When designing a car, the manufacturers will be specifying the braking system accordingly. Weight, power and purpose determine the types of brakes build into the vehicle. As disc brakes are becoming increasingly cheaper, drum brakes are less and less common, however, they are still very common. Upgrading the brake system of your vehicle can improve the performance while at the same time providing a bigger safety margin.
When stepping onto the brake, brake fluid is used to press the brake pads against the brake’s disc. The brake lines connect a reservoir, the brake pedal and the callipers. Typically, brake lines are made from specifically formulated rubber. As there is a lot of pressure in the brake lines, some of the pressure will expand the rubber hoses, thus some of the pressure is lost on the way to the callipers. One way to enhance the brakes of your car is to change the brake lines with performance brake lines. Metal mesh is used over the rubber hose; as the metal is less flexible, such braided steel brake lines will prevent the expansion of the hose when braking, thus more pressure is reaching the brakes.
For even more stopping power, the discs themselves can be replaced by performance parts. Brake discs can be bigger, in a different material or have wholes and grooves for better heat dissipation. Bigger discs make use of physics and how rotational forces work in order to slow a car down faster. Materials such as carbon are extremely expensive, Carbon-ceramic discs have a higher friction coefficient, meaning that they require less braking distance than cast iron discs. Braking creates heat and grooved discs have the ability to dissipate heat better: the colder the disc, the better as they are less likely to exhibit the phenomenon called “fading”. Fading is when the disc is getting too hot and will thus no longer provide the same stopping power as it has when it is cold.
Riding on the brake discs are the callipers. These house cylinders that press the brake pads against the disk. To add more braking power, performance callipers can be swapped for the original ones. The difference would be that performance callipers have more cylinders or cylinders with bigger diameter to produce more pressure on the brake pads. Typically, callipers will be matched to disc brakes and such combos are designed to work perfectly together.
German Motors has also seen requests to change drum brake systems to disc brakes. Drum brakes are often used on the rear axle of cars as they do not need to have as much stopping power as the brakes on the front axle. While possible, this transition is costly and time intensive.
When working on the brakes of a vehicle, one should always remember that these are the most important parts of a car. German Motors recommends having any of the above described enhancements to be carried out by professionals, using quality tools and testing equipment. To find out how to improve your performance and safety through the upgrade of your braking system you may schedule a consultation with our staff.
