Quote:
Originally Posted by Busbd
Doing brakes on 5th gen and VW golf.
Really surprised to see the VW, which weighs 3000 pounds, has substantially larger and beefier brake pads compared to 4runner. As may be obvious, VW brakes are much stronger. Just sharing the observation.
Getting rotors off 4runner required many smacks with BFH.
VW is top pad in photo.
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Your understanding of braking "power" is flawed. Frictional force is not dependent on Surface Area, just the coefficient of friction and normal force. Assuming the same pad and rotor material and temperature (CoF), the normal force (Brake Fluid Pressure x Piston Area) generated by the caliper is what gives you more or less friction force.
That friction force is then rotationally acting as a torque on the wheel. Using the same assumptions above and adding the assumptions ofthe same distance from pad to wheel center and same wheel inertia then again the braking power is down to the caliper.
If we add time and therefore heat into the equation, then the size of the pad starts to matter.