Go Big: Lightweight Brembo Brake Disc

At the International Motor Show in Geneva, Brembo is presenting an extension of its lightweight brake disc range with the arrival of a version for high-performance vehicles. Introduced a few years ago, the lightweight brake disc is the result of a partnership project with Daimler in which the company strongly believed, and which allowed to introduce on the market a product with absolutely innovative characteristics.

Over the years, Brembo has continued to develop and, thanks to in-depth product and process studies, is now able to offer all its customers a lightweight brake disc designed for applications on vehicles with an ultra-performing vocation, introducing a different form of ventilation, optimized according to the fluid dynamics of the car and, above all, with larger dimensions (395x36mm) than the range currently in production.

This is a patented solution which allows for better dissipation of the heat developed during braking in a way combined with a reduction of the generation and propagation of thermal cracking.

Always committed to finding new technological and environmentally friendly solutions aimed at meeting the increasingly stricter demands of the market in terms of reducing weight, Brembo has developed a disc which combines two different materials: cast iron and steel.

The most important advantage stems from the steel bell, which reaches a thickness of just 2.5 mm, instead of the 7.5-9 mm of the classic cast iron bell, at the same level of performance.

This significant weight reduction allows to obtain a brake disc that, depending on the geometry of the bell, is anywhere from 10-15% lighter.

This means that this disc achieves an important result in the search for weight reduction, letting the vehicle significantly reduce fuel consumption and, consequently, achieve a lower impact on the environment: one of the “musts” in the design guidelines for components in the automotive market.

The special conformation of the steel bell, developed through the use of precision gear technology, and its particular connection to the cast iron band facilitates the joining of the two parts and the two different materials, as well as increasing the mechanical resistance of the disc.

In 2013, the year this lightweight disc was launched, this represented a great challenge for Brembo even in terms of production, because it was the first one to be made anywhere in the world. This has enabled the company to position itself today as a strategic and global supplier of brake discs to the world’s largest players.

Source: Brembo

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