why bigger brakes are better if the limiting factor is the tyre’s friction coeficient with the road?

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If you press hard on the brakes of a car, the ABS system will take over and control the stopping and rotation of the tire to insure the shortest stopping distance possible. How can a bigger brake calliper or disk influence the braking distance if the stock one is very capable of stopping the wheel?

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5 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

bigger brakes are less likely to overheat. Because same amount of heat is distributed over more metal. Hot brakes are less effective at stopping, and can set the tire on fire.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Bigger brakes have more surface area to dissipate heat, so that you can do more braking before parts of the brakes heat up severely enough to cause “brake fade” – a reduction in braking ability.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Larger disks help to dissipate heat faster. Brakes overheating will fail or not work properly. In racing or track conditions, keeping brakes at proper temperature is important.

But you are correct in a sense. Larger disks and calipers tend to be more cosmetic than useful for a daily driver on the streets. The only legal driving situation where brake fade should come into play would be driving down very long curvy steep grades.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Larger diameter brakes, with a bigger contact area have better control before locking, and better heat dissipation. Both of these allow you to maximize the use of your traction better to stop more effectively.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Are better as they stay cooler. The colder it is the better it brakes. If a metal disc brake stays at low temperature, it means it will brake with the same force for the same pedal input. This allows you to have better control as you can predict the brake response. If you brake enough to trigger the abs, you don’t benefit from it, as you are not leading the vehicle, you are a passenger of your vehicle. For non professional drivers, it may give no benefit as the driver has no idea of what he is doing. For a better driver the better feeling of the brake is a big reward.

Rally drivers, which resembles as a sport what you would need to do on common roads, brakes are the primary mean to shift the car weight and balance your front and rear while making a turn. Now, unless you drive downhill on wet slippery roads for many minutes, trying to push your limit, a normal standard car with standard brakes will do its job regardless and stay cool enough regardless. If you actually push that limit, you would feel the difference between big brakes and small brakes. Again, it’s about control and feedback. It’s not about braking more. For braking more you are right, you need the brake power and tires to be of the same level. Improving only one won’t give results.

For carbon brakes, it doesn’t work like that. They get hot they brake better. So, brake quality is important there but with different technical solutions.