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Thread: Fun - Sports car, supercar, lightweight, replica?

  1. #171
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    Just read up a bit about carbon ceramic brake discs...

    Gee, I did not know they're so damage prone... maybe it's good that there's no deal. Maybe iron discs are safer..., but then again, it's not like you're buying a Camry or Accord...

    I suppose this can be a good learning lesson. At least you now know how a good carbon ceramic disc should 'feel' like!

  2. #172
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    Yeah.

    It's a funny one - under good conditions, they can potentially last indefinitely, produce no brake dust and never go rusty when parked. Plus you get better fade resistance and lower unsprung weight.
    However if they get too hot on track, or someone uses the wrong wheel cleaner liquid, or there's impact damage, they can be ruined very quickly, and cost maybe £20k to replace from McLaren.

    If required, an aftermarket Surface Transforms set is about £15k, which are apparently better as well as slightly cheaper than OEM. But that's obviously a huge amount of money to lose.

    I think I'm still hoping to buy a car with good condition ceramics, look after them, and hope for the best. After all, it's part of what makes the car, and iron brakes can end up being costly too. But it has crossed my mind that a model with the iron brakes might be less stress-inducing!

  3. #173
    Junior Potato
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    I'd realistically settle for good old regolith brakes because they're just... normal. How often will you need carbon-ceramic brakes in your daily driving?

    They might be good for track use, but most trackday people wouldn't even reach a point where they make anything noticeably better.

    You will be driving this when it's 5-degrees outside, and rust will only count for a few microns of the outer surface. You might find the perfect car next week, except it has steel brakes. I would not knock it back just because the material between the pads is not from the space age.

    Plus I think they look better than ceramic when they catch the afternoon light

  4. #174
    Senior Member Leon's Avatar
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    Scary thought that the McLaren brakes are worth more than 3 from 4 of my cars entire value added together

  5. #175
    Ask me about my bottom br FaultyMario's Avatar
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    Yeah, but the fourth car?
    acket.

  6. #176
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    Used car market is trending downward... so I'm pretty sure not one of my current 3 vehicles on my driveway is worth more than the McLaren carbon ceramic brakes!!!

    This IS kinda crazy. One could buy this car for about $100k, but then if one needs a new set of brake discs, replacing them would cost 1/5 of that?!?!?

    Anyway, samoht, if you are going to get one, just get one that you think would have the best chance to actually rise in value or at least maintain it in the future... and make sure you get one that you truly love and want. Don't compromise! Super car needs to be super!

    If your couldn't find the right car, then maybe that's still all good and you could redirect your money to pursue your other dream projects!

  7. #177
    Corvette Enthusiast Kchrpm's Avatar
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    Or, and hear me out, another couple of options:



    Get that weak shit off my track

  8. #178
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    Steering wheel on the wrong side!!!

    Otherwise, great options!

  9. #179
    Corvette Enthusiast Kchrpm's Avatar
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    They're making right hand drive versions!
    Get that weak shit off my track

  10. #180
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    Update - the dealer called back yesterday and said that actually yes, they would be interested at £102k. (Thus leaving me £3k to buy a 12mo McLaren warranty). I've therefore paid a deposit and arranged for the car to go to the nearest McLaren dealer for a pre-purchase inspection. It should have been inspected today, so I'm looking forward to getting the report tomorrow.

    I'm basically betting that the official McLaren service workshop should be able to accurately diagnose the condition of the brake discs, so either it's fine, or I can negotiate on that, or not buy it.


    On the ceramics, yeah it's crazy. However the 'sell' is that they should last longer than iron brakes, which themselves can cost a grand or two at this level if you need four discs and pads. It's entirely possible for a ceramic-braked car to end up costing less over three years of ownership than one with a traditional setup, so it's not a slam dunk. The problem is, if you do need to replace them, it's a lot of cash.

    But the possibility of them costing less, plus the suspension working better with lower unsprung weight (though I don't know how significant this is vs wheels and tyres), plus better braking performance, is probably persuasive. After all, the handling and braking are a big part of why I want a car like this at all.

    The other thing is that the iron brakes came on earlier cars, which I think could be higher risk in other ways. For example, if I buy a 2019 car like this, McLaren will respray any bubbling paint just before the five year mark for free. If I get a 2017 car with the 'safer' iron brakes, it's past that mark, so any paint corrosion is on me. Which could also cost £20k worst case to respray the whole lot. Plus a lot of the earlier cars are lower spec in other ways.


    I have to admit I'd missed the fact the Z06 is also being made in RHD, that's cool. And being GM, I'm sure it's a more sensible ownership proposition, although I'm not sure what the list price will end up being especially with our currency being so devalued. Still... I've driven a McLaren and loved it. And part of that is the hydraulic power steering, and to some extent I think the weight. The RX-7 was ~1275kg, the 570 is maybe ~1375 depending who you believe, the Z06 maybe 1575kg or more depending on spec and how it's measured. The Z06 engine sounds magnificent, and I'm glad someone in Kentucky decided they should put the Ferrari 458 back into production. I'm just not sure I'd want to go with something so big and heavy.

    Chris Harris in a 570GT -


    I love the way the 570 drove, I love the way the GT model looks with the fastback (180SX, RX-7, 350Z ... see a trend here?), I love the Volcano Orange paint (not that common). So if this car checks out, I'm pretty much decided to buy it. I think the chance I regret it is less than the chance I'll regret not buying it, when I had the chance.

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