The new Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 features considerable innovations in terms of body design and mechanics. And also with a new name: Murcielago LP640, which refers to its engine position - longitudinale posteriore - and to its power 640 bhp. Designers and engineers have not only focused on reworking the engine, suspensions, gearbox, exhaust system, brakes and electronics, but also the interior and exterior design; improvements that make the Murcielago LP 640 the most extreme and fastest sports car in its class, placing it at the very top.

Optional Ceramic Carbon Brakes

The dual hydraulic circuit brake system equipped with a vacuum brake booster ensures considerable deceleration values. The self-ventilating front and rear brake disks measure 380 mm x 34 mm and 355 mm x 32 mm respectively. The control circuit of the four-channel anti-blocking system (ABS) with electronic brake control (DRP) and traction control (TCS) features a new characteristic curve. The system consists in an electro-hydraulic control unit and four speed sensors.

When particularly high braking performance is required, it is possible to equip the vehicle with 380 mm x 36 mm ceramic carbon brakes featuring six-piston brake calipers.

The wedge brake was first introduced by Siemens in 2005. It which uses a small computer and an innovative wedge-based connection between brake pads and calipers to dramatically reinvent braking.

Unlike traditional caliper brakes, which use tremendous force to grip a brake rotor with offsetting pads, the wedge design uses a series of interlocking triangular teeth that offset between the caliper and the rotor. A small electric motor pushes the pad toward the rotor by a lateral movement—much like how a watermelon seed can be ejected at high velocity by squishing it between your fingers. The entire system runs on the standard 12-volt electrical system found in most cars.

When the pad hits the rotor, the angular momentum of the moving rotor pulls the pad even further up the interlocking series of wedges, applying even more braking pressure on the car. The motors push in and pull out at an extremely high frequency, which controls braking and keeps the wheels from locking up.

The braking computer receives signals from an electrical sensor attached either to a standard brake pedal or from any other device—including a joystick, paddle or other button. It is truly brake by wire—which means that tomorrow’s cars could more closely resemble today’s video game controllers rather than the more traditional brake and gas pedals.

The new braking system dramatically cuts down on size and moving parts as well. It’s as big a difference as that between the original Compaq luggable computers—the size of an old sewing machine—and today’s svelte and sleek laptop computers.

Reducing weight and complexity cuts down on overall automobile weight, which translates into better fuel efficiency. And with fewer moving parts, it ought to be more reliable as well. There are other environmental benefits too, including eliminating the need for noxious brake fluid.

Siemens also claims a much faster response time for the braking system. It typically takes about 150 milliseconds from when the brake pedal is depressed until the pads deploy against the rotor. Siemens promises that the wedge brake will cut that in half. In addition, because it uses electronics and sensors, it should enable more proactive safety features, applying braking automatically if an object is sensed ahead of the car.

The wedge brake also does away with the ABS system, as that pulse braking can be handled by the on-board computer. Siemens promises that its braking system will eliminate the problems caused by drivers erroneously pumping brakes, which defeats the ABS technology. The wedge brake also doubles as a parking brake, which removes that entire system from the car. This is said to be available by 2008.

The Jaguar XK´s new performance braking system has been developed and tested extensively at the dedicated Jaguar research facility at the Nürburgring racetrack, Germany. It uses advanced technologies to provide greater braking power and more faithful feedback.Larger ventilated discs contribute to improved stopping distances, better pedal feel, and reduced fade in extended hard use. There is also the electronic Park Brake which is a discreet electronic switch housed behind the transmission selector allows the Electronic Park Brake to be manually engaged or released. The handbrake automatically disengages when pulling away, eliminating the possibility of accidentally driving with the handbrake on.

All XK´s are fitted with Jaguar´s highly sophisticated Adaptive Restraint Technology System (ARTS) for maximum occupant protection. The system assesses the severity of a frontal impact as well as the number, weight and position of the occupants in order to determine the optimum deployment of the front airbags. The XK Convertible´s Roll-over Protection System activates in 65 milliseconds. Two massively strong hoops, discreetly stowed beneath the tonneau cover, deploy and lock behind the rear seats when an impending roll-over is detected by the on-board sensors. This creates a survival zone between the windscreen surround and the rear of the cabin.

The Intelligent Lighting System, on the other hand, features automatically operated, self-levelling Bi Xenon Headlights as standard. At parking speeds, Corner Lamps housed within the main headlight unit are activated by the direction indicators to give improved illumination. Optional Active Front Lighting is also available to provide enhanced visibility during higher speed cornering. Sensors react to the vehicles speed and the angle at which the steering wheel is turned, swivelling the dipped beam lens to increase illumination around corners.

Bugatti Veyron 16.4 joined the league of supercars with a series of superlative modifiers such as the ´fastest, most powerful and most expensive´ street-legal production cars in the world. The ever powerful Veyron engine is capable of yielding 1020 to 1040 metric HP, and so the Veyron 16.4 supercar is now better known as the ´1001 horsepower´ car.

