Quote:
Originally Posted by TheSt|G
That is an excellent question. The answer is that everyone largely ignores it, not to their favor.
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Hello, fellas! Yes, Stig is correct, most people largely ignore brake bias, and probably not to their own favor. To be fair, braking dynamics are extremely complicated, and, well, dynamic. That is to say they are ever changing and highly dependent on other contextual factors. As the discussion above clearly illuminates, it depends on a whole host of other factors.
The brake proportioning valves on street cars are pretty much set, although you can easily install adjustable valves. Formula 1 cars have electronically adjustable proportioning valves, which allows the pilot to adjust the brake bias while driving. And, they do that often during a race, sometimes on every lap if there is a particular situation that calls for it, e.g. a corner where the pilot is experiencing lockup. Of course, they are also adjusting it more often as the current era puts such an emphasis on managing tire degradation. Playing around with their brake bias becomes one of the chores that F1 pilots have to keep them busy, as they are not busy heel-toe shifting and reaching for a proper gear selector.
In my particular case, I did actually run the calculations, although I am having a hard time finding the paper where I scribbled my notes at the moment. But, as I recall, the conversion I did took my front brake bias up from around 63% to 71%. The biggest factor is the larger front rotor and the additional leverage it creates. I made some rough assumptions on the friction coefficients associated with the brake pads, as I could not find the actual data for these. Either way, it did not make a significant difference.
The fact is that most manufacturers automatically build in front brake bias, because it is much safer to lock up the front wheels than the back wheels. But, let me tell you that I am still able to lock up the rear wheels under extremely hard braking, from high speed, with my new setup. I could interpret this to mean that under those extreme conditions, I probably want even more front bias. But, for normal street driving, and even spirited driving, this setup is more than adequate and still very safe.
Very cool discussion; cheers!