Shine On You Crazy Diamond

By Jeremy Williams, Technical Editor

“Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun
Shine on you crazy diamond…”

These Pink Floyd lyrics describe a new component technology that Porsche debuted in 2017, which we’re seeing become more and more prevalent on Porsche vehicles today. Referred to as PSCB, Porsche Surface Coated Brakes were released on the 2017 Cayenne Turbo’s as a standard feature.

The PSCB’s are many cuts above the standard Porsche gray-iron brakes in that they typically last about 30% longer than gray-iron, they hardly produce any brake dust, and they don’t rust like gray-iron. At the same time, while they’re ultimately not as race-worthy as PCCB’s (Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes), they have performance properties similar to PCCB’s, and yet the PSCB’s cost about 1/3 that of PCCB’s. So, in many ways the PSCB’s are the best of both worlds.

The special brake rotors in the PSCB setup are the first to be developed for any vehicle. Their surface is incredibly shiny, akin to a mirror-like finish which doesn’t tarnish and is made of tungsten carbide which is almost as hard as a diamond. WIDIA is an acronym for wie Diamant (the German translation is “like diamond”) and is the trade name for an amazingly hard material which is mainly comprised of tungsten carbide. In close collaboration with Bosch/Buderus, what Porsche developed using this technology as a guide, is quite astonishing.

A brake rotor made 100% of tungsten carbide would cost about 3x that of PCCB’s (which are silly expensive already), so Porsche had to get very creative with the construction of the PSCB rotors; a process that took ages to develop. They start with a gray-iron rotor which is lasered to give structure, then an interlayer of nickel helps bind the gray-iron and tungsten carbide, where the tungsten carbide particles are flame-sprayed onto the rotor at supersonic speeds. This results in a tungsten carbide coating which is about 100 micrometers thick. However, once the rotors were finally created, Porsche wasn’t done. Very special brake pads were also needed to complete the PSCB setup.

Since the brake rotor surface is so smooth, the brake pad compound needed to be engineered with very hard microscopic particles that would anchor in to the also-very hard tungsten carbide rotor coating. One would expect that such a unique brake pad would still produce considerable brake dust as it digs and bites into the brake rotor, however PSCB pads create an astonishing 90% less brake dust than gray-iron pads do. As well, the mirror-like rotor surface which has no grainy structure like a grey-iron rotor, actually allows for complete pad-rotor contact, which means the entire surface area of the rotor can be used for fully optimal braking performance. When the PSCB components get hot from repeated braking exercises, they don’t show signs of brake fade like standard gray-iron components. This places the performance output of PSCB’s close to that of PCCB’s, but remember that the PSCB’s are about 1/3 the price of PCCB’s.

Due to the gigantic reduction in brake dust from the PSCB technology, Porsche cleverly decided to market PSCB applications via a unique color for the 10-piston front calipers and 4-piston rear calipers. While “Big Red” brake calipers have previously signified Porsche’s best brakes, along came yellow calipers to signify the race-worthy PCCB’s. Now, white calipers signify PSCB’s. White brake calipers you ask?! Yes, what better way to communicate that the PSCB’s produce such little brake dust and therefore the calipers stay super clean!

So with PCCB-like performance for significantly less money, and major improvements over standard gray-iron brakes, what are the downsides to PSCB’s? The only one I’ve been able to come up with is regarding those who want to participate in more off-pavement driving with their Cayenne, yet keep in mind that this sticking point isn’t specific to only PSCB’s. As vehicles continue to grow in both size and performance output, larger and larger brake components are needed to help quickly slow these vehicles down. I’m all for the highest margin of safety and performance, so bigger brakes vs smaller brakes are definitely an attribute. However, in order to clear these huge brakes, a large wheel is needed (21″-22″ diameter wheels are the norm now), which means the profile/aspect ratio of the tire is thinner. What does this mean if you’re wanting to take your strong, durable, and more than capable Cayenne off-pavement for everything from reaching a favorite hiking trailhead to more serious overlanding? Thinner profile tires mean more possibility for wheel damage and tire punctures, a rougher ride, and less grip on uneven terrain. And since the brakes are so massive in diameter, you cannot easily reduce wheel diameter in order to inversely increase the tire’s sidewall height, you’re pretty much stuck with more fragile tires for off-pavement adventures. A possible solution? Hop in an older ’05-16 955/957/early958-generation Cayenne with its 18″ or 19″ wheels and taller tires, as this will also help you appreciate the numerous refinements of your ’17-18 late958-generation or ’19+ 9Y0/9Y3-generation Cayenne that much more!

Jeremy Williams is the Oregon PCA Technical Editor. He co-owns Matrix Integrated (Matrix Integrated Inc.) with his brother Justin. Jeremy can be reached at [email protected]

*Special thanks to SSF for much of the PSCB information.

 

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President's Message

Carol Hedstrom

Wheels are rolling! 2025 is under way and we are off to a great start. This year marks the Oregon Region’s 65th Anniversary. As with most groups or organizations that have matured to such a ripe age, decisions made along the way have shaped the organization into what it is today. I am fortunate to inherit a well-run and well-managed club as I take on the role of President. I am thankful for those who have gone before me and who are now guiding me even as they themselves have stepped away from day-to-day club governance.

For the last nine years, the Club has been funding scholarships for automotive technician students at three local community colleges. The necessary cash to fund these scholarships is generated through the proceeds of an investment account that has grown over the last 20+ years. The Scholarship Program was set up years ago and requires Board approval on an annual basis. For the past several years, there have been numerous Board and strategy discussions as to whether scholarships are the “best” way to disburse $6,000 each year. Although the Scholarship Committee always provided a positive argument for maintaining the funding, the Board continued to struggle with the question of whether scholarships are the best use of the money we have. Once again, the Board found itself at budget approval time facing the same question. At February’s Board of Director’s meeting, the Board voted unanimously to suspend the funding of local community college scholarships indefinitely.

While we don’t have an answer to the question of “best” use of the funds that have previously been set aside, we agreed that scholarships are currently not the best fit. Although automotive technicians are people every Porsche owner needs in their lives and on their list of resources, there is no direct way to track the scholarship recipients and know for sure
if the Club investment of those scholarship dollars will ever come to the benefit of Porsche Club members. The tricky part of the conversation at the board level has been that while scholarships are benefitting a few students each year, what is the benefit to the Club? We would like to support and endorse programs that create a win-win scenario. We give some money, the recipients benefit, and the Club benefits through either goodwill or some other direct benefit.

In addition, and ideally, the Board would like Club members to feel more directly part of this giving pattern. Perhaps we can find a charity we can all agree is a good cause and set up a matching program. Perhaps we fund or support communities in some way. These are all deep, good conversations and decisions to be made. To that end, we will form a new committee to explore charitable or community focused opportunities that we may fund or support in the future. We welcome your input, ideas, and comments. If you would like to be a part of the so-far unnamed new committee, please let me or any Board member know. A couple of people have already stepped forward to spearhead the committee, but we hope to recruit three to five additional members. If you have an interest in community enhancement or thoughts about charitable giving, please get in touch with me or any board member.

I’m looking forward to getting some of the administration work of the Club completed before sunny spring days beckon for driving. There are already several events on the calendar that have me excited. Some are for the experience of driving, some for the chance to hang out with members and feel the passion you have for your cars, and others just to experience something new. I know 2025 is going to be a great year and I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds.

Let’s Drive!