brake pad contact area

[adam morley]

Lets say we have two calipers, both with the same size pistons, but one with a bigger pad.  What does that get me?  (specifically, im talking about 996 vs. 986, which are both 36/40 pistons, but the 996 has a bigger pad, or at least it costs more, hence im guessing its bigger)  I would guess some combination of:

1.  better heat dissipation
2.  better modulation
3.  less likely to warp rotor, as pad contact area is greater, while clamping force is the same
4.  longer life from less wear

those are just my first four guesses off the top of my head.  i don't really know what the answers are, hence my asking the question.  (note that this considers all other things being equal --- ie: same car, same rotor, etc.)

tia

--
adam