Disclaimer:
This post is assuming:
1. the same stock HP levels for the BRZ/FR-S
2. average DD that will never see the track/race or canyon runs. I AM NOT FACTORING BRAKE FADE OR HEAT ISSUES AS A NORMAL DD WILL NOT ENCOUNTER THESE SITUATIONS.
3. Daily DRIVING CONDITIONS!!!! (just wanted to reiterate)
ALSO PLEASE READ TO ENTIRETY BEFORE MAKING UNINTELLIGENT RESPONSES
The car has yet to come out and there have been numerous threads regarding TRD BBK, STI brembos, WRX 4 pot-2pot setup. The point that I am trying to make is that the car as it is now does not need more braking yet. Even if you upgraded the power by the modest 50 hp that people are searching for, you still would not need bigger brakes. Here’s why:
Many people assume that bigger brakes = better. This is not the case. Before I get flamed by the almighty internet gods, please hear me out.
Let’s take two exact similar cars and change only a one aspect about the cars: brakes.
CAR A: 173 whp, stock brakes
CAR B: 173 whp, STI Brembos, stainless steel brake lines, ATE super blue brake fluid.
Take a guess as to which car will stop quicker?
Answer:
BOTH CARS WILL TRAVEL THE SAME DISTANCE BEFORE COMING TO A COMPLETE STANDSTILL
Now some of you are probably saying: “Why is that? What stops cars? “, “What the hell are you smoking?”, etc.
My question to you would be “What is the ultimate force that determines what point the traveling vehicle will no longer be traveling?”
Answer:
Friction. Not the friction between the pads and the rotors, but the friction between the tires and the road. Tires are so crucial to almost all different aspects of a car from cornering to accelerating to stopping. A car can only stop as quickly as the tires will let it until the wheels are locked up by either OEM stock brakes or Brembos. If anything, it's possible the STI brembos or other BBK's would actually have a longer stopping distance due to brake bias and also the increased weight that comes with BBK's.
In another post someone said “I'm sure STI engineers would put stuff that "doesn't work" on their cars.....”. The reason why companies put Brembos or other big brakes is purely for
YOU, the customer. If manufacturer A puts them on their car and manufacturer B doesn’t, people would be like “What the hell? Why doesn’t my car have them? I’m gonna go with manufacturer A instead”, “Why does my $$$$$$ car not have big brakes but that $ car have them!!!”. At the end of the day, it’s marketing and perception.
To continue on, some may argue that they have sat in car X with a ton of money thrown into the brakes and that it's the best stopping car in the world. While upgraded brake calipers offer a better initial bite, they will not decrease the distance needed to stop the car. Stainless steel lines also offer better brake feel and more consistency, but once again they will not decrease the distance traveled.
Lasly, it is your money and you can do what you want with it. However, I am trying to educate the masses about the fundamentals behind brakes. Once again this is touching on relatively fundamental concept behind braking and stopping power (not touching topics such as heating issues, fade, etc). Even for the cars that will see autocrosses like mine will not encounter heating issues or fade at an event. If you truly want to stop quicker, invest in
TIRES TIRES TIRES!!! That is all.
Useful Articles:
http://www.modified.com/roadtests/07...t/viewall.html