What would be the point of bigger rotors...

[randay]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: randay
Um, your car will come with brakes strong enough to stop your car... otherwise why would it come with brakes at all?

Ever press down on the pedal and not be able to stop???

That's why you have bigger rotors.

um.. no, I have never experienced that on a car with working brakes that are in good condition. Would you care to share which car manufacturer sells cars that cannot come to a stop?

edit: specifically 4 wheel disc brakes.

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
Larger rotors allow for several things. Foremost is leverage. Because the pads are effectively further from the rotational center, they are able to apply greater leverage against the wheels when braking. Larger rotors also allow larger calipers to be used, which in turn have larger pads. The large pads distribute the braking force over a greater area and, when coupled with multi-piston calipers, allow better control over the pad surface which decreases the likelihood of lock. As has also been pointed out, larger rotors have more area from which to dissipate heat.

ZV

I think you should address the point that a lot of people are failing to see- that larger rotors will not make your car stop any faster when the stock brakes are able to push the tires beyond their adhesion limit.

Brake fade on a track is a given, larger brakes definitely help with that. But 60-0 braking in an emergency situation will not change.

 

[Thorny]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
Larger rotors allow for several things. Foremost is leverage. Because the pads are effectively further from the rotational center, they are able to apply greater leverage against the wheels when braking. Larger rotors also allow larger calipers to be used, which in turn have larger pads. The large pads distribute the braking force over a greater area and, when coupled with multi-piston calipers, allow better control over the pad surface which decreases the likelihood of lock. As has also been pointed out, larger rotors have more area from which to dissipate heat.

ZV

I think you should address the point that a lot of people are failing to see- that larger rotors will not make your car stop any faster when the stock brakes are able to push the tires beyond their adhesion limit.

Brake fade on a track is a given, larger brakes definitely help with that. But 60-0 braking in an emergency situation will not change.

Larger brakes give more control to the driver, which can make avoiding locking your brakes easier. This of course means squat if you have an inexperienced driver behind the wheel stomping as hard as they can. Keep in mind that you don't always know what your tires "adhesion limit" is, so the more control you have over your brakes, the better off you are. Bigger brakes = more control = less likelyhood of locking brakes = shorter stopping distance.

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: Thorny

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
Larger rotors allow for several things. Foremost is leverage. Because the pads are effectively further from the rotational center, they are able to apply greater leverage against the wheels when braking. Larger rotors also allow larger calipers to be used, which in turn have larger pads. The large pads distribute the braking force over a greater area and, when coupled with multi-piston calipers, allow better control over the pad surface which decreases the likelihood of lock. As has also been pointed out, larger rotors have more area from which to dissipate heat.

ZV

I think you should address the point that a lot of people are failing to see- that larger rotors will not make your car stop any faster when the stock brakes are able to push the tires beyond their adhesion limit.

Brake fade on a track is a given, larger brakes definitely help with that. But 60-0 braking in an emergency situation will not change.

Larger brakes give more control to the driver, which can make avoiding locking your brakes easier. This of course means squat if you have an inexperienced driver behind the wheel stomping as hard as they can. Keep in mind that you don't always know what your tires "adhesion limit" is, so the more control you have over your brakes, the better off you are. Bigger brakes = more control = less likelyhood of locking brakes = shorter stopping distance.

I'm not sure that I'm buying the claim that it always gives more control. Some people that I know who put big brakes on their Zs noticed that the brakes feel touchier now. Since they're touchier, they can be considered harder to control accurately.

 

[Pacfanweb]

Larger rotors go hand in hand with either larger tires, or some brake abuse..such as racing.

There's more surface (friction) area, therefore you have more stopping power. But on a stock car, they are worthless (as mentioned before) because the stock brakes will already easily lock up the tires, and you run the risk of making the brakes too sensitive.

However, take your 4x4 and put some big tires on it, and larger rotors will come in very handy.

 

[jdoggg12]

if you're unintentionally locking up the tires you need at least 1 of 3 things:

-better control of your brakes
-better suspension
-better tires (compound, ratio etc)

 

[JulesMaximus]

Better brake modulation and they won't overheat as quickly under repeated stops (less fade).

This is generally speaking of course and assuming the brake system was actually designed for the car in question. As a rule you don't want to increase unsprung weight (which larger brakes can do) but that doesn't mean you can't improve the brakes in many OEM applications with a well designed aftermarket brake system and keep unsprung weight about the same or even lower it...this will generally cost thousands of dollars though.

 

[zerocool84]

yea and make sure you get your street driven brakes cross-drilled too. it will make your 60-0 time cut in half

 

[Thorny]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: Thorny

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
Larger rotors allow for several things. Foremost is leverage. Because the pads are effectively further from the rotational center, they are able to apply greater leverage against the wheels when braking. Larger rotors also allow larger calipers to be used, which in turn have larger pads. The large pads distribute the braking force over a greater area and, when coupled with multi-piston calipers, allow better control over the pad surface which decreases the likelihood of lock. As has also been pointed out, larger rotors have more area from which to dissipate heat.

ZV

I think you should address the point that a lot of people are failing to see- that larger rotors will not make your car stop any faster when the stock brakes are able to push the tires beyond their adhesion limit.

