Brembo Upgrade Questions
Moderator
Joined: 01-23-2009
Posts: 26,533
From: Fredericksburg,VA
Assume the MC delivers fluid at a pressure of 2 PSI to a cylinder with 2 square inches; then deliver the same 2 PSI to a cylinder with 4 square inches. Do they both have the same output?
If you have to worry about changing it, why change it?
If you have to worry about changing it, why change it?
Platinum Member
Joined: 12-06-2009
Posts: 11,721
From: Alabama
How bout this Don. Jack up your car with a floor jack and note how much handle pressure it takes to lift the car.
Now, with the same jack, do it again but this time with a board (twice as big as the jack pad) between the jack and the car. Bet it takes the same amount of pressure
Yes we can talk this one to death. Or maybe we have................
Now, with the same jack, do it again but this time with a board (twice as big as the jack pad) between the jack and the car. Bet it takes the same amount of pressure
Yes we can talk this one to death. Or maybe we have................
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: 04-07-2014
Posts: 505
From: San Diego
I was wrong about the calculations:
There is a big difference between floating calipers and fixed calipers.
The piston area of a floating caliper must be multiplied by 2. This is because the caliper area is between itself and a wall. Where as a fixed caliper like the brembo has the piston area pressing against other pistons. Equal forces cancel.
So that makes sense now that the piston area of the non brembo SS caliper was half of the area of the brembo. Because they are floating you multiply that by 2 and you get the exact same caliper area, but with bigger pads and rotors it’s still an upgrade, still assuming equal pressure from not changing the booster or MC to match the SS Brembo version.
Brake caliper:
SS non brembo uses a single piston that creates .56sq.in. of piston area x2 for floating caliper = 1.12sq.in.
LS/LT uses a single piston that creates .7sq.in. of piston area x2 for floating caliper = 1.4sq.in.
SS Brembo uses 4 pistons that create 1.12sq.in. of piston area.
If you add in the fact that it is a bigger rotor with bigger pads, the less area from the Brembo vs the LS/LT should be made up for.
This would also mean ABS is definitely not affected by piston area.
There is a big difference between floating calipers and fixed calipers.
The piston area of a floating caliper must be multiplied by 2. This is because the caliper area is between itself and a wall. Where as a fixed caliper like the brembo has the piston area pressing against other pistons. Equal forces cancel.
So that makes sense now that the piston area of the non brembo SS caliper was half of the area of the brembo. Because they are floating you multiply that by 2 and you get the exact same caliper area, but with bigger pads and rotors it’s still an upgrade, still assuming equal pressure from not changing the booster or MC to match the SS Brembo version.
Brake caliper:
SS non brembo uses a single piston that creates .56sq.in. of piston area x2 for floating caliper = 1.12sq.in.
LS/LT uses a single piston that creates .7sq.in. of piston area x2 for floating caliper = 1.4sq.in.
SS Brembo uses 4 pistons that create 1.12sq.in. of piston area.
If you add in the fact that it is a bigger rotor with bigger pads, the less area from the Brembo vs the LS/LT should be made up for.
This would also mean ABS is definitely not affected by piston area.
Last edited by gio89kid; Jun 23, 2019 at 10:38 PM.
