[Tommy]

Flygirl,

I'd like to expand a little on the comments about the importance of brake feel (modulation) near lockup. An airplane I used to fly had a high landing speed (i.e., 130+ knots) and brakes without antilock. I used to teach my students that the technique for optimum wheel braking was to apply enough brake pressure to approach an insipient skid. In actual practice, it was virtually impossible to feel that. Similarly, it is very difficult for most people to feel when the tires of a car are just short of skidding. That is one reason antilock brakes stop shorter than most, but not all drivers using conventional brakes. I mention this because few drivers of street cars do optimum braking often enough to effectively make use of pedal feel to minimize their stopping distances.

But, if pedal feel during hard stops (or normal stops) is important to you, then the key is not the cost, size or weight of the brakes being used. The key to consistent, reliable brake feel is what is called compliance. It is an indication of how much the parts of the braking system flex or give during brake application. For example, a system with flimsy aluminum calipers and old rubber brake lines might have worse compliance than one with husky cast iron calipers and steel-braided brake lines. ... I am not familiar with the brake components you are comparing so I cannot offer an opinion as to whether one system is more compliant than the other. Perhaps a good approach in this case would be to ask people who have driven cars with both and see how they feel about their brakes.