Jake Latham's 2000 Radical Prosport

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http://www.jakelatham.com/radical/info/brake_calculators.shtml

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Step 1: Dynamic Weight Transfer

Step 2: How much brake torque do you need?

The first step to calculating what you need in your

brake system, is to know how much dynamic weight
transfer your car has. The harder you can brake, the
more relative brake torque that is required at the
front wheels.

Now that we know how much weight is on each axle

during a maximum braking event (From Step 1), we
can calculate how much torque the brakes need to be
able to put out to achieve that stop. These are
per-axle calculations, not per-corner. To get
per-corner, divide the dynamic weight by two.

Front Weight (@ Rest):

lbs

Rear Weight (@ Rest):

lbs

Total Weight:

710 lbs

% Front Weight (Static)

0.44

CG Height in Inches

in.

Wheelbase (inches):

in.
g

Max Braking Force (in G):

Dynamic Weight Transfer:

186 lbs

Dynamic Front Weight:

496 lbs

Dynamic Rear Weight:

214 lbs

% Front Weight (Dynamic)

69.85%

Required Brake Torque (lb-ft) =

DynamicWeight * (Tire Radius / 12) *
Decel G's
Help...

Help...

Max Braking G (From

Step 1):

1.5 g

Dynamic Front Weight

(From Step 1):

496 lbs

Front Tire Diameter

(inches):
Dynamic Rear Weight
(From Step 1):

" = 9.75" radius

214 lbs

Rear Tire Diameter

(inches):

= 9.75" radius

Required Brake Torque

Front Axle

604.50
lb-ft

= 302.25 lb-ft
per corner

Required Brake Torque

Rear Axle:

260.81
lb-ft

= 130.41 lb-ft
per corner

Total Brake Torque

Required (all four
corners):

865.31

% Front Bias Required:

69.86%

% Rear Bias Required

30.14%

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Jake Latham's 2000 Radical Prosport

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Step 3: How much brake torque do you have?

Step 4: Balancing the system

Now enter what your system currently has. You can

also enter sizes that you are considering changing to,
and you can match these with the required values
from steps 1 and 2. These are also PER AXLE
calculations. The calculation looks like this:

After setting the basic components of a 2 master

system, you can then adjust slightly with the balance
bar. Use this to see if your component choices will get
you into the rough range of braking force that you
require:

Axle Torque (lb-ft) = (2 calipers per axle) * (Piston

Area) * (Effective Radius) * (Pad Coefficient) * (2
sides of rotor&pad) * (Line Pressure) / (12 inches per
foot)

Brake Pedal force on Balance Bar:

lbs

Leg Input force (pounds):

Pedal Ratio:

Front Line Pressure:

Total Front Piston Area

(one side):

in.

Help...

Adjusted Front Pressure:

831.17 in.

Adjusted Rear Pressure:

384.80 psi

Adjusted Front Rotor Torque:

530.94
lb-ft

Adjusted Rear Rotor Torque:

224.62
lb-ft

692.64 psi
Help...

Help...

Front Rotor Diameter:

in.

Front Pad Radial Height:

in.

1.50 in.

Adjusted Percent Balance:

Adjusted % Front Brake Torque:

0.77 sq in.

Front Brake Pad cf:

Front Rotor Torque:

Distance from front MC Rod to Pedal:

Distance from rear MC Rod to Pedal:

in.

Front Caliper Piston

Diameters:

in.

Help...

Front:
Front Master Cylinder
Diameter (inches):

0.00

Distance between Master Cylinder

Rods:

70.27%

Adjusted % Rear Brake Torque

29.73%

Adjusted Total Brake Torque:

755.56

5: Pedal Movement
This may help give some idea of the pedal feel in your
system:

442.45 lb-ft

Rear:
Rear Master Cylinder
Diameter (inches):
Rear Line Pressure:
Rear Tire Diameter (from
step 2):

Front MC Movement
481.00 psi

0.054 in.

Pedal Travel

0.00

Help...
0.77

Rear Brake Pad cf:

Help...

Rear Rotor Diameter:

in.

Front Pad Radial Height:

in.

Rear Rotor Torque:

Rear MC Movement:

inches

Rear Caliper Piston

Diameters:
Total Rear Piston Area:
(one side)

0.078 in.

280.78 lb-ft

Percent Balance:
% Front Brake Torque:

61.18%

% Rear Brake Torque

38.82%

Total Brake System

Torque:

723.23

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Jake Latham's 2000 Radical Prosport

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Additional Information
Determining CG Height
The height of your car's center of gravity can be measured using a set of cornerweight scales. So, hopefully if
you know your car's cornerweights, you can also measure the CG height. Longacre has an article on their site
about how to do this.
Determining Max G Braking Forces
In the best case, this number is generated through datalogging in your system. If not, then some estimates may
have to come into play:
A race car with significant downforce can generate 3.0g under braking, from 150mph+
Racecars with somewhat less downforce will be more in the 2.25-2.5g range
A sedan on reasonable race tires will be able to generate 1.25 to 1.5 g braking
If you have lateral g data, but not longitudinal, you can approximate your lateral g by adding 10 to 15% to your
lateral g numbers.
Leg Input Pressures
This is how hard you are pushing on the pedal. For unboosted racing systems, typically about 80lbs of brake
pressure is the goal. A driver can usually apply up to around 120 pounds if required, but while this might be
possible on stands in the garage, over the course of a race distance, it will be very tiring. Street cars are
typically around 40 lbs. So, about 80 is a reasonable target input force.
Pedal Ratio
This ratio is the amount of mechanical advantage the pedal has over rod of the master cylinder. Stoptec says
that one should aim for 6.2:1, with a working minimum of about 5:1 for unboosted racing systems. Typical
street car ratios are around 3.5-4.0:1, with their vacuum assist. Purpose-built race cars are usually in the 3.0:1
range, with some (such as my Radical) as high as 4.5 or so.
Piston Diameters
Diameter of the pistons on one side of the caliper. If you have sliding calipers, then the diameters of the
piston(s).
Pad CF (Coefficient of Friction)
This is how grippy your pad is. If not sure; use .40 for street pads, .48 for street performance pads, and .60 for
racing pads as a rough guide. You can typically look these up on manufacturer's websites.

Links + References
Stoptech Dual Cylinder Setup Guide (link from saved copy)
TCE Performance Products
Outlaw Brakes FAQ
Sports.Racer.Net Brake Bias page
Tilton page on bias bar setup
SAE Paper on Brake Torque (alternate eqn)
Some miscellaneous threads with good discussion:
1. DSR Forum 1
Thanks to Philip Erickson for finding the missing factor of 2 in Step 3...
Notes / Guidelines
A lot of brake system design comes from experience, so this page is certainly NOT a substitute for advice from a
professional. There are small guidelines to be found from time to time, for example, this bit from Tilton's
website:

Rear locks up first, pedal firm-reduce front master cylinder size.

Rear locks up first, pedal feels soft-increase rear master cylinder size.
Fronts lock up first, pedal very firm-reduce rear master cylinder size.
Fronts lock up first, pedal feels soft-increase front master cylinder size

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