If you increase the friction area, and the friction coefficient is the same,
or better, than the old pads, you actually *reduce* overall braking
effectiveness. How so? Retardation is governed by the friction between
tyre and road surface, which you are not changing. However if you increase
the friction 'tween pads and discs you will lock the front wheels with a
lower pedal pressure than before, which means the rear brakes aren't doing
as much work as before, hence lower overall braking effectiveness. If
increasing the effectiveness of the brakes up front you should do the same
at the rear, for example fitting GT wheel cylinders to a roadster.
Oh, and you 'break in' new brakes.
PaulH.
----- Original Message -----
> I recently received a Moss flyer advertising Greenstuff brake pads. It
> noted
> that the MGB-V8 pads could be used in an MGB for an "increase in swept
> area". This sounded good, until I thought about it for a bit, and realized
> I
> didn't actually know precisely what it meant....
|