Bentley Bentayga V8 brakes are largest, most powerful on a series production car
Necessary? Not really. Cool? Yep!
The standard brakes on the Bentley Bentayga V8 aren't what you'd call 'small'.
The steel rotors measure 400mm up front, gripped by six-piston calipers from Brembo.
According to Bentley Bentayga product line director, Peter Guest, the package was approved after an exhaustive development process.
"Long before we settled on this system, we got through many, many pad combinations and other stuff to get to where we were happy with the braking performance of the standard brakes," Guest said.
"It's not easy, as we're trying to balance ultimate performance with refinement, which is key for the Bentley brand. Often there are brake noises from the disc that we effectively have to design out of the system."
If you'd rather your Bentayga have the largest, most powerful braking system ever fitted to a series production car, Bentley has that covered as well.
The optional carbon-fibre brake discs measure a massive 440mm – remember, the Bugatti Veyron boasted 407mm discs, while the faster Chiron makes do with 420mm units. But the headline-grabbers are the humungous 10-piston calipers gripping the optional lightweight rotors on the Bentayga V8.
We assume very few Bentley drivers will tackle the track in their new four-wheel drive, but Guest says there are a few intrepid owners willing to put their Bentayga through its paces.
"We've seen a few customer cars out on the Nurburgring, both GT and Bentayga, so there are a few customers that aren't quite so worried about the consumable costs of heading out on track - be it tyres or brakes.
"It's about having that sure-footedness under your right foot - knowing you've got an incredibly powerful braking system at the ready. The main benefit of ceramics is in terms of its fade resistance but also its light unsprung mass on the axles, given its shaves 20kg off the weight of the steel brakes.
"The size of the discs was actually determined by complicated algorithms that can predict fading performance based on engine power."
It's worth noting this braking system was designed around the fading cycle for the more powerful W12 Bentayga, meaning shorter cooling time between stops. The discs themselves can operate at temperatures of up to 1000 degrees centigrade.
Not bad as bragging rights go.
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