An example of some of the improvements in metal making/processing.

Via:
http://www.urbansurvival.com/week.htm
The briefing happened when I was talking to one of my consulting client's customers - CyroScience Technologies Wolf Creek Racing Division. Offering the details of what the company does was owner Todd Walrich, who explained that when metal (and other) car parts are chilled to 300 below zero in a controlled environment, some permanent changes to the molecular alignment of the materials takes place. The 'grain' of materials (and even metal has a grain to it) becomes aligned.but most of them have their brakes cryo-treated. "What happens is the rotors and pads usually last from twice to three times longer than untreated parts," he explained. "We do the brakes and pads for about $90 an axle." The brakes get silky smooth and more predictable, besides lasting the life of the vehicle - if you can even get 150,000 miles out of it. A testimonial on his site claims 3=times the brake life under harsh SCCA racing conditions.