No, but that's exactly the point - things ARE different at different corners. You know as well as I do that there are a lot of different parameters that can affect braking. Not every car uses the same brake pads at both ends. I'm trying different brake pad compounds all the time. And I don't change the compound at one end, when there's plenty of pad material, when the brake pad wears out at the other end. Do you? Have you always used the exact same compound at both ends of your car? I doubt it. Most track rats haven't.
I think we're miscommunicating a bit. If it's my fault, my bad. The point is that a properly designed big brake kit system for a given car doesn't need a proportioning valve. Period. That includes using the same brake pads and the same tires at all four corners. I think I've shown enough proof for that statement.
And I don't change the compound at one end, when there's plenty of pad material, when the brake pad wears out at the other end. Do you? Have you always used the exact same compound at both ends of your car? I doubt it. Most track rats haven't.
Nope, I don't change the backs and the fronts at the same intervals. If there's pad left, why change right? But I do realize that you don't want to mess up the balance of the car or have the rear lock up before the fronts. That means that in any combination the front pads should have a higher coefficient of friction than the rears. I haven't used the exact same compound at the track but only because I couldn't get the same from front to back. The lament of every track rat. But believe you me - if they make a track pad for the rear and they make a track pad for the front for my BBK, I'll be using the exact same compound on each corner.
I'll give you an example of another variable. I have brake cooling ducts to the front brakes on my NSX. Doesn't that mean that I have a different need for front-to-rear bias from an NSX that doesn't have such ducts? Doesn't that mean that I have a different need for front-to-rear bias from DanO's NSX that has ducting to the rear brakes? All of which results in the need for front-to-rear biasing that may be different from one car, to another car, to another car...
You're going to have to help me here Ken. I don't see the relation of cooling ducts to the coefficient of friction of brake pads and proper biasing of the car from the start. And if you do use brake pads to fine tune the braking balance of your NSX, tell me why you need a proportioning valve again?
First of all, that $325 figure is bogus.
Is it? I've known SoS to be very honest with me in the past. I don't think they'd lie about the content of their web site. Maybe if you find a better deal you can forward the information to them.
If you are going to put it that way, then you must also consider this - if $325 for a proportioning valve is a major expense for your bank account, then there's no way you would be considering $7-10K for a four-wheel big brake kit with bigger wheels and tires.
I don't think anybody wants to spend $325 bucks if they don't need to. And from experience, a properly designed front BBK will set you back around $5,500 total. Wheels, brakes, and tires.
Why, so you could put twice as much pollution into the environment?
Pollution is legal in Oklahoma. Well, this kind anyway.
That's nonsense, for the reasons noted above.
I'm kind of surprised at your response, Ponyboy - you're usually more knowledgeable about these things...
Again, research and testing have everything to do with it. Thanks for the compliment, I think. Even in this discussion, I still think you're one cool guy. And yes, I am knowledgeable somtimes and sometimes not. I think I'm right on this one. But if you can out engineer the brake companies, more power to you.