Ferrari: all 2008 models will get carbon brakes

The insane competition for lightness and strength at the top levels of motorsport, especially Formula 1, drove companies like Ferrari to experiment with carbon and carbon-composite materials for nearly every possible application. One that really stuck was brake discs - the high-strength, high temperature material is perfect for the demands of modern race cars and supercars.

Ferrari, being at the forefront of Formula 1 technology for at least the last decade, has decided to put even more race-proven technology into its cars as standard equipment for 2008: all cars bearing the Prancing Horse logo will get carbon-ceramic material (CCM) brake discs.

Carbon brake discs are not the first or only bit of racing technology to make it into a Ferrari production car. The 430 Scuderia uses a traction control system similar to that used in Formula 1 (Ferrari calls it E-Diff + F1-Trac). The same car also gets a gearbox with shift times that match the F1 cars of two seasons ago. And of course all the research that goes into building the super-high performance engines and suspension sytems goes into every Ferrari, albeit in a more indirect way.

The CCM brake discs are used to offer not just greater durability, but also performance and comfort. Braking is more responsive, they resist fade extremely well and they last longer, both on the street and on the track. Weight savings is no minor consideration either, considering brake discs are unsprung mass - the 15kg (33lbs) saved by using the CCM discs over steel makes the car more dynamic and responsive, even when not braking.