Originally Posted By: KrisZ
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Another example: My sister's 330i has the big brake kit on it, my wife's 328i didn't. Subsequently braking performance on my wife's car was not on-par with my sister's. And that's variance between the same car family and model series.
You bring up a very good point. In this day and age, where we have mandated traction control, brake force distribution, ABS etc. and even the econoboxes seem to come equipped with 17-18 inch wheels, I still can't believe how puny some of the braking systems are.
I'm not talking about a Brembo style system in every vehicle, but is it really so much more money to add two piston calipers or ventilated rear discs, or keep the larger brake options in all trim levels, not just the most expensive ones? It would improve the safety of a lot of vehicles.
For one emergency stop having a name on your calipers or painting them red doesn't make a significant difference. Now those cars with big fancy brakes might have a better electronic brake force redistribution system which would help a bit. Mostly though those cars come with some decent rubber which is the weakest link in any cars braking system.
If you want a real example, bring your car to an autocross and run it on your normal tires. Then go for a ride in a similar car with stock brakes, but with 200 or lower treadwear tires... You won't believe the difference in everything. The car will stand on its nose multiple times in a minute without a problem.
I got a set of BFG Comp2's for my Focus and its kind of like putting on a super hero costume, compared to my old terrible tires.
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Another example: My sister's 330i has the big brake kit on it, my wife's 328i didn't. Subsequently braking performance on my wife's car was not on-par with my sister's. And that's variance between the same car family and model series.
You bring up a very good point. In this day and age, where we have mandated traction control, brake force distribution, ABS etc. and even the econoboxes seem to come equipped with 17-18 inch wheels, I still can't believe how puny some of the braking systems are.
I'm not talking about a Brembo style system in every vehicle, but is it really so much more money to add two piston calipers or ventilated rear discs, or keep the larger brake options in all trim levels, not just the most expensive ones? It would improve the safety of a lot of vehicles.
For one emergency stop having a name on your calipers or painting them red doesn't make a significant difference. Now those cars with big fancy brakes might have a better electronic brake force redistribution system which would help a bit. Mostly though those cars come with some decent rubber which is the weakest link in any cars braking system.
If you want a real example, bring your car to an autocross and run it on your normal tires. Then go for a ride in a similar car with stock brakes, but with 200 or lower treadwear tires... You won't believe the difference in everything. The car will stand on its nose multiple times in a minute without a problem.
I got a set of BFG Comp2's for my Focus and its kind of like putting on a super hero costume, compared to my old terrible tires.