Originally Posted by 1stGenCRXer
Convection doesn't help cool solids as well as it helps to heat the surrounding air, and heat surrounding solids with that heated air.
Yeah but its all we've got
An environment capable of absorbing heat from an object with which it is in thermal contact
Thermal contact != physical contact
The only other way I can put it is that good brake pads act as a thermal barrier to help prevent heat transfer to the calipers and fluid by having a very aggressive heat gradient from the surface of the pads to the backing plate.
The amount of energy in the system is going to be the same no matter what equipment you're using if you're driving the same track, in the same car, at the same speeds. The only thing you can do is make sure your equipment can handle it, or slow down
Do performance pads really have lower thermal conductivity than street/OEM pads? I honestly dont know. Its possible that some thermal barrier (backing plate thickness/material) or insulators can slow the rate of conductive heat transfer to the calipers, but I'm not sure how much of a difference that will make, since the heat is still going to get there - if its 6 laps or 3 laps, it doesnt really matter.
Of course, there really is no viable way to cool the calipers on most cars,
That was my point. The caliper is effective at absorbing heat through conduction, and very poor at shedding it through convection, which is the only heat transfer method available.