Brembo founders Emilio Bombassi and Italo Breda, having engaged in car repair and maintenance in 1961, quickly appreciated the potential for the production of brake systems, which then had to be imported to Italy from the UK. It was possible to switch to the production of brake discs in 1964 and immediately came to an agreement with Alfa Romeo. And since 1972, their brakes have been used on Moto Guzzi motorcycles. But the real breakthrough was the collaboration with Ferrari. Enzo Ferrari entrusted his compatriots with the development of brakes for his sports car and Brembo broke into the world of motorsport, remaining in it to this day. In addition to motorsport, Brembo maintains its credibility through cooperation with car manufacturers - especially in the field of supercars and sports cars. Although, in addition to Ferrari, Porsche, Corvette and Mercedes, Italians supply their products to the assembly line of Ford, GM and Fiat. By the way, automakers are certifying Brembo factories for compliance with their requirements. And then the same factories produce spare parts for the secondary market.
In the 21st century, Brembo has seriously expanded its capabilities, the number of production sites and brands. It is interesting that the manufacturer, in addition to the brake production plants, also owns foundries, so he himself supplies the metal to his production. Maybe this is one of the secrets behind the incredible quality of Brembo braking systems. Through acquisitions and acquisitions, as well as the construction of new factories in emerging markets, Brembo now owns a large number of brands. In addition to their own Brembo and Brembo Racing, these are AP and AP Racing - standard, as well as racing motorcycle and car brakes and clutches. Tuning parts are produced under the Breco brand. The ByBre brand (short for By Brembo) was created for the production of braking systems for motor vehicles in the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China) and Southwest Asia. Marchesini are alloy wheels for ordinary and sports cars. And under the Sabelt brand, passive safety accessories are produced: seat belts, car seats and child car seats.
Brembo brake pads are available in two basic series and one sports series. All pads are homologated in accordance with the ECE R90 standard. Certified pads receive additional markings (E1, E2, E4 ...) - the number means which country has issued the certificate. By the way, on all packages there is a QR code by which you can get detailed information about the characteristics and installation instructions. The Brembo Original series are the standard pads from the Italian manufacturer. The assortment is represented by 1400 items, which cover 98% of the cars used in Europe. In the production of pads, more than 100 different friction mixtures are used, depending on the type of vehicle, the requirements of car manufacturers and the expectations of car owners. The company implements the principles of "OE quality" at all stages of the creation of pads. For example, the principle of direct hot forming under pressure is used, which is applied to all pads that go to the conveyor. This makes it possible to connect the friction material with a metal base as accurately as possible, which absorbs noise and vibration. By the way, there is a rubber gasket in the metal base, which further reduces the negative factors of the brake system. The second series, the Brembo Xtra, is a novelty presented by the Italians in 2018.
It includes about 100 articles for sports and performance cars. The company markets these parts as optimal pads for the improved Brembo Max and Brembo Xtra disc series and for drivers who like fast and aggressive driving. For their creation, a special friction material BRM X L01 was developed from more than 30 components. It allows you to simultaneously maintain the high performance required for high-powered vehicles and provide driving comfort. The pads give excellent pedal feel, guarantee a stable coefficient of friction and less wear, leaving the discs cleaner. The Brembo Sport line of sports pads is designed with a frictional mixture to work best in temperatures ranging from 200 to 300 ° C and withstand temperatures up to 600 ° C. That is, to provide all the necessary characteristics for sports car drivers and fans of aggressive driving.
The entire range of discs is certified in accordance with the new R90-02 version of the UNECE R 90 rules. Brembo discs use various innovative solutions to increase their efficiency. Therefore, for one car, several disc options may be available, with one or another solution. The first technology is UV dyeing of the disc surface. This solution provides a high level of corrosion protection, an attractive appearance, eliminates the release of volatile organic compounds, and increases resistance to chemicals. The second technology is Brembo's patented PVT disc ventilation system. Usually the ventilation ducts in the discs are in the form of blades, but the Italians came up with the idea of making them in the form of columns. This improved disc cooling and increased thermal crack resistance by 40%! This effect was achieved due to more turbulence and less space for fracture propagation. Not so long ago, Brembo engineers improved this technology to the PVT Plus version - now the shape of the posts has also become cruciform. The third technology is two-piece wheels, available in only 26 articles, for premium cars from Audi, Mercedes and BMW. These discs have an aluminum or steel hub that works in conjunction with a cast iron braking surface. The fourth technology - high-carbon disks, in the catalogs are marked НС. Cast iron with a high carbon content can reduce noise and vibration more efficiently and make your ride more comfortable. This technology was previously used by Brembo only for discs that go to the conveyor belt of automakers. The fifth technology was created for cars that have hub bearings integrated into the brake disc. Brembo offers pre-assembled sets of these discs, made to exacting manufacturer tolerances. If we talk about the assortment lines of brake discs, there are four of them: Brembo Original, Brembo Xtra, Brembo Max, Brembo Sport. The basic Brembo Original series are non-slotted and non-perforated discs, but they can incorporate the technologies described above. Brembo Xtra are perforated discs with holes in the surface. This guarantees excellent braking performance even in high humidity or high temperatures. The holes also allow deposits to be removed and the disc cleaned. All Xtra discs are painted. Brembo Max are grooved discs that allow the surface to be "refreshed" and reduce the risk of "glazing". One of the grooves also acts as a wear indicator. All Max discs are also UV dyed. Brembo Sport - rims for fans of aggressive driving and sports cars. Designed taking into account a specific car, therefore, they may have different designs. All Brembo Sport discs are electroplated in gold, making them easily recognizable and making your vehicle stand out on the road.