8 inch brakes+more stopping power?or just cooler

phathucker

New Member
so i got 7 inch rotors for my xc bike. Im about 200 lbs and need all the stopping power i can get. My brakes work well. As im looking at the rotor, I thought 8 inch rotors dont give the pad anymore contact area right? so the only benifit is that it will cool the brake quicker because of the larger area.....correct?

Does the location of the caliper on an 8 inch rotor give it more leverage wich would give more stoping power?
 

Deezul

New Member
A brake with a larger radius allows you to apply more torque per unit of force applied by the brake.

34be615483d01fea0d42822a7010abc7.png


F is the Force of the Brake, R is the Radius of the rotor, and T is the force of Torque, which will act opposite the force of the spinning wheel.

Try spinning your wheel really fast and see if its easier to stop by grabbing the rim vs grabbing an inner spoke.

Its a very general explanation which may or may not be fully correct
 

MTBTyler

Well-Known Member
A brake with a larger radius allows you to apply more torque per unit of force applied by the brake.

34be615483d01fea0d42822a7010abc7.png


F is the Force of the Brake, R is the Radius of the rotor, and T is the force of Torque, which will act opposite the force of the spinning wheel.

Try spinning your wheel really fast and see if its easier to stop by grabbing the rim vs grabbing an inner spoke.

Its a very general explanation which may or may not be fully correct
What he said^^
 

RetroGrouch

Active Member
The braking force (F) in the equation above is a function of caliper hydraulic area, lever (master cylinder) hydraulic area, and the coefficient of friction between the pad and rotor. To increase force, increase the caliper hydraulic area, decrease the lever hydraulic area, or increase the coefficient of friction. You can also increase the force on the master cylinder by improving the leverage ratio of the lever.

For mechanical brakes (i.e. Avid BB5), you can play with leverage ratios (lever or caliper) and coefficient of friction.
 

Wobbegong

Well-Known Member
Try spinning your wheel really fast and see if its easier to stop by grabbing the rim vs grabbing an inner spoke.

"It's not a question of where he grips it! It's a simple question of weight ratios!" :D
 
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BiknBen

Well-Known Member
A bigger rotor provides more braking power. It's Physics. Don't question Einstein!!! :getsome:
 

goldsbar

Well-Known Member
All of the above.

More stopping power, more cooling AND an extra inch to bend.

I assume you're talking about the front. It's highly unlikely you or anyone needs that much on the rear.
 

The Rose

New Member
Be sure your fork is able to run the bigger rotor. Some XC forks are not compatible with them. Too much force applied to the fork leg, axle and brake tabs.
 
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