The name ´Veyron´ is attributed to the French racing driver Pierre Veyron who won the title ´24 hours of Le Mans´ in 1939 for Bugatti. Bugatti, with its long years of experience in making the traditional racing cars since the early ´90s, tries the track in the modern era with a well-advanced version of their technology applied in the Veyron 16.4.

Bugatti Veyron is an exclusive sports car for the 21st century. It exemplifies the perfect blending of design with technological concept.

Offering a high performance with serious measures to ensure safety was the major concern at Bugatti while yielding a maximum performance speed of 252.3 mph (406 km/h) to this leader of the modern era racing cars. Thanks to the single-piece carbon-fiber monocoque technology that absolutely suited the Bugatti Veyron supercar and scored the maximum points at various crash tests. Adding to this perfect body structure are other safety measures such as the airbags and the PAX system applied on the wheels and tires.

A car’s brake system is one of the most important parts when it comes to road safety. The Bugatti Veyron’s brake system consists of a cross-drilled and turbine-vented carbon rotors. Each caliper is provided with eight titanium pistons. The braking system of Veyron supercar is so effective that it can produce a deceleration of 1.3g on road tires.

Another innovative safety measure applied is the rear spoiler of this sports car that performs double action – it provides the necessary downforce at high-speed driving, and it acts as a ´parachute brake´ during sudden braking. It helps to add additional air resistance to the brakes and thus reduces the braking distance of this supercar to great extent.

The wheels and tires are also modified to facilitate an improved performance of the new supercar. The all-wheel-drive helps to transfer the power efficiently to the road while speed driving. The Michelin run-flat tires used in the Veyron meet all the safety standards and suit the adventurous driving situations and racing conditions.

The same companies that are developing brake-by-wire systems have also developed electronic parking brake systems to replace cable-operated disc or drum brakes. Instead of pushing a pedal or yanking on a handle to set the parking brake (which few people seem to use anyway), the parking brake can be set by pressing a button. Or, it can be set automatically when the transmission is placed into park.

The advantages of this approach are:

a.) It can be used to automatically apply the brakes if the primary brake system fails (redundancy backup).

b.) It can be used with a “hill start assist” system to prevent a vehicle equipped with a manual transmission and clutch from rolling backwards if the vehicle is stopped or starting out on a hill or incline.

c.) It can be combined with an anti-theft system to immobilize the vehicle when it is parked.

d.) It eliminates the need for cables and mechanical linkages under the vehicle for cleaner aerodynamics, reduced ground clearance and easier service accessibility.

The Electronic Wedge Brake will be ready to go into series production in 2010. Automobile manufacturers will then be able to make the choice for new vehicle models to switch from hydraulic braking to brake-by-wire technology.

The brake of a car converts kinetic energy of the vehicle’s own momentum into frictional heat. To do this, brakes of varying size and with a wide range of different brake pads are used.

The Electronic Wedge Brake (EWB) entirely removes hydraulics from the braking equation. The EWB system electronically transmits signals throughout the car – hence the term “brake-by-wire”. This is similar to the technology used on modern aircraft, where the commands are electronically transmitted from the cockpit to the wings (“fly-by-wire”) to activate for example the landing airbrakes. The EWB exploits the self-energizing effect of a brake wedge to generate the needed stopping force from the kinetic energy of the vehicle’s motion. In this way, the braking force builds up quickly with very little energy expenditure. The driver’s brake signal is electronically transmitted to the brake module. The intelligent control electronics in the brake actuators ensure the wheels do not lock, even in full braking. This is achieved using a highly sensitive brake regulation system that monitors the position of the brake pad 1000 times per second. This allows the best possible brake engagement to be achieved at any given time. Tests by the German technical inspection authority DEKRA document at an average a 15 percent shorter overall stopping distance on ice for the prototype-stage EWB compared to modern hydraulic brakes.

1. Brake caliper: this spans the brake disk on either side.
2. Brake disk: this absorbs the kinetic energy and becomes hot as a result of the conversion of the vehicle’s kinetic energy into friction.
3. Brake pads: the brake disk is clamped on the one side by a stationary brake pad and on the other by a moving brake pad.
4. Electric Motor: this controls the position of the moving brake pad.
5. Wedge bearing mechanism: the self-energizing effect of the wedge brake is achieved by means of a special geometric shape. The wedge bearing mechanism provides the connection between the brake caliper and the moving brake pad.

The wedge bearing mechanism is the heart of the EWB. An electric motor controls a brake pad moving over a roller bearing. The roller bearing is like a miniature switchback with valleys and peaks. The “valleys” are the position where the metal rollers are at rest. When a brake signal is received, the electric motor moves the brake pad on the roller bearing in the vehicle’s respective direction of travel. The rollers climb toward the “peaks” in the roller bearing. As soon as the brake pad touches the brake disk, it is dragged along by the circumferential force. The friction between the brake disk and the brake pads converts the kinetic energy into heat and the car is braked. The electric motor holds the brake pad on the roller bearing in exactly the position necessary to build up the required braking force. The small, high-precision electric motor needs only a minimal amount of energy to reliably brake even heavy vehicles to a standstill from top speeds. The special design of the wedge bearing mechanism also enables braking force to be effectively generated at low speeds.

