000.
The only way I could likely justify such an expense would be if I were really going to be tracking the auto and be extremely harsh on the brakes. For your typical roadcar, I don't think it seems to make sense.
But pricing is only one aspect of this argument and Autocar's Steven Sutcliffe brings an entirely new element into the equation: Feel.
This is an entirely subjective area and varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and car to car. However, I will say if there's one person's opinion I trust over all others, it would be Sutcliffe's as he has piloted a vast array of products and even raced at one point.
They weigh less than steel brakes and don’t wear out anything like as fast, so why am I still not convinced that carbon ceramic brakes are the way to go for the average high performance road car?
Two reasons: price and feel.
The price issue seems especially hard to justify. Most car companies that offer carbon ceramic discs as extras tend to charge around 10 grand for the privilege...
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