Paul,
I know what I'm talking about. If you were at Laguna two springs ago (07) for either the BMW or Audi track days, and you were running in the advanced group, you were probably out braked by my M3.
Braking performance is not determined by how many pistons your calipers have. It's determined by the friction of your pads, the friction of your tires and the heat management of both. The weakest part of my braking system at Laguna was shock set-up, not fade or lack of stopping power.
My braking feel could be improved if I spent $4k on performance friction calipers to clamp my stock size performance friction rotors, but the car isn't going to stop any quicker. Stuka's picture of the bent brake pad was the result of someone not taking proper care of the stock calipers, not of an inferior design.
The one advantage good quality multi-piston calipers have is light weight. I could shave a few more pounds of unsprung weight with the previously mentioned PF calipers.
You know, they say the same thing about guys who buy big red calipers as they say about guys who buy Porsches ...
Just kidding. Can't believe you're lucky enough to live in Mammoth. If I ever sell my place in Lake county, I might get a place in Incline (Nevada taxes).