What if?

[Eric]

so, what you are saying is: if i can lock the front wheels with the std. brakes they will do just fine?

[Sx-Machine]

fact is... can you lock the brakes @ 150km/h
How much force do you have to apply...
With bigger brakes, less force is needed..
Wich means more sensitive feeling.
@ my KP i feel like bending the brakepedal to stop.
Sure it stop's, sure it lock's but i find it way to heavy to do.

[The Doctor]

no: i'm saying: if you can lock the front wheels with the std. brakes, there's no point in upgrading them.

And by locking the wheels, i don't mean in the last 5 metres before you stand still, but at reasonable speed.

Because if you can lock the wheels, your brake power is more then the grip your tires are giving you, so bigger/better brakes are only locking earlier.

[Sx-Machine]

You don't get it... bigger brakes give a much better feeling...
A friend of mine could lock his stock brakes easy.
Now he had brembo 4 pots 332mm
The lock isn't there sooner..
But your head IS on the dash...

[jondee86]

Ya canna break the Laws of Physics laddie !!!!

Braking performance is to do with coefficients of friction, mass, inertia
and momentum. If the car is the same car, and the tires are the same
tires, all bigger brakes give you are a means to reach the point of
maximum braking (just before lockup) with less pedal effort.

There are some side benefits though... resistance to fade (better heat
dissipation), reduced fatigue on the driver, and stuff that looks cool
behind your wheels What you lose is the ease of modulating your
braking effort by increasing or decreasing pressure on the pedal. This
point is illustrated by the comment above. If your head is on the dash
at every set of traffic lights, then your brake setup is too fierce for
normal round town driving.

As with most things automotive, there is a trade off between what
works great on the track, and what works great on the road. Oh, and
one point often overlooked, is that brakes work better with a bit of
temperature in them. A brake setup that feels fairly ordinary when
used cold around town, can actually work damn well on a race track
when they get up to optimum working temperature.

Cheers... jondee86

[Eric]

So best things to do is rebuild my own brakes and see if it works?...

[Sx-Machine]

No
Those are crap.

[jondee86]

If you don't already have them, get some fresh vented discs (slotted
if you must ) and a set of performance brake pads from a brake
specialist. These pads will have a lot more "bite" than OEM pads, and
will withstand higher temperatures. Clean and overhaul your calipers
and check that your hoses are in good condition. If they have never
been replaced... now is a good time !! Fill the system with new quality
brake fluid, and bleed until you have a nice firm pedal.

Bed the pads in according to the suppliers recommendations, then go
and put them to the test on the race track :mrgreen:

BTW, as most of your braking is done by the front wheels, vented discs
on the front and solid discs on the back is OK. Either new discs from a
"name" supplier, or freshly machined OEM discs. Toyota rubber hoses
are fine... braided hoses are not necessary unless you like shiney
things

Cheers... jondee86

[Sx-Machine]

Braided feels more firm.
OEM feels spungy

[Chrisso]

Sx-Machine Wrote:Braided feels more firm.
OEM feels spungy

That's all in your head. The braiding doesn't provide for firmer tubing, that is less sideways expansion under pressure. However, it does help with abrasion,.... and it looks shiny!