[Masteryota]

Ok, let me take a stab at this. As for clutch disc upgrades, if you were to do just the disc, then yes, you want the smaller puck design. This creates more clamping force between the flywheel and pressure plate due to all of the force is now held in 1/2-1/3 of the applied area. This can, however, create uneven surfaces in the flywheel and pressure plate if using the stock components.

This was done for many years due to cable driven clutches, and the force needed to move a harder pressure plate. With everything going to hydraulic, you can now run almost what ever pressure plate you want, and feel almost no change in the pedal effort. This is what I see being used now, stock disc with a heavy pressure plate. The main reason for this is to reduce chatter and keep replacement costs low, as the disc is considered a wear item and normally cheaper than the race pressure plate, and keeps the flywheel damage to a minimum.

As for the brakes, normal design calls for lock up at extreme braking force, but under lock up, control is sacrificed. ABS provides the advantage of regaining that control but releasing the pressure from the locked wheels resulting in regained traction. Tire upgrades, not necessarily wider, also help reduce lock up. Wider tires essentially spread the weight of the vehicle over a larger area, resulting in an easier loss of traction at the tire surface. Softer compounds are better in this respect, but wear faster. It is a fine line to tread, but everything is a see-saw when you start moving away from stock components.

As for the HiT clutch, the mechanical side of my brain is actually concerned about the mechanical portion of the clutch hanging up and not allowing it to disengage. In the case of centrifugal clutches, smaller pad area would in theory hold better, but the material is also important due to the increased heat from not being able to radiate the amount of heat the larger pads are capable of. From what I gather from these sites, is that the stock clutch holds up just as well to the 'race' clutches.