Porsche's 2019 Cayenne Turbo features a new Porsche surface coated brake technology that uses a tungsten carbide coating, a material Porsche said is 10 times harder than the gray cast iron typically used in brake rotors. The coating increases friction, which improves stopping distance and reduces brake dust by up to 90 percent. Porsche surface coated brake technology is highly corrosion-resistant and lasts 30 percent longer than gray cast iron, Porsche said.
"High-performance brakes are a hallmark of the Porsche brand," said Austin Latchaw, product manager for the Cayenne and Macan. "This is actually a technology we have wanted to offer for quite some time, but we needed to find the right supplier to work with."
Applying the tungsten carbide coating is an elaborate process.
First, the cast iron rotor is roughened and cleaned. A ductile intermediate layer is then applied to create a surface to which the tungsten carbide can adhere. A high velocity oxygen fuel burner then applies a thin layer of tungsten carbide to the rotor.
The process requires an extremely hot flame to deposit the ultrahard layer at a high velocity, Latchaw said. The newly coated rotor is then prepped for brake pad bedding by polishing the surface with industrial diamonds.
The end result is a corrosion-resistant surface that takes on a mirror finish after an initial driving period.
The new brakes come standard on the 2019 Cayenne Turbo and as an option on the Cayenne and Cayenne S trim. The company plans to extend the technology to nameplates beyond the Cayenne.
