The new Bugatti Chiron has been ticking off all the boxes for all sports car enthusiasts around the world. Apart from the striking, sleek features, the engineering and design specs make it a very desirable car. The Chiron’s quad-turbocharged 16-cylinder engine with its capacity of 8 litres is capable of regulating and directing around 60,000 litres of air per minute. This remarkable engineering is what helped them create a marvellous car that can reach 0 to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds, that’s faster than a cheetah!
Well, when going that fast, you should also be able to slow down, smoothly. Or else “the need for speed” may become fatal. Not every customer looks into this aspect, as they are more concerned with “how fast can they go”. This is even more essential when purchasing a sports car. But Bugatti has both types of customers covered, with their excellent braking system. The engineers claim that the brakes in a Bugatti can bring it down from 249mph to 0 within 10 seconds!
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Brakes mainly exist to release or even out the kinetic energy of the automobile, also heat. The higher the (speed)2, the more the kinetic energy; so for vehicles that promise high speeds, an efficient braking system is a must. The braking elements like the brake pads and brake discs are available in many materials with varying effects and efficiencies but the one that is used in most vehicles, even in Bugatti Chiron, is made of ceramic, with a carbon fusion.
Carbon fibres are well-known in the automotive industry and have been a part of the F1 racing cars. The material has excellent heat dissipative abilities which help these carbon-carbon brake discs handle a temperature of 1000°C, each time a race car has to swerve from high to low speeds on a race track. But they are really expensive and also take some time to reach the correct temperature, which is dangerous when it comes to road traffic. But a derivative material, Carbon-Ceramic came to the rescue with its high durability and cost-efficient offers.
They have been known to handle heavy-duty, dry, and wet conditions, and provide high performance-to-weight ratios. Made from Carbon silicon carbide (C/SiC), these are light, durable, and resistant to friction and corrosion damage.
Some of the main reasons why Carbon-Ceramic braking systems took flight are:
They can endure temperature
Imagine these brake discs to be Johnny from Fantastic Four, well at least something similar. They are said to tolerate temperatures of 1400oC on maximum, with very little expansion due to heat.
Brake Fade, Not Likely
Juddering is a common occurrence when the metal or material expands due to heat, breaking the stability of the drive or flow. It’s the terrible shake your car gives when the brakes are applied. But, consider the damaging effects juddering can have when you are trying to slow down from 240 mph in a sports car – fatal. But Carbon-ceramic braking systems don’t face this problem as the low thermal expansion as mentioned above gives perfect stability with a bonus: no loud screeching noises. Ceramic brake pads are also known for their low noise levels.
No extra burden
The lesser the load on the car, the faster it can move. So it is crucial to keep a light load on the vehicular parts. Here, the weight of the brake discs comes into the picture. Carbon-Ceramics discs weigh approximately 60% less than conventional brakes like the ones made up of cast iron.
This lightness of the material makes it easier for the driver to handle the vehicle with smoother driving, in terms of deceleration and reducing unsprung mass. They are also pretty dense and resistant to deformation caused by friction and therefore are well suited for extreme locations like those having sharp turns or rocky terrains.
Holds on for a long time
The material is so tough yet flexible to the strenuous conditions of the road, and the best part is that they are durable. The brake discs face an extreme level of friction and pressure, multiple times in one trip, especially for fast cars like the Bugatti Chiron. This requires the discs to be exposed to constant wear and tear, for which carbon ceramics are perfect.
They can last 3 or 4 times more than conventional discs. With suitable brake pads and tires, these brake discs can bring down the braking distance by 10 ft from 62 mph. This distance is essential to prevent dangerous accidents that can lead to mortality.
How Bugatti Chiron use Carbon-Ceramic brakes?
These amazing properties of the Carbon-Ceramic brake discs have been equipped in many sports and luxury automobiles. The Bugatti Chiron has additional engineering to support and make complete use of these wonderful brake discs. They have intakes in the car’s front which bring in streams of cool air to help keep the temperature of the brake discs at optimum, and an additional heat shield is placed over the front brakes to push away the hot air out the wheel, creating a curtain of cool air around the car.
This removal of hot air, keeps the extra force off the tires, preventing them from wear and tear. Therefore, the front brakes specifically create a small yet significant downforce that is an amazing engineering feat! The engineers have also used braking pistons – 8 titanium pistons for the front axle brake callipers and 6 pistons for the rear callipers.
From the mid-’80s till the present age, ceramics have become a sturdy component in automobiles, despite their generally known fragile nature. But the proper mixture of ceramics with carbon has given cars like the Bugatti Chiron a great advantage giving the needed support and comfort to driving a sports car.
These carbon ceramics are still pretty hot in the market, being the best material for braking systems that are worth their price and maintenance. High performance is always delivered with these materials owing to their durability, corrosion resistance, and other properties, making them the best pick! The safety Bugatti Chiron offers is a semblance of its deliverance.