Quote:
Originally Posted by GuidoK
Piston area is only important if you have trouble achieving the point of lockup.
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Wrong. Next to actual thermal capacity, piston surface area is the next biggest area of improvement in a brake system. If your proposed piston surface area is BIGGER than OEM, you might as well not install the brakes. If it's significantly smaller, say, more than 10%, it will adversely affect the pedal modulation to a point where the car is un-drivable.
That sweet spot of the same overall size, while adding more pistons to spread out the forces AND increase frictional area, is where going to a bigger caliper with more piston count really matters. Here's where it gets tricky. A 5% larger piston area can make the pedal so soft it'll feel like there's an opening in the brake line. A15% decrease in piston surface area can make the pedal so stiff that 10% travel will make the pedal rock solid without even engaging ABS.
If you're going to "upgrade" to fixed calipers, do it smartly and do it right. The size of the master cylinder and the slave cylinder(s) are vital to the operation of the brake. Do not eff up that relationship unless you really know what you're doing.