What will decrease my braking distance?
Registered User
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 372
From: Encinitas CA
Car Info: Black 03 WRX
Ban SUV is right. Breaks work buy dissipating heat that is converted from kinetic energy, so getting bigger rotors and such will only dissipate heat more efficiently but it won't help stopping distances all that much. Wider and stickier tires are the key ingredient.
Registered User
iTrader: (12)
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 18,369
From: Reno, NV
Car Info: 1993/2000/2001 GF4 mostly red
Originally posted by KGB
Uh.... bigger rotors usually push your calipers further out, which increases brake torque - and how can that not be a factor in shorter braking distance?
Uh.... bigger rotors usually push your calipers further out, which increases brake torque - and how can that not be a factor in shorter braking distance?
Guest
Posts: n/a
Originally posted by KGB
Uh.... bigger rotors usually push your calipers further out, which increases brake torque - and how can that not be a factor in shorter braking distance?
Uh.... bigger rotors usually push your calipers further out, which increases brake torque - and how can that not be a factor in shorter braking distance?
The reason Stoptech does this is to improve front to rear bias and allow the rear tires to become a little more involved in the braking.
So the Stoptech kit doesnt increase brake torque output but as ban suvs said it dramatically increases heat capacity, improves bias, feel and modulation. All of which are improvements over the stock setup. If you dont need the additional heat capacity, you probably dont need a legitimate BBK and might consider a caliper upgrade in lieu of a BBK.
k.
Registered User
iTrader: (1)
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 251
From: SF Bay Area
Car Info: 2005 Subaru STI
Stoptech's kit moves brake bias rearward by using smaller front piston sizes. So, even though you've increased the effective torque arm on the front, you've reduced the clamping force. The result is slightly less front braking force, providing a better balanced system that decreases stopping distance as well as dramatically increasing the thermal capacity of the front brakes.
Throwing a big brake kit on your WRX with a bigger rotor and with equal or greater clamping force than stock will INCREASE stopping distance because the car will have too much front brake bias and the fronts will lock long before the rears.
The only way to minimize braking distance is to balance the brake bias to the point that all four tires lock simultaneously and to be able to modulate the brakes to a point consistently just before lockup. This applies to any tire compound.
Gary
Sheehan Motor Racing
www.teamSMR.com
Throwing a big brake kit on your WRX with a bigger rotor and with equal or greater clamping force than stock will INCREASE stopping distance because the car will have too much front brake bias and the fronts will lock long before the rears.
The only way to minimize braking distance is to balance the brake bias to the point that all four tires lock simultaneously and to be able to modulate the brakes to a point consistently just before lockup. This applies to any tire compound.
Gary
Sheehan Motor Racing
www.teamSMR.com
Hey Stoptech is developing their Kit for the rear and should help to balance out the distribution of braking force! 
It is due out in about 2 more months. Something to look forward to....
Brian
Flash N Dash Performance
It is due out in about 2 more months. Something to look forward to....Brian
Flash N Dash Performance
Registered User
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 857
From: -----------------
Car Info: .............................................................................
The 'H6' mod on the rears is more than adequate to increase rear brake bias, in my experience. And very cheap if you find the brackets and rotors in the boneyard.
IMO, you would be very hard pressed to find a cheaper, more effective, and easier to accomplish mod.
IMO, you would be very hard pressed to find a cheaper, more effective, and easier to accomplish mod.
Registered User
iTrader: (5)
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 1,661
From: location location
Car Info: 98 Impreza Outback Sport
While reading this thread, I thought of a question of my own: I've been in the market for a brake upgrade for a while now, and I now realize that your efforts can defeat your purpose of reducing your stopping distance. I have a 98 OBS (w/ rear drums 
) and I was wondering if I would be putting too much bias on the front if I were to upgrade to, say, slotted/dimpled rotors/stainless lines/performance pads? I know its already biased toward the front, so would I be better off trying to pull a drum-disc conversion (from a legacy or whatever I could find) on the rear before doing anything to the front?
The OBS isn't exactly "mod-friendly" The stock lift kit must be removed to put on springs (i sure would like to) and now this... Does anyone have a clue why Subaru decided to put rear drums on OBS's while other models get 4-disc?
Okay, my rant scattered with questions has come to an end... Thanks in advance for any answers or advice- AY
) and I was wondering if I would be putting too much bias on the front if I were to upgrade to, say, slotted/dimpled rotors/stainless lines/performance pads? I know its already biased toward the front, so would I be better off trying to pull a drum-disc conversion (from a legacy or whatever I could find) on the rear before doing anything to the front? The OBS isn't exactly "mod-friendly" The stock lift kit must be removed to put on springs (i sure would like to) and now this... Does anyone have a clue why Subaru decided to put rear drums on OBS's while other models get 4-disc?
Okay, my rant scattered with questions has come to an end... Thanks in advance for any answers or advice- AY
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
brian_christie
Suby Shopping & Maintenance/Warranty
3
Mar 25, 2004 02:45 PM
jimr
Engine/Power - EJ20T (pre-2006 WRX and JDM)
1
Dec 29, 2003 11:39 PM
