Racing Brakes

The top race car drivers know that going fast is more than just camshafts, valves, and pistons, it’s also about brake pads, calipers and rotors. Good brakes are just as important as a powerful engine. Brakes designed for racing provide shorter stopping distances, so the driver can spend more time on the gas for lower elapsed times, and racing spec brakes won’t fade, so the brakes work just as well at the end of the race as they did at the beginning. No matter whether you’re late braking to make a pass on a road course or hauling down a drag car at the end of the quarter mile, we have the brake kits and individual components you need.

Our brake kits range from basic kits with drilled and/or slotted rotors and brake pads with application specific friction material, to more extensive kits which, in addition to rotors and pads, also include multi-piston calipers and braided steel brake lines. Brake kits are available with standard size rotors and in “big brake kits” with larger diameter rotors. To install a big brake kit may also require fitment of larger diameter wheels and tires. We can also supply you with all these brake kit parts separately, as well as master cylinders, brake boosters, hand & parking brakes, and much more. Racing spec brake rotors are drilled and/or slotted to disperse heat, so the rotor runs cooler. Holes and slots also expel water, for optimal pad contact in the rain, and they vent gasses from the brake pads to reduce brake fade and increase pad life. We offer rotors in standard and larger than stock sizes in one-piece design and two-piece with lightweight aluminum center construction. Most have curved and directional internal vanes to maximize airflow for cooling. Our brake pads come in a myriad of organic, ceramic, and metallic compounds, so you can get the friction material that’s ideally suited to your needs.

We offer both direct replacement calipers, and for the ultimate in performance, fixed calipers with multiple opposed pistons on each side of the brake disc. Both are made from lightweight aluminum. Fixed calipers transfer pressure to the brake pads more efficiently than the typical OE floating calipers, and multiple pistons apply more even pressure to the pads. Calipers for racing often have larger pistons, which can provide more clamping pressure. Many calipers with 6 or more pistons have bore sizes that increase in size from front to rear, to keep the brake pad flat against the rotor and prevent pad taper.

One of the easiest upgrades you can make to your brake system is replacing the stock rubber brake hoses with stainless steel. Stainless steel brake hoses have a Teflon inner hose with a braided stainless steel covering. This construction prevents expansion when the hose is pressurized, eliminating the mushy pedal feel that you can experience with ordinary rubber hoses, especially when the brake fluid temperature is elevated under racing conditions. The stainless steel also provides better protection against debris and abrasion, and gives an appearance boost as well.

When building a race car and using calipers with different piston bores, the master cylinder bore diameter may also need to be changed to maintain proper pedal travel. Space is often at a premium on racing vehicles and the master cylinder may have to be smaller in size or mounted in a different location. We offer a large selection of master cylinders so you can get the one that’s best for your application, including tandem master cylinders, compact remote flange mount master cylinders, high volume master cylinders, and master cylinders designed for remote reservoirs. And if you want independent control of front and rear brakes so you can lock the fronts and heat up the rear tires, we have line lock & roll control kits that enable smoky burnouts and staging control.

Speaking of independent control, mechanical actuation of the rear brakes has traditionally been needed to keep vehicles stationary when parked. But as drifters and rally drivers know, the parking brake, or emergency brake, can also be used to initiate a slide for drifting or making tight turns. But since mechanical cables can stretch, seize, go out of adjustment, and corrode and break easily, drifters and rally drivers can enjoy superior hydraulic operation with our hydraulic hand brake kits. Drag racers can also benefit from independent hydraulic control of the rear brakes. Our hydraulic hand and staging brakes allow the rear brakes to be locked to keep a front-wheel drive car stationary when doing a burnout to heat the tires or when launching the car.

If you’re satisfied with the stopping power of the brakes on your car but tired of the excessive effort required to apply them, why not upgrade to power brakes? We have individual brake boosters and conversion kits that come with the booster in gold or chrome finish, and with the master cylinder and necessary components like brackets, lines and proportioning valve. And if a lumpy cam woke up your engine but also reduced manifold vacuum, we have electric vacuum pumps that can provide all the vacuum your booster needs, so you get quick stopping with just a light touch of the brake pedal.

Brake fluid is one of the most important components of a racing brake system. Ordinary DOT 3 fluid does not have a high enough boiling point for racing use and even lesser grades of DOT 4 fluid can be too hygroscopic and attract moisture, which lowers the boiling point. The high performance fluid we offer has been tested to 626°F, it has low moisture affinity, and resists aeration and compressibility to maintain firm pedal feel. You can help prevent fade inducing high brake temperatures with our brake cooling parts. We have brake cooling ducts and deflectors, brake fans, and complete brake cooling kits.