Club Cobra - Great deal on M3 big brake kit

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Great deal on M3 big brake kit

Here is a great deal if you are looking to improve your BDR brake power. This will not work if you have 15" tires.
http://www.turnermotorsport.com/html...=325toM3brakes

That's pretty sweet looking.

Here is a question that I have been meaning to ask.

Looking at the specs from the various Kit car mags that have tested the BDR, the average breaking distance from 60-0 is around 150 or so feet.

Since braking is, from what I understand (and I understand little), is mainly down to the inertia and the friction, so basically the weight of the car and the grippiness of the tires. Most if not all brakes can lock of the wheels, so braking at least once, not racing, is not very dependent on the "quality" of brakes. So a cheapo brake that can lock the tire up is as good as the Brembo F1 series. I find the hard to believe, but it does make some sense.

My question is, why is the braking distance so long. Weight on the Cobra is extremely low, and the tires are relatively wide and good. The Honda Civic 0-60 is around 130 feet, a M3 is around 110 feet and the Corvette ZR1 and Viper ACR is pushing sub 100 feet. A Honda Pilot is 150 ft.

What gives.

I am sure there is an easy answer, I am sure brake bias is part of it, but seems like if could shave off 50 or so feet, every car would be set up that way.

Quality brakes give you the ability to repeat similar brake distances over many tries. Additionally, quality brakes will give you, the driver, greater feedback/feel. Cheap brakes will not be consistent nor have a good feel.
The brake distance greatly depends on different Cobra kits, realize that the distances you mentioned were very good for ~1965. I can’t talk for other kits but the BDR brakes work very effectively.

I agree that 60-0 in 150 feet would have been absolutely phenomenal in 1965, but since the car is using the same suspension geometry, vastly improved tires, and leaps an bounds as far as brake pads ect, shouldn't be more similar to to the E36, but much better due to the 1000 lb of less weight.

I am missing something on why it is not better than the much heavier car that it came from. Again, it is not a BDR thing, but looking at the braking of most "modern" Cobra's that I have seen they have all been about the same.

I would think lack of ABS has a roll, but most race cars, well at least depending on the the division, do not have ABS and they do better than a Honda Pilot, granted they are on wider slicks.

Anyway just a thought.

I can certainly tell you from experience with some heavy racing that my car stops great with the standard BMW E36 brakes. I have the standard calipers, upgraded drilled and slotted rotors, and performance friction street/strip pads. My brakes will put my face through the windshield. It all relative to weight, repetitive use, heat, and pressure.

Great pads go a long way and can make a standard E36 brake package a serious braking machine on a 2500 lb car.

Good luck, James

By the way, there are some videos of me racing on my website that shows how good the brakes are working... No problem keeping up with the Porshe GT3s, ZO6s, and GTRs.

Bests, James