Here is an interesting article about the science of braking. The article makes the point that simply making a brake pad larger just spreads out the piston’s normal force across a larger area. This makes the “per square inch” pad pressure go down, and theoretically can result in less braking performance. Here are three excerpts: "So, larger brakes work when “larger” means bigger-diameter rotors giving a larger lever for the force to act on. And “larger” brakes work when a caliper gets more effective piston area, so each remote section of the brake pad face can apply a normal force closest to what the piston is trying to impart into the pad itself." "Larger rotors require a new caliper mated to them, so the assembly gives you better braking (especially if the new caliper has multiple pistons and a larger pad to dissipate heat)." "More pistons in the caliper make the normal force N more uniform across the pads’ faces. A single piston pushing on the center of a brake pad inevitably results in less pad pressure at the ends of the pad due to pad backing plate deflection." Are "Bigger" Brakes Always Better? - Hagerty Media
