Performance Brake Master Cylinders

A Performance Brake Master Cylinder can take many forms depending on the car builder’s goals. The high-performance street machine driver wants good braking, but the way the master cylinder looks in his engine bay may be just as important. The dedicated track car constructor wants a compact, lightweight master cylinder that can fit into a small space on the chassis, yet provides enough pressure to apply 4 wheel disc brakes. However, when you look over the many performance master cylinders we offer, you’ll find that optimal braking performance and striking appearance aren’t mutually exclusive.

If you want to upgrade your brakes and wow ‘em when you pop the hood down at the drive-in, we’ve got master cylinders for every kind of brake configuration - drums, disc/drums, and discs all around – in chrome and powder coated in your choice of colors. Or lose the OE shape entirely, and take your brakes and engine bay to the next level with a smooth, aluminum master cylinder with a chromed or polished finish. This a great look for a street rod or any custom and features a smooth, one-piece, master cylinder cap retained with flush mount threaded fasteners instead of the OE cap and wire bail.

We also offer universal master cylinder/brake booster combos in chrome with single and dual diaphragms. A common reason for switching to a performance master cylinder is when upgrading the brake system on a classic or muscle car. When upgrading from 4-wheel drum brakes to front disc/rear drum brakes, a master cylinder with a larger bore diameter and greater fluid volume will be needed. When upgrading to disc brakes at all 4-wheels, a master cylinder with still greater volume will be needed. As brake pads wear and caliper pistons move outward, more fluid will be stored in the calipers and the master cylinder has to have enough fluid in reserve. Master cylinders for drum brakes may have residual check valves to keep slight pressure on the drum brake shoes, and this would cause drag with disc brakes.

The easiest way to ensure you have the right master cylinder for the job is to go with one of our disc brake conversion kits. The master cylinder and calipers in these kits were engineered to work together to deliver optimal braking performance. But if you have your own ideas or have a particular master cylinder style in mind we have a large selection, available with plentiful fluid volume and in several bore sizes, including billet aluminum master cylinders with ball milled, flamed, or finned aluminum caps. When selecting a performance master cylinder, the combined caliper piston area and piston volume and pedal ratio should be accounted for. The right master cylinder will supply fluid volume adequate for a firm, responsive pedal and generate the necessary pressure to stop the car comfortably.

Unlike performance master cylinders for road cars that have to also meet the necessary highway use regulations, performance master cylinders for track-only racing cars come in many more varieties because stopping the car is the only requirement. For example, while single outlet small reservoir master cylinders disappeared from road cars decades ago, they are still used in some types of racing. We offer many compact master cylinders with one and two outlets with integral, fixed plastic reservoir, and remote plastic reservoirs. All are made from high-grade aluminum and available in a range of bore sizes, and ideal for many different types of competition. Here you’ll also find adjustable proportioning valves that allow you to dial in the ideal front/rear brake force balance.