HUFF's_Vivid_RX8

Speaking from whare I stand Bigger is better when it comes to brakes! No doubt about it. StopTech is a great company, so is Rotora. Adding these OEM size slotted will aid in mostely in harder driving/braking usage but don't hurt durring every day diving. Also, drilled or sloted rotors cannot be machined. Trust me I know. They look cool as hell too.

crossbow

Bigger isn't always better. If I'm not mistaken, some hardcore bmw owners (autox'in) actually swap to "smaller" diameter rotors. Thicker, but less diameter, is better then larger diameter, and thinner...but doesn't look anywhere near as cool.

There are two schools of people who want better brakes. One group wants to stop faster. The other group acts like they want to stop faster, but in reality just wants to look alot cooler and less "stock". Cause there is nothing worse then being stock right?

The easiest way to figure out what group your in is by wheel diameter. The guys actually trying to stop faster will run the smallest diameter wheel that fits over the calipers...and in some cases (like the bmw owners), will actually move down a rotor size, just to fit a smaller wheel on the car.

The opposite is true for the other group. Though most brake kits do add some level of functionality over a stock setup, in most cases they are primarily aesthetic modifications for those individuals running oversized wheels. There was a nice article on the 350Z last year and all its "big brake kits". The stock brakes + performance pads actually stopped better then the big kits in most tests.

HUFF's_Vivid_RX8

I'll say your right about the two different groups of people. I've heard that before about the smaller wheels, but more for acceleration than braking. who knows. I just know what works for me.

crossbow

Rotational mass an inertia effects handling, acceleration, and braking. Roads are not perfect. The larger and heavier the wheel, the harder it is for the wheel to maintain tire traction on an uneven surface, and braking suffers because of it.

Of course on a track or "flawless surface" it doesn't matter as much.

PUR NRG

What applies for one also applies for the other. Bigger wheels means more force is required to spin them up and more force is required to slow them down.
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Razz1

Funny thing all new RX8's have larger rotors up front starting in 05.

Asked the mechanics at the Competion tech meet last week and they said it resolves the issues they've had.

Ummm....... maybe that's why my front rotors warped.

HeelnToe

Never made sense to me. Better brakes will certainly let you stop more OFTEN, but I don't get how they affect braking distance?

Tires affect it, brake bias/balance affects it... but rotors? I figure as long as the stock brakes can lock up the tires at any speed... what's to improve?

crossbow

Heelntoe,

Thus the portion of my post detailing how those wanting to stop faster first concentrate on fitting the smallest diameter wheel they can. Unsprung weight and rotational inertia pay a big part in the ability of the tire to maintain traction on an uneven surface.

As far as rotors go, the more mass, the more heat can be absorbed and disappated. Generally a smaller diameter but "thicker" rotors is superior to a larger diameter same thickness design. Of course this doesn't look as cool, so you don't see manufacturers doing that too often.

Brakes transfer kinetic energy into heat/noise, and if the stock setup gets supersaturated, you'll lose the ability of the pad to maintain a level of friction with the rotor surface. Thus why pads come in different compounds. Consumer, street, autox/performance, and a variety of track level pads. Think of pad materials like tire compounds. Different compounds have different heat ranges of functionality. Snow, all-seasons, performance summer, R compounds, slicks, etc.

Basically going to a larger rotor allows you to run a pad material and maintain the optimal temp range for a longer period of time...generally you'd only start exceeding the stock range if you were doing continuous 120-40 type stops (track). But even then, just moving to track pads on stock rotors would be more then sufficent to outbrake most cars on the road/track.