A: Big brake kits are used to make use of the tires' grip potential and dissapate heat faster. It's not neccessary for a street car to run with larger brakes unless you run the Autobahn or something and have the tires run them. Also, check the brake pads that the brake kits come with. There's no sense in getting bigger brakes (more weight) if the brake pads are lousy "performance" pads that can overheat and glaze.
That's probably true of the LGT, and maybe that's the point. But my Hyundai Elantra, for example, came with 10.1" rotors which I upgraded to the 11" Tiburon OEM brakes after I upgraded the wheels. The larger rotors, calipers, and pads do provide a larger heat capacity but more importantly the leverage is improved. The result is a dramatic improvement in stopping power at the expense of some added unsprung & rotational mass and a lighter wallet. So it definitely depends on the car whether it justifies an upgrade to a big brake kit.
Brakes: How to buy brake upgrades?
in Suspension/Brakes
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Nice writeup. Just noticed this statement...
That's probably true of the LGT, and maybe that's the point. But my Hyundai Elantra, for example, came with 10.1" rotors which I upgraded to the 11" Tiburon OEM brakes after I upgraded the wheels. The larger rotors, calipers, and pads do provide a larger heat capacity but more importantly the leverage is improved. The result is a dramatic improvement in stopping power at the expense of some added unsprung & rotational mass and a lighter wallet. So it definitely depends on the car whether it justifies an upgrade to a big brake kit.