big brakes and other marketing hype...

["R. W. Zehr" <rzehr@pacbell.net>]

The only rational comment I've read in this brake thread...

>> ...your brakes are only as effective as the maximum co-efficient of >> friction your tires can maintain. If you can exceed the limits of >> your tires, bigger brakes will not stop you faster or in a shorter >> distance. Bigger brakes will, however dissipate larger thermal >> loads.

Let's modify someone's statement about locking up the tires to
read..."send the brakes into ABS at any speed", and that is indeed the
limit of the ability of the brakes to slow the car. 

There is something to be said for better "feel" in the brakes, as it can
aid control of brake modulation, just as using non-stretchy cables makes
bicycle brakes feel better, but they don't stop the bike (or the car)
any faster.

Beyond that, you are merely paying a lot of monety for the ability to
reduce heat-induced brake fade, as sometimes found in rally or track
racing (not autocross), or in extremely hazardous play in mountainous
terrain. 

I have personally never experienced brake fade in any of my four
Quattros during fifteen years, which recently included a busy day in my
CQ on the track at Sears Point. 

As to other marketing, use any of the search engines to lookup Slick-50
and FTC for the consent decree that prohibits the vendor from falsely
advertising that the stuff does anything useful - because it doesn't...

Regards,
Rick Zehr