BMW FRONT CALIPERS-you may be wrong Options

[Krieger]

I keep hearing this idea that BMW calipers add more heat vs stock caliper. I am not a physicist but any 2000 lb car going 60 mph with stock brakes is going to generate a certain amount of heat. Take the same exact car with smaller calipers (yes smaller) does it generate less heat? I don't think so. It is going to generate the same heat. The only thing that may change is the brake distance and time required to stop. Perhaps this extra couple of seconds it takes to stop allows more time to cool the brakes a tiny bit more, oh but your heating them longer. BMW calipers will add the same heat but faster. That is it. Other points are: the BMW rotors that these calipers were originally designed for are really close in diameter and thickness to our 914s. I'm sure someone will eventually post them. These BMW 320's were quite a bit heavier than our 914s as well. BMW used this combonation for 5 years it must have been a decent.

[jhadler]

Goign back to the pad question. The Porterfield's in my experience are excellent track pads. They stand up to heat VERY VERY well. With minimal fade. On the other hand, I don't think they're a very good autox pad, especially with a 914. The Porterfields are very grabby, even when cold, which is good for the track where your wheels are rotating at very high rpms, and have very high momentum. At an autox however, the wheels are rotating at much lower rpms, and hence less momentum. With the grabbiness of the Porterfield's, it makes brake lock-up much more likely, and they are harder to modulate at autox speeds. I've found, especially after going to lighter wheel and tire combinations, that a soft, simple pad is best for autox. Yes, you can still lock 'em up, but the difference between first bite and lock up is a lot larger with softer pads, and allows for much better modulation.

Just my $0.02...

-Josh2