aluminum calipers vrs. iron calipers????, would aluminum calipers be better??? Options

[Mueller]

With everything being equal (piston size, pad size, rotor...etc....)


Would there be a performance difference between the two setups besides the obvious weight difference?


I'm thinking at normal temps, both would be equal.

I'm also guessing that once one gets more aggressive with the brakes, the aluminum calipers would be better and would be less susceptible to brake fade due to the better heat dissipation of the aluminum.

[Mueller]

Hi Ira,

I have all your parts...I'll ship them off tommorow via UPS slow boat, Adams parts shipped last week, he should have them by now.


No "S" caliper, I'm thinking of going opposite of most peoples thinking and instead of going to 4 pot calipers up front with a big vented rotor, I'd be using an ultra-lightweight 2 pot aluminum caliper, aluminum hat and solid rotor (with cooling air ducting) (I'm also working on a lightweight rear trailing arm for my 914, I'm not too sure if I'll go all aluminum or a combination of Chromoly and aluminum)

Car will be auto-x mostly with just a few time trials and fun runs.

I helped put 300 miles on a Bp 914 up at Thunderhill in one day and between both of us drivers, we never had brake issues on a car running stock solid rotors. My setup would be lighter...I see no reason why it shouldn't work as good or even better than a stock system which does work if properly maintained.

Speaking of the use of aluminum calipers to help dissipate the heat from the pads, I've wondered if the use of Ti or SS "insulators" between the pads and the pistons are a bad thing since it could cause the pads to overheat???