General question: Why are bigger brakes better?

AP - Chris_B · 10-27-2010, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by axeman71

Wow, big discussion for one evening. I don't understand the sarcasm in the first 3 or 4 posts, I was asking a serious question. Just saying "duh, bigger brakes are better" doesn't tell me why which is what I was asking. The misspelling was just me not paying attention (I am a bad speller though). I maybe didn't ask the question in a clear enough way.

Taking our Z's as an example: I expect the larger sport brakes to stop the car from 60mph to 0mph in a shorter distance than the standard brakes (btw, I have not yet read any reviews testing the standard brakes, they all test sport packages). I know from experience that the standard brakes produce enough friction on the rotor to completely stop the tire from rotating making the tire skid over the pavement (or, well the ABS come on but you know what I mean). So, why do the larger sport brakes stop the car in a shorter distance? Yes, the sport brakes have a larger surface area in contact with the rotor and produce more friction but there is already enough friction with the standard brakes to lock up the wheels. The only answer I can gather (both from this discussion and my own imagination) is the larger brakes allow greater control over the stopping force allowing the driver to push the brakes closer to the point of locking up the wheel without crossing over the point where the tire starts to skid.

I'll keep this as brief as I can (despite my reputation...). For a ONE TIME PANIC STOP, the tires are the limitation as long as there is enough braking torque to activate the ABS. Any model currently sold by Nissan (as well as most car manufacturers) makes that grade.

The big difference with a properly designed and built BBK is that you can do high-speed panic stops repeatedly without significant changes in stopping distance or pedal feel. While most people don't drive down the highway doing repeated 80-0mph braking, I've been though many a mountain pass when I didn't have enough brakes to keep them from fading. Some cars give you some warning before the pedal goes to the floor, but a few of them can give the driver quite an unwelcome surprise.

It's not the pad surface area that creates the extra friction. However, a larger pad will run at lower temperatures, which is very good for it and the rotor. Lower pad temperatures mean easier pad selection, better modulation (for many compounds), lower chance of boiling the brake fluid, more consistent and repeatable performance and increased pad and rotor life.

One of the added benefits of a BBK for regular street driving is the fantastic pedal feel. At least when you hit the off-ramp at speed to find that cars are back up around a blind curve, you know that you can bring the car down with confidence and control. Just keep an eye on those mirrors!

Chris

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