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Old 01-30-2006, 04:37 PM
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Default Re: The Final Word on front disc brakes

Dave,

Tires are a little different than brakes. The reason is that tire contact isn't strictly limited to friction alone. There is the "stickiness" of the rubber, and also the fact that the rubber is soft and conforms to the rough road surface. Friction does not account for this kind of behavior. Consequently, larger tires have some non-friction advantages. (They also have better heat handling characteristics). Don't forget that one of the major advantages of drag tires is not just the size, but also the wrinklewall design.


Back to brakes: Personally, I would not use the BAER kits. This is because in my opinion they are dreadfully expensive. I admit that I have not used them personally, but I simply cannot see that their braking performance would be THAT good.

A few things to consider, assuming that your brake system is properly bled, etc.

1. Generally, softer pads (organics) give better braking than some of the long-wearing pad designs. I would consider using a soft pad, or a pad specifically designed for performance braking. You probably won't find the latter at a typical auto parts store. Try Summit.

2. Make sure you have a check valve in the vacuum hose that goes to your power booster.

3. If you are going to consider upgrade parts:

I would first try using the US Brake or Wilwood OEM style but oversize calipers. They are quite inexpensive, and will yield a solid 20% in clamping force. That's probably your best bang for the buck.

If that's not good enough, then I would consider the Wilwood kit if you want an "easy to do" swap. Everything is in the kit, and it should be far less expensive than the Baer kit. If you'd rather take a more hands-on approach, then I'd go with the 12" swap using GM parts, while utlizing the oversize OEM style calipers mentioned above.

4. Don't forget about your rear brakes. You can always swap in larger pistons back there as well.
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