Do You Regret Buying Carbon Ceramic Brakes?

Carbon Ceramic Is Expensive, So Do You Regret Buying The Z07-Package Brakes?

Carbon versus cast iron. It’s a battle that rages on in enthusiast communities, as it has done since streetable carbon brakes were introduced in the mid-2000s. There are many who swear by the efficiency and effectiveness of carbon brakes, dying on the hill of heat dissipation and friction properties. There are others that will shout up and down the street that cast iron rotors are superior, offering the same braking performance as carbon at a fraction of the cost. So which side has your vote, carbon or iron?

Let’s first begin with the facts. It is common knowledge that both the standard Corvette Z06 and the carbon rotor Z07-package cars will complete a panic stop from 60 miles per hour in a retina-detaching 95-ish feet. There is no distance advantage for the carbon cars, even with the extra downforce that the Z07 package provides. The tires, in this case, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2, are the limiting factor in braking distance thresholds.

CHECK OUT: What Forum Members Are Saying About Carbon Ceramic Brakes

A carbon rotor will have better heat properties, shedding heat quicker and holding more heat before experiencing fade. That said, you’d have to run a few dozen laps at the most brake-heavy tracks to even notice. Carbon rotors are likely to last longer in street use than a cast iron rotor might, but if you live somewhere with lots of wind and sand (the desert, for example), the carbon rotors will be eaten up significantly quicker than you might expect.

Now let’s look at costs. Aside from the initial $8,000 buy-in for the Z07 package on your Z06 or Grand Sport, CCBs are significantly more expensive to replace when the time does come. Using a regularly-referenced automotive parts website, RockAuto.com, I built a cart of everything you might need for a brake job on either car. With cast iron rotors, a four-wheel disc and pad change would run you just over $1,600, an already expensive job. With a Z07 car, your four-wheel carbon disc and carbon pad change will run an astronomical $7,940. More than four times as much as the iron rotor owner would pay.

Are your carbon rotors still worth the extra expense? Let us know what you think!

Via [GM, RockAuto.com]