If you have a sporty vehicle like a BMW, then you may want your car to drive like a performance car. This means installing performance parts of the vehicle, including brakes. Keep reading to understand what performance brakes are and how you can choose them for your vehicle.
What Are Performance Brakes?
Performance brakes are braking systems that are designed for vehicles that are likely to place the system under a great deal of stress. Vehicles with substantial power and larger engines as well as ones that use enhancements like nitrous oxide to increase speed. Vehicles that are made to drive through steep terrain, like off-road cars and SUVs need the best brakes too. This is also true for anyone who drives their car "hard" and wants to prevent brake fade.
Performance brakes include in pads and rotors. The pads are usually made from harder materials. The rotors are made with slots or openings that allow the heat from the brakes pads to dissipate quickly. This is best to reduce the chances of the rotors warping. In some cases, you can upgrade to performance calipers as well. These calipers are made from steel and are powder coated to reduce wear and tear from high-heat situations and increased road debris. High strength seals and strong brake pad brackets are utilized as well.
How To Choose Performance Brakes?
Most people do not require performance calipers unless they intend on off-roading or exposing calipers to a great deal of debris. However, you may want to upgrade the pad brackets to ensure smooth pad movements and a secure fit. When it comes to brake pads, look for either hard or semi-hard options. Keep in mind that the harder pads will wear out the calipers much sooner than the medium hard varieties. Performance pads are usually made from ceramic, but a metallic material is often mixed in. The less metal, the harder the pad.
Rotors with slots are ideal, but the openings can vary greatly. Some are wide and long, while others are smaller and thinner. The wide slots will release the most heat and are ideal if you are pushing your car to the limit on the street. If you are less aggressive, then the smaller openings are a good choice. In general, you do not want to choose rotors with slots that are larger than what you need. The openings reduce the strength of the rotor overall, and they can crack under high-stress situations.
If you want to know more about performance brakes and the options that you have available to you, speak with an automotive company like Jim Stephen's Foreign Car Repair.
Share