If you’re modifying a car for the first time, it can be hard to know where to begin. Sure, styling mods are tempting. A sports exhaust is always a good shout. Even something as simple as a fresh set of tyres can make all the difference to the way your car handles and puts down its power.

But if you’re planning on boosting your car’s power output at some point down the road, upgrading your brakes first might actually be your best bet. In the eyes of many, performance brake components are where you should spend your money first, simply because they give you increased confidence on the road and more dependable, consistent performance on track.

The question is, are these statements true? Should you really go out and spend your hard-earned cash on brake components, or are you better off saving the money and spending it elsewhere?

These are precisely the kind of questions we’re going to be answering right here. If you’re on the fence about upgrading your brakes and want to know if the pros outweigh the cons, read on to find out everything you need to know.

What are performance brake upgrades and what do they do?

We’re going to kick things off by starting with the basics: what exactly does each part of the braking system do, and how will upgrading each component impact the way your car drives?

Brake discs

If you’re American, you’ll call these rotors - but since we’re not, we’ll refer to them as discs. Whatever you call them, they’re a crucial component of your car’s braking system and they can have a marked impact on performance.

Standard, factory-fit brake discs often leave a fair bit on the table in terms of performance. They typically feature a smooth friction surface and a primitive cast iron construction, both of which are fine in normal driving conditions but less than ideal on a fast, flowing B-road or circuit.

Upgraded brake discs come in various forms, with some being larger than their standard/OEM counterparts and others featuring dimples, grooves, slots or holes in the friction surface. The latter alterations not only make performance discs lighter than stock equivalents, they help keep temperatures down too.

Larger discs also offer a larger surface area for the pads to clamp down onto, again helping to keep temperatures down and allowing the pad to bite with more force, stopping the car more efficiently.

Brake pads

Along with old brake fluid, worn or poor-quality brake pads are the main cause of brake fade. Switching them out for more aggressive, performance-orientated pads will increase the friction between the pad and the disc when you stamp on the brake pedal, bringing your car to a halt faster and giving the pedal a more positive feel. The only downside? Performance pads are often noisier than their stock counterparts and kick out more brake dust too.

Brake lines

Brake lines might not grab your attention like shiny discs and calipers do, but they’re no less important. That’s because they serve the vital role of delivering brake fluid to all four corners of the car - and if they’re worn out, replacing them is an absolute must from a safety standpoint.

Even if your lines are in pristine condition, however, an aftermarket upgrade is still worth considering. That’s because most cars come with flexible rubber brake hoses, which are cheap to produce and easy to install but are far from ideal in terms of pedal feel.

Ditching them in favour of track-ready braided steel brake lines will firm up the feel of your brake pedal, giving you extra confidence and more consistent braking performance.

Brake fluid

Over time, brake fluid tends to absorb moisture from the air, leading to corrosion within the braking system and - importantly - reduced braking performance.

When the time comes to flush your brake fluid and put some new stuff in, choosing a performance fluid might be well worth the extra cost, particularly if you drive on track. High-quality fluid has a higher boiling point than the fluid your car left the factory with, keeping brake fade at bay even when you’re standing hard on the anchors for lap after lap.

Big brake kits & caliper swaps

For those serious about extracting every last shred of performance from their car, the obvious upgrade of choice is a complete big brake kit. This involves removing the standard calipers entirely and replacing them with larger, more powerful ones, along with larger diameter discs and beefier pads. 

Unless your car sees the race track on a regular basis, a big brake kit is unlikely to be a necessity. That’s just as well, because quality brake kits are never cheap!

Pros and cons of uprated brake components

Now we’ve covered what each component does and the benefits they bring to the table, let’s cover the pros and cons of upgraded brake components as a whole.

Pros

• They can deliver significantly improved braking performance in comparison to standard components, both on the road and the race track
• They perform more consistently than OEM components, resisting brake fade to give you confidence each and every time you stamp on the pedal
• Many of them are relatively simple and affordable to install - particularly performance discs and pads
• They can make your car safer, allowing you to stop more quickly to avoid a collision. The benefits don’t just apply on the track!

Cons

• Uprated pads are often noisy and produce more brake dust than stock ones, meaning you’ll have to clean your wheels more often
• Performance components may work better, but they often don’t last as long as OEM components
• Track-spec discs and pads need to be warm in order to work effectively. If you’re not getting your brakes hot enough, you won’t feel the benefit of performance components
• Some brake upgrades - particularly big brake kits - can be extremely expensive

Are performance brake components worth it?

To help you work out whether performance brakes are worth spending your hard-earned money on, we’ve put together a list of questions you should ask yourself.

What car do you drive?

Some cars leave the factory with gigantic Brembos, while others have weedy single-pot calipers that aren’t up to the task of fast road and track driving at all. Before you start looking into brake upgrades, take a look at your standard brakes and work out whether they’re good enough for your needs. It may be that you simply need a fresh set of OEM discs and pads rather than upgraded aftermarket ones.

How do you drive your car?

This is perhaps the single most important question on this list. If you’re driving your car hard on the road or regularly take it on track, some form of brake upgrade should absolutely be on your shopping list - even if it’s just a set of pads or better brake fluid. If your car is just your daily driver, though, you’d be better off sticking with the standard brakes. 

What’s your budget?

If you’re only planning to lightly modify your car and don’t want to spend much money, you’ll need to think carefully about which upgrades would make the biggest difference to the way your car looks and drives. If your current brakes are up to the task and you can’t afford to upgrade them as well as buy that set of alloys you’ve had your eye on, you might be better off opting for the latter.

What other modifications are you planning to make?

If you’re only planning on modifying your car a little bit, your standard brakes might be powerful enough to serve you well. However, if you’ve got a shopping list full of engine mods that will add significantly more horsepower, a brake upgrade is certainly a wise decision!

Do your current discs and pads need replacing?

Finally, are your current discs or pads due for replacement? If they’re not, you might want to wait until they’re used up before swapping them out. If your current discs and pads are already worn, you may as well replace them with high-performance alternatives.

How to find the best performance brake discs and pads for your car

Want to start shopping for quality brake components for your car? You’ve come to the right place. LK Performance is one of the UK’s leading suppliers of performance parts, stocking everything from alloy wheels through to coilover kits, engine upgrades and styling accessories