Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio: everything there is to know about the brakes

5/3/2016

Secrets, details and options for the Brembo braking system on the most powerful street Alfa Romeo ever

You've been waiting months, looking for information about it and harbouring hope of a sneak peek. Now that the Alfa Romeo Giulia has arrived in the dealerships, you know everything (almost) about it, but perhaps details on the brakes have escaped you. This information is far from insignificant for a car comprising a 510-hp 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 gas engine and 600 Nm of torque.

Brembo takes care of filling this gap by revealing all the secrets of the two braking systems (one as standard equipment, one as an optional) for those who are getting ready to purchase an Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio.

When "standard equipment" goes way beyond

To stop the Giulia Quadrifoglio, Brembo has provided a stock braking system that very few street cars can boast. It is called the High-performance Brembo brake system, and it comprises Brembo co-cast floating ventilated discs measuring 360 mm in the front and 350 mm in the rear. Not everyone is familiar with co-cast discs. This calls for an explanation.

Co-cast discs bring together the benefits of the two materials that they are made with: cast iron (for its thermal properties, like a reduction in deformation and good conductivity) and aluminium (for its lightness). The distinctive traits comprise the way in which the two materials have been cast into a single component and the behaviour of the disc itself. Indeed, it is a fully-integrated disc at low temperatures, yet it acts like a floating disc at high temperatures when maximum performance is required and the disc tends to get deformed.

Combining these discs with anonymous calipers would have been sacrilege. To exalt the sides of this car, which are enriched with prominent beltlines, Brembo monobloc calipers were chosen with 6 pistons in the front and 4 pistons in the rear. This choice reaffirms the strong personality of the Alfa Romeo Quadrifoglio.

Carbon-ceramic for those who want the best

This may have been enough, but the engineers and designers at Alfa Romeo decided to push the limit. To satisfy everyone who truly wants the best in terms of brake performance, an optional braking system is available: the Ultra-high-performance Brembo carbon ceramic material (CCM) brake system.

More specifically, these floating ventilated discs are made of carbon-ceramic and measure 390 mm in the front and 360 mm in the rear. These will tempt the most refined palettes because carbon ceramic is characterised by low deformation at high temperatures, a trait that is directly reflected in the car's performance. This material, which Brembo has used on production cars since 2002 (the first was the Ferrari Enzo), isn't afraid of repetitive use.

Notwithstanding intense actuation, the brake force remains unchanged. Even in the most challenging braking, the carbon-ceramic disc never risks succumbing to fading, the phenomenon that occurs when the brakes lose efficiency after overheating. Braking better and doing so for an almost infinite number of times without losing efficiency are two of the greatest aspirations for drivers who favour Alfa Romeo. But we still need to talk about another benefit of the carbon-ceramic discs: their natural state makes them much lighter than traditional discs, which affects the mass of the entire saloon.

Ultimately, with the Ultra-high-performance Brembo carbon ceramic material (CCM) brake system , improvements are seen in acceleration and driver comfort, and, to cap it all, consumption goes down. The extremely high-performing, light-weight discs are accompanied by monobloc aluminium calipers with 6 pistons in the front and 4 pistons in the rear. The front calipers are characterised by a different structure with respect to the standard equipment, one that was designed to meet the specifications of carbon-ceramic discs.

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The world is better in colour

We almost forgot to tell you that both sets of calipers come with the iconic Alfa Romeo signature. In order to match the 7 colours of the chassis, Brembo has created calipers in three different shades: the unmistakable Brembo red with white writing, vivacious yellow with a black logo and aggressive black with red writing. It won't be easy to choose.

Electric handbrake

You won't need to exert any effort in the selection of the electronics. Both Brembo braking systems include an electric handbrake. Rather than the classic handbrake lever, there is a system comprising a driver-switch command (to put it simply, a button), an electric command and electromechanical actuation that is independent from the rest of the braking system. It is easier done than said: to disable it, you just press the designated button on the instrument panel while pushing on the brake pedal.

Amongst the many advantages of an electric handbrake is that of Drive Away where the command is automatically disabled one the car is put into gear, the clutch is released and the accelerator pushed. Thanks to mechatronics, which brings together different disciplines like mechanics, electronics and information technology, Brembo integrated the management and monitoring software of the handbrake's small dedicated caliper within the control unit of the vehicle dynamics (ESC).

Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, unequivocal emotion, even in the braking system.