Are your Portofino Brakes rough at low speeds?

Hi all - I've recently bought a 2018 Portofino with 5k miles on it and overall I am delighted with it.

Tomorrow, I'm going back to the main dealer for them to look at a few small niggles. One of them is the brakes and I wanted to get your experiences in advance of the visit.

This is the first Ferrari I've own and also the first car with carbon ceramic brakes so I'm trying to figure out if my experience is normal or an issue with my car.

I have 2 problems.

1. At lower speeds (sub 40mph), braking down to stop is not a smooth experience. I find that at consistent braking pressure, the actual braking forces fades in and out. Then at very low speeds it will suddenly 'catch' and really slow the car down making it uncomfortable for driver and passenger.

2. The brakes squeak and squeal at low speeds. Really annoying and around town makes it sound like you're driving an old banger!

Please could anyone with more experience let me know if this is normal or not?

Best wishes

 

Happy to be corrected but sounds like classic carbon behaviour especially for a first time user

 

I suspected so. Any tips?

 

Have them checked out as my Cali T has none of those issues @7 K miles. The only difference I can detect from my 430 or Viper with steel brakes is a very slight sound (not feel) of roughness upon cold initial braking contact at slow speeds (as in driveway) They are excellent and zero brake dust!

 

Likewise ... the brakes on my 2015 California T are very smooth and feel no different than brakes on any other car I've owned. Perhaps the dealer will allow you to test drive another Portofino briefly to compare. No squeals from this car. My 2013 California would squeal but I found rinsing the (cooled off) brakes with clear water would cure it, the brakes are largely dustless but they do dust a little. Not so on the T, however.

The rotor should feel smooth to the touch with no pitting, so you might have a look at that.

 

8000 miles on my Portofino,none of those issues.

 

Closing in on 5000 miles, also no issues on my 2019 Porto.


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My Portofino is only a few weeks old

No squeak and squeal but a very similar experience when breaking at low speed. More often than not, I try to break gently and get the same 'hard slow down' of the car you describe. I assumed it is my lack of experience with carbon ceramic brakes.

 

It occurred to me that you might be experiencing "Ferrari Brake Prefill" (page 62). An algorithm decides that the brakes are about to be applied and the pads are tightened a little against the rotors to make for a shorter stopping distance in case the brakes actually are applied. When you step on the pedal,the brakes come on sooner and harder than normal and feel grabby.

 

Your brakes are glazed. That's what happens when not use enough and hard enough. You need to bed them properly.
Ferrari brakes do have an on/off switch feeling to them. Brakes is unfortunately an area where Ferrari is truly lacking. Switching to Pagid RSC1 pads will help a bit. But you need to properly bed those brakes, and that is not done with just a few stops from 70-80 mph.

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I have a 2020 Porto which I use as my DD and hence drive (mostly) at low speeds in the village. Never experienced any problems or squeaks. Braking is smooth. I would take it back to the dealer.

 

Yes. Thank you!
I went to drive it yesterday and it’s exactly that…. It happens when I break immediately after removing my foot from the accelerator.


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That is normal brake behavior. I find FBP a bit annoying and would rather not have it because it creates two types of brake pedal response.