Originally Posted by
opiumdaze
umm dont quote me on this but since prelude uses 4x114.3 i think u can buy their aftermarket rotors and caliper... but i dont see why u are trying to "upgrade" to a big rotor kit because a bigger rotor doesnt make much of a difference... the caliper covers the same amount of area clamped down when brakes are applied.
actually, the principal of a "big brake kit" or upgrade kit is NOT to increase clamping area, but to increase torque load on the rotor.
the same caliper is reused, so yes, it has the same pads and therefore the same area to clamp on the rotor...
however, the larger rotor is used because the caliper is positioned farther from the center of the rotor, thereby increasing torque on the brake.
(torque) = (force) x (moment arm or radius)
so if the force from the caliper clamping is the same, and the radius increases (farther from the center of the brake) then torque is increased, and you get more effective braking power.