| ....from Wilwood's FAQ section: What's the purpose of having a big piston and a small piston in a Caliper (staggered pistons)?
Multi-piston calipers, normally with six or more pistons, have bore sizes that increase in size from front to rear. This allows a pressure differential between the leading and trailing edge of the caliper, thus providing an even wear pattern along the entire length of the
brake pad, hence it controls brake taper. This is necessary because incandescent material and debris from the leading edge of the pad is trapped
between the pad and rotor; it tends to float the trailing edge of the pad off the rotor. A larger piston at the trailing edge of the pad provides more
pressure to compensate for this debris buildup and keep the pad flat against the rotor.
Which is the more ridged Caliper, a two-piece or a monobloc?
Everything being equal, a properly designed two-piece caliper will flex less than a monobloc caliper. Stiffness is a function of the material’s modulus of
elasticity. Steel bolts have an elastic modulus approximately three times that of aluminum bridges. There are some exotic aluminum alloys that were
developed for F-1 racing that have almost the same elastic modulus as steel; however, they are expensive and not normally seen in after market brake
kits. Steel has the added benefit of not losing its elastic modulus as things heat up. As a matter of fact, steel’s elastic modulus actually increases in
stiffness as temperatures rise above 200 degrees F by approximately 30 percent, where it stabilizes at 400 degrees F. Aluminum on the other hand, loses
approximately 50 percent of its stiffness by 300 degrees F.
 "The American people will never knowingly adopt socialism. But, under the name of "liberalism", they will adopt every principle of our socialist program, until one day America will be a socialist nation, without ever knowing how it happened.... I no longer need to run on the Socialist Party ticket because the Democrat Party has now adopted our platform."
--Norman Thomas, 1944 Socialist Party Presidential Candidate "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery."
--Winston Churchill
|