The power-assisted braking system provided in the Chrysler Crossfire is befitting to the performance level of the Chrysler. Undoubtedly, brakes and brake assistant system are important factors of a racing car like Crossfire. The brakes and brake assist system in the Chrysler Crossfire are appropriate for a racing car and for others in the motor industry.

Following are some of the salient features of brake assist system used in the Chrysler Crossfire. The brake system of the crossfire has large diameter ventilated front discs and solid rear discs. The system is backed up by the highly sophisticated electronic wizards of Brake Assist System and ANS anti-lock.

The front brakes of crossfire have ventilated discs of 300 X 28 mm measure with single piston floating calipers. The rear brake discs of crossfire measures 278 X 9mm. These rear discs have opposed-piston calipers. When any set of front pads becomes worn the wear sensors fitted in the system illuminate dashboard warning light. The power assistance is provided through tandem master cylinder and single=diaphragm vacuum booster.

The Chrysler Crossfire has state of the art ABS consisting of four-channel, four wheel anti-lock of standard quality. This brake system is considered most suiting for the crossfire.

When a driver applies heavy brakes, specifically on slippery surface, the system gets activated and applies and releases the brakes at high rate. The optimum brake applies and release rate is 30 times per second. Despite the higher rate of brake applying and release the system prevents wheel lock up and helps the driver in retaining steering control.

The Brake Assist System fitted in the Chrysler Crossfire anticipates the emergency application of brake by the driver and immediately releases optimum available power boost to help the driver gain control over the car without loosing steering control. The driver may have usual human tendency of not braking hard or not breaking soon enough. The Brake Assist System overcomes these problems.

Like other features of the Chrysler Crossfire, its brakes and brake assist system is reliable. The system is of high standard quality technology and produces excellent performance even in adverse conditions.

When, in an emergency, you apply the brake pedal quickly and with force but without really further increasing brake pressure, Dynamic Brake Control (DBC) instantly builds up maximum brake pressure, bringing your BMW more quickly to a halt.

Even when the driver fails to press on the brake pedal with adequate force, DBC ensures the braking distance will be a short as possible. The DBC control unit adjusts braking pressure to suit the current speed of the vehicle and the brake’s level of wear. Furthermore, the DBC computer is networked with the vehicle’s other chassis control systems, such as Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) and the anti-lock brake system (ABS), which work together to ensure the highest levels of driving safety.
Dynamic Brake Control (DBC) supports the driver actively and reliably when braking in an emergency. By electronically monitoring the speed and pressure with which the driver applies the brake pedal, it is able to recognise an emergency braking situation - and instantly ensures that full braking power is applied to the wheels. This automatically puts the brake force into the ABS range of control.
This process ensures that the stopping distance is not lengthened unnecessarily by abrupt braking. Whether the driver applies the brakes quickly or slowly, the system responds to the driver’s actions automatically and ends brake pressure buildup via DBC.

Make use of every Watt: by charging the battery only when your BMW is braking, coasting or decelerating, Brake Energy Regeneration improves fuel efficiency by up to three percent and ensures that the full power of your engine is available for acceleration.

Today’s vehicles require much more electrical energy than older models, due to the much wider array of electric and electronic on-board comfort and safety systems. This energy is created by the generator (also known as the alternator) which converts the engine’s power output into electricity. In conventional systems, the generator is permanently driven by a belt connected to the engine. BMW’s Brake Energy Regeneration operates differently: the generator is activated only when you take your foot from the accelerator or apply the brake. The kinetic energy that would otherwise go to waste is now used efficiently, converted into electricity by the generator and stored in the battery.

Producing electricity in this highly efficient way delivers an additional advantage: when you apply the accelerator, the generator is deactivated - so the full power of the engine can be directed to the drive wheels. Brake Energy Efficiency thus increases fuel efficiency while simultaneously enhancing driving dynamics. As a safety precaution, the Brake Energy Regeneration system monitors the level of battery charge and will, if necessary, continue to charge the battery even during acceleration to prevent a complete discharging of the battery.

As early as 1914 an interlock device was created to prevent a vehicle from shifting into motion on its own. There have been several different types of interlock variations that many car companies have developed, including a brake transmission interlock, a brake shift interlock, and a starter ignition interlock.

A brake transmission interlock works by applying the brakes automatically if no one is in the driver’s seat. If the safety restraints are not being used the brakes are also automatically applied. A brake shift interlock does not allow the gear shift to move unless the brake is applied. The starter ignition interlock it requires a key and the brake to be applied for a manual vehicle to start. Automatic vehicles must have the gear in ‘park’ or in ‘neutral’ in order for the ignition to be started or for the key to be removed.