[urq] Brake Overall

[Buchholz, Steven]

... bringing things back to the urq ... this same statement is true of
the G60 as compared to the G54 ... but noone seems to be dropping their
G60 "upgrades" for this reason ...

I don't know that I've seen a thorough comparison of all of the
components in unsprung weight ... caliper as well as rotor ... and the
wheels.  It would be interesting to see what could be done with UFOs and
the lighter 15" wheel/tire as compared to another vehicle with
comparable sized braking surface and the associated larger diameter
wheel and tire.  

As to why no more UFOs? ... Ingo mentioned what I've heard before ...
for a very long time 15" wheels were the largest available for passenger
cars ... today we now see 20" and beyond, but who would have guessed
that back in the late 1980's when the scheme was devised?  By the time
the customers were complaining of brake shudder 16" wheels were de
rigueur and so there really wasn't much motivation to try to understand
and solve the real issue ... 

Similar questions can be asked about the Procon-Ten system in the cars
of the same vintage.  There's technology that I wish had gone farther
... I know I would prefer a passive system to having an explosive bag in
my chest!  

Steve B
San Jose, CA (USA)
> 
> True, the UFO's have a larger swept area than the G60 
> alternative, however,
> they add significantly to unsprung weight, decreasing 
> handling performance.
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> 
> ... funny, the UFO bashing is starting on the V8 list now 
> too!  The UFO
> brakes are in fact superior to the conventional replacements 
> Audi provided
> to those complaining of problems.  In reality, the only true reason to
> replace UFO rotors is when they reach min thickness!  It is 
> actually easier
> to swap front brake pads on a UFO setup than it is on a G54 
> or G60 ...