General question: Why are bigger brakes better?

frost · 10-25-2010, 11:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RCZ

Actually... he is more right than you guys are. Braking is 100% limited by the grip of your tires.

That's kind of an obvious statement, it's like saying braking is 100% affected by the speed you are going. But we wouldn't attribute good braking to slow speed, nor should we attribute good braking to contact between the tire and the road. If we hydroplane and can't stop, we don't blame the brakes themselves, right?

TreeSemdyZee · 10-25-2010, 11:47 PM

I'm convinced. I'm gonna put Shimano brakes on my Z.

cossie1600 · 10-26-2010, 07:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frost

That's kind of an obvious statement, it's like saying braking is 100% affected by the speed you are going. But we wouldn't attribute good braking to slow speed, nor should we attribute good braking to contact between the tire and the road. If we hydroplane and can't stop, we don't blame the brakes themselves, right?

Nope, brakes too big are going to lock the tires.

ChrisSlicks · 10-26-2010, 08:00 AM

RCZ is right on. Braking is tire limited, the base brakes of any car are capable of locking the tire and hence have a sufficient coefficient of friction. Better brakes (not necessarily bigger) may improve pedal feel, modulation, but most importantly consistency.

370Zsteve · 10-27-2010, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChrisSlicks

RCZ is right on. Braking is tire limited, the base brakes of any car are capable of locking the tire and hence have a sufficient coefficient of friction. Better brakes (not necessarily bigger) may improve pedal feel, modulation, but most importantly consistency.

"Braking is tire limited" is a very misleading statement.

ChrisSlicks · 10-27-2010, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 370Zsteve

"Braking is tire limited" is a very misleading statement.

Not really. Chris - AP covered it pretty well. Braking is initially tire limited, as any modern car can exceed tire to road friction with rotor to pad friction. Tire is the weakest link. Once you take repeated stops into consideration then many other factors come into play, and that is where the quality after-market brakes show their strength in resisting fade, consistent pedal feel, and durability.

10-26-2010, 08:00 AM	#4 (permalink)
ChrisSlicks A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: North East Posts: 6,203 Drives: 09 370Z Sport M6 Rep Power: 655	RCZ is right on. Braking is tire limited, the base brakes of any car are capable of locking the tire and hence have a sufficient coefficient of friction. Better brakes (not necessarily bigger) may improve pedal feel, modulation, but most importantly consistency. __________________ Hotchkis ARB \| Stillen CAI \| Art Pipes \| Berk CBE \| Stillen AP Racing Brakes \| AE Performance Oil Cooler \| BC Racing ER Coilovers \| Doran Control Arms

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10-25-2010, 11:47 PM	#2 (permalink)
TreeSemdyZee Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Kentuck-IANA Age: 62 Posts: 4,887 Drives: '09 370 & ‘14 Juke Rep Power: 27410	I'm convinced. I'm gonna put Shimano brakes on my Z.