ubercooper

2x calipers= 2x braking capacity?

That being said I am no expert on this, but logic would dictate that this would be extremely beneficial on any track car.

kurt M

The rotor still gets the same energy dumped into it. One larger one is the same as two smaller ones with less parts and hoses and the like. less issues with clearing tie rods and control arms and the like too.

Cooling is the key in all of the systems. I can lock up a 315 wide tire with an M caliper. How many times before the system soaks up more energy (heat) than it can shed is the question.

stownsen914

The early 956's had dual calipers, at least in the front. I think the later ones and the 962's had single, larger calipers per wheel. Maybe there wasn't a large enough caliper available when they introduced the 956?

Scott

Land Jet

Isn't it the tire that ultimately determines how fast the car stops, not the caliper? And isn't heat release the reason for using larger rotors?

A couple of years ago I saw an article on an experimental brake system that was basically a rotor with a 360 degree caliper. Have never seen it again so don't know if it's still being developed or if it proved to be a non-starter.

himself

IMO, it's the surface are of the pad contacting the rotor that is key. You can accomplish this by adding another caliper or 2, or just a bigger caliper/pad combo. Also, if you can get a bigger rotor, you will have a longer torque arm for more stopping power. But getting too much grip will just lock up the tires anyway.

This just looks like twice as much that could go wrong: double pistons, double lines, double pads, extra master cylinder (?) etc. Although it might be necessary for space, I would stray from this on my car.

-td

Lemming

I think that the real advantage of two calipers is that it allows you to run a smaller wheel (many formula cars were like this), while maximizing your contact area.

ubercooper

Im guessing it exploded into many pieces because it got so hot? If 315s will lock up with standard 4 piston brakes then you would need a bonkers wide tire to make that worthwhile.

18 wheelers and commercial trucks have backup master cyls in case the primary one fails,

So hypothetically, if you ran a crazy wide ~400mm tire with no clearance issues, and managed to keep the rotors from exploding, it would be brilliant?

kurt M

I would think the 360 deg caliper system had a hard time shedding heat with what was for the most part an enclosed rotor. Again I can lock up a 315 R comp tire with a 2 piston caliper with a little M size pad. I can load up and lock a 255 R comp in the front with an A size pad.

Larry the tire sets the cap for a single braking cycle. Start adding them up and you get into the issue of what to do with the leftover heat from each cycle. Make a system massive enough to soak and shed the heat from shear mass and surface area or a system that removes the heat between cycles. Most are somewhere in between.

Bill Verburg

Like this?


The answer is no.

The thing that most users wish to improve upon wrt Porsche brakes is
1) thermal performance
2) feel
a distant 3rd is brake torque

the guys w/ big $$ also want lighter weight

Yes, the ultimate limit on how fast the car can stop is always going to be the tires, which is why more brake torque is low on the list, adding another caliper increases the brake torque, worsens the feel and hinders thermal performance.

Thermal performance is enhanced by better cooling, better /fresher fluid, better thicker pads, bigger/thicker /heavier rotors

feel is enhanced by using a bigger m/c, better pads

brake torque is enhanced by using larger diameter rotors, using more caliper piston area, better pads

endurance is enhanced by using calipers that use pad w/ a larger area and thickness and compound

lighter weight comes from exotic materials, carbon, PCCB, beryllium, sintered alloys of various types from Al to Ti

here you see, better cooling bigger rotors, exotic materials all in one place

ubercooper

1. Owww my brain
2. what you speak makes sense, I was just curious if dual calipers had been done before/ if they were worthwhile... apparently the answer is yes and no

Thanks for the explanation Bill

on a side note: is it weird that I got a semi when I saw this?

kurt M

I got a chuckel but I am in the lighter is better and unsprung weight is 10X bad camp.