Posted: 5/2/2025 10:33:08 PM EDT
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Serious question I can't wrap my mind around. No treadmills. thinking about larger brakes on performance vehicles. Is there a point of diminishing returns on how large or powerful front brakes can be on a vehicle? Doesn't the available traction of the tires on the road become a limiting factor? Would a vehicle with the exact same brakes and 10" wide tires be able to stop in shorter distance than the same vehicle with a 4" wide skinny front tire? What is scientific relationship involved in the relationship of brake clamping force and traction? For sale of discussion let's leave brake fade and other variables besides tire size out of the equation |
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It's both. Go up in brake size, you go up in braking force. Go up a tire size you can increase tractive force. In a nutshell, a lot of other factors at play though . Look at racing vehicles of all types. Usually larger tires and brakes. Balancing act to achieve performance. |
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Originally Posted By 03PSD: Serious question I can't wrap my mind around. No treadmills. thinking about larger brakes on performance vehicles. Is there a point of diminishing returns on how large or powerful front brakes can be on a vehicle? Doesn't the available traction of the tires on the road become a limiting factor? Would a vehicle with the exact same brakes and 10" wide tires be able to stop in shorter distance than the same vehicle with a 4" wide skinny front tire? What is scientific relationship involved in the relationship of brake clamping force and traction? For sale of discussion let's leave brake fade and other variables besides tire size out of the equation In a nutshell; yes, braking force is ultimately limited by traction. You CAN overbrake a car for the tire size (i.e. put a big brake kit with really aggressive pads, that will easily lockup the wheels with just medium pressure on the brake pedal). Since sliding/dynamic friction is lower than static friction, when tires lockup and slide, your maximum deceleration is compromised. It’s also why track pads should be selected carefully. Super aggressive pads, aren’t always the best. Most drivers find a smooth engaging/disengaging progressive pad with good bite, to be ideal, as you can modulate your braking more easily vs super aggressive pads where a little too much pressure on the pedal, locks up the wheels. |
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If you can lock up the tires with stock brakes, larger brakes won't improve stopping distances. However, if you race/track events then larger brakes are better at dissipating heat, so less likely to fade when pushed, and they look cool. If you want to improve pedal feel, stainless steel lines will have more effect. |
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Bigger brakes can dissipate more heat and they are more rigid which usually means they can be modulated more accurately. For a street cars neither of those matter and, more importantly, larger brakes are expensive and add mass in the worst possible location (rotating and unsprung). |
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I dont think you can leave brake fade and other factors out of the discussion. In your case of performance cars, braking into turn 2 makes it very relevant. Also, skinny tire vs. wide tire affects the size of the contact patch which affects psi of rubber pressure affecting friction on road. Wet, dry, siping, temperature etc. will come into play. You want to push whatever niche performance envelope you havent told us about without having any real expertise to call on. It sounds like you should upgrade your brakes but dont overdo it and base your choices on finding people who are doing what you want to do successfully and copying them. Theory wont cut it. |