Is adaptive suspension or CCB better on a used car?

[slowpoki]

I recently sold my M4 because I need a 4 door car. The car will do daily duty as well as a 8-10 track days a year. Is the adaptive suspension more desirable the CCBs? I have PCCBs on my cayman and they are by far the best brakes I've ever had on a car. I've narrowed it down to a few cars.

Yas Marina Blue M3 with sunroof, lane departure and CCBs but no adaptive suspension

White with Silverstone M3: sunroof, lane departure, adaptive suspension but no CCBS

White M5 Comp package with steel brakes.

TL,DR: Should I look for a car that has adaptive suspension or CCBs?

[gatorfast]

Don't think there is a "better" it all depends on what you want. CCB may perform better on the track but if you eventually need to replace the rotors you are prob talking $8k. The adjustable suspension is probably better for a daily driver but not sure how much of a difference it would make for track driving. Plus, you could get a good set of coil overs for $2k or so if you wanted.

Personally, assuming the price of each car was comparable I would go with the CCB.

[allinon72]

Out of those 2, adaptive suspension by far. CCBs are almost viewed as a liability on this forum.

[RickFLM4]

If you can afford to maintain them when the time comes, CCBs.

[CanAutM3]

If you plan to track your car, I would shy away from the CCB. They will wear just as fast (if not faster) than the irons with track use and cost a fortune to replace. You will need proper track pads to pair with the iron rotors though, but with proper track pads the irons will perform just as well as the CCB.

On the other hand, EDC is a great asset for a dual use car. Confort and Sport for the DD (depending on your mood) and Sport+ for the track.

[Brasko]

That's a hard decision. I have both so I'm a little bias. If I had to choose, I'd say go with the CCB (if you aren't planning to track) and swap out to M-Performance HAS kit later if you find the suspension unsatisfactory.

[slowpoki]

I just think I'm just spoiled by the PCCBs and was hoping for close to the same experience out of the F8x's. I really like the idea of the adaptable suspension for daily driving. I just can't figure out if it will really lead to better track times.

[DanMpower]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned this yet but CCBs will save you about 40lbs of rotational mass compared to the standard brakes. Considering rotating mass is 3 times harder to accelerate than unsprung weight, shaving 40lbs from your rotors is kinda like removing 120lbs of unsprung weight from the car!

I love my CCBs, since I don't track my car they should last the service life of my vehicle. Oh, and ZERO BRAKE DUST EVER!!

Another great thing about CCBs are the aesthetics, those giant 6 piston and 4 piston calipers look incredibly bad ass, I get a lot of compliments on the car and the brakes are usually always mentioned.

I have both CCB's and Adaptive Suspension and I wouldn't have it any other way, but if I had to choose, I would choose CCB's all day, everyday.

[NickyC]

Originally Posted by LloydChristmas

I love my CCBs, since I don't track my car they should last the service life of my vehicle. Oh, and ZERO BRAKE DUST EVER!!

That really is a huge plus. I get so sick and tired of the daily cleaning of my damned wheels with the standard brakes.

[dpgfunk]

I have and love both equally

[dubsesd]

CCB are amazing. The difference in performance compared to stock steel brakes is night and day. Best option i chose

[slowpoki]

After re-driving the M3s, I think I'm just going to hold out for a CCB and adaptive suspension car. Thanks for the input guys

[Brasko]

Originally Posted by LloydChristmas

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned this yet but CCBs will save you about 40lbs of rotational mass compared to the standard brakes. Considering rotating mass is 3 times harder to accelerate than unsprung weight, shaving 40lbs from your rotors is kinda like removing 120lbs of unsprung weight from the car!

I love my CCBs, since I don't track my car they should last the service life of my vehicle. Oh, and ZERO BRAKE DUST EVER!!

Another great thing about CCBs are the aesthetics, those giant 6 piston and 4 piston calipers look incredibly bad ass, I get a lot of compliments on the car and the brakes are usually always mentioned.

I have both CCB's and Adaptive Suspension and I wouldn't have it any other way, but if I had to choose, I would choose CCB's all day, everyday.

As an owner of a CCB (and adaptive suspension) equipped M3, I couldn't agree more.

[DanMpower]

I'll just leave this here.

[slowpoki]

Yeh, the standard front brakes on the M3/M4 are small. Here is a pic of the front brake pad compared to my Cayman rear brake pad

[CanAutM3]

Originally Posted by LloydChristmas

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned this yet but CCBs will save you about 40lbs of rotational mass compared to the standard brakes. Considering rotating mass is 3 times harder to accelerate than unsprung weight, shaving 40lbs from your rotors is kinda like removing 120lbs of unsprung weight from the car!

I love my CCBs, since I don't track my car they should last the service life of my vehicle. Oh, and ZERO BRAKE DUST EVER!!

Another great thing about CCBs are the aesthetics, those giant 6 piston and 4 piston calipers look incredibly bad ass, I get a lot of compliments on the car and the brakes are usually always mentioned.

I have both CCB's and Adaptive Suspension and I wouldn't have it any other way, but if I had to choose, I would choose CCB's all day, everyday.

A lot of misinformed/eroneous statements in this post.

First, you seem to confuse rotational, sprung and unsprung mass. The effect of rotational mass has no effect on unsprung mass. Rotational mass will have an effect on total effective mass for acceleration and braking. Lower unsprung mass allows for better contact of the tire on the ground when hitting bumps for improved handling. Sprung mass is everything above the suspension, which is the majority of the vehicle mass.

Second, the impact of rotational mass is dependent on the geometry of the rotating component and the rotational speed of the component relative to the vehicle translational speed, you cannot take a blanket 3x number. For rotors of the size of the F8X, the mass factor is about 1.2x.

Third, the rotating mass reduction of the F8X CCB is about 27.5lb, not 40lb.

Fourth, the CCB calipers are much heavier than the iron ones, removing some of the benefit of the lighter rotors. With a mass factor of 1.2, a reduction of 27.5lb on the discs equates to 33lb equivalent mass. Add back the 13lb from the heavier callipers and you end up with a 20lb equivalent mass reduction on the total car (0.6%), not 120lb. So the effect of rotational mass of the CCB rotors is not really significant.

Last, the reduction of unsprung mass is likely the greatest performance benefit offered by CCB, if that alone is worth the operating cost is another question.

For a car that does not see the track, the benefits offered by the CCB, such as esthetics, life and feel, can be worthwhile. However, with track use, they simply become cost prohibitive to operate. The OP says he wants to track 8-10 times a year, hence why I recommend shying away from the CCB.

[swifty]

The other issue with CCBs on the m3 as opposed to Porsche PCCB is depending on the climate you live in (rain, snow etc), they seem to be unpredictable.

I know other owners have mentioned by working the brakes in early on a rainy day you can get the feel back, it's still intimidating.