Brake fade on a track is a given, larger brakes definitely help with that. But 60-0 braking in an emergency situation will not change.

Larger brakes give more control to the driver, which can make avoiding locking your brakes easier. This of course means squat if you have an inexperienced driver behind the wheel stomping as hard as they can. Keep in mind that you don't always know what your tires "adhesion limit" is, so the more control you have over your brakes, the better off you are. Bigger brakes = more control = less likelyhood of locking brakes = shorter stopping distance.

I'm not sure that I'm buying the claim that it always gives more control. Some people that I know who put big brakes on their Zs noticed that the brakes feel touchier now. Since they're touchier, they can be considered harder to control accurately.

Every car is different and the brakes much match the car, so it will not ALWAYS give more control. There are only a couple of reasons you would actually NEED to upgrade your brakes and you should never HAVE to on a stock vehicle. The only reason I have actually installed bigger brakes was because I was running oversized tires on my 4X4. My stock brakes would not suffice at all and would come no where close to locking the tires up. My Z28's brakes feel fine however, even with performance tires. I have no reason to believe I'll ever install bigger rotors (slotted perhaps, but not bigger) on it because the stock ones suffice.

 

[zerocool84]

just get quality pads and you will be fine on a street driven vehicle

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Better brake modulation and they won't overheat as quickly under repeated stops (less fade).

This is generally speaking of course and assuming the brake system was actually designed for the car in question. As a rule you don't want to increase unsprung weight (which larger brakes can do) but that doesn't mean you can't improve the brakes in many OEM applications with a well designed aftermarket brake system and keep unsprung weight about the same or even lower it...this will generally cost thousands of dollars though.

You like to drive...

I ask again...ever push the pedal to the floor and realize you have no brakes left? Very spooky.

This should answer the question of the point of bigger rotors. Control is increased and fade is decreased.

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Better brake modulation and they won't overheat as quickly under repeated stops (less fade).

This is generally speaking of course and assuming the brake system was actually designed for the car in question. As a rule you don't want to increase unsprung weight (which larger brakes can do) but that doesn't mean you can't improve the brakes in many OEM applications with a well designed aftermarket brake system and keep unsprung weight about the same or even lower it...this will generally cost thousands of dollars though.

You like to drive...

I ask again...ever push the pedal to the floor and realize you have no brakes left? Very spooky.

This should answer the question of the point of bigger rotors. Control is increased and fade is decreased.

If you're just driving on the street and your brakes have faded to the point that you have no brakes, you're doing something seriously wrong.

When is the last time you took your car to a roadcourse?

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Better brake modulation and they won't overheat as quickly under repeated stops (less fade).

This is generally speaking of course and assuming the brake system was actually designed for the car in question. As a rule you don't want to increase unsprung weight (which larger brakes can do) but that doesn't mean you can't improve the brakes in many OEM applications with a well designed aftermarket brake system and keep unsprung weight about the same or even lower it...this will generally cost thousands of dollars though.

You like to drive...

I ask again...ever push the pedal to the floor and realize you have no brakes left? Very spooky.

This should answer the question of the point of bigger rotors. Control is increased and fade is decreased.

Yes, I have...and it sucks ass when that happens. I've had it happen on a mid 80s Mustang and I've experienced it on my '03 Maxima. Both are cars with horribly inadequate brakes.

BTW-I pushed the hell out of that Lotus Elise I rented a few weeks ago and it never had even a hint of brake fade. Man, what a car.

 

[TitanDiddly]

I've heard that brick walls can really help with your stopping distance.

 

[Maiora]

I've heard that brick walls can really help with your stopping distance.

All your stopping distance is belong to pole.

 

[AStar617]

Originally posted by: slag

Originally posted by: Philippine Mango
If you add bigger rotors to your car, how would they improve braking performance if the ABS is kicking in? I mean if ABS is kicking in, wouldn't larger rotors have no benefit? How would having a larger rotor improve braking distance? I mean I have an idea and then I don't, I just dunno... Explain how do bigger rotors improve braking...

bigger rotors=more friction area for braking. Also bigger rotors dissapate heat better due to larger surface area.

did i spell dissapate right?

...Nah, but good hustle anyway :beer:

 

[Minjin]

Increasing friction area has nothing to do with braking power. All you are doing is distributing the exact same force across a larger area. Increase your leverage, and yes, braking power will increase.

 

[LS20]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ
If you're just driving on the street and your brakes have faded to the point that you have no brakes, you're doing something seriously wrong.

When is the last time you took your car to a roadcourse?

ever had to brake an suv/minivan/big truck quickly from freeway speed?

i welcome larger rotors for those applications

 

[amicold]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: Philippine Mango
If you add bigger rotors to your car, how would they improve braking performance if the ABS is kicking in? I mean if ABS is kicking in, wouldn't larger rotors have no benefit? How would having a larger rotor improve braking distance? I mean I have an idea and then I don't, I just dunno... Explain how do bigger rotors improve braking...

It's mainly for heat dissipation.

The larger surface area helps quite substantially as well. If ABS isn't on, you will notice a big improvement.

 

[giantpinkbunnyhead]

Originally posted by: Maiora

I've heard that brick walls can really help with your stopping distance.

All your stopping distance is belong to pole.

Holy crap! Truck = pwned... I need to put some of those poles up on my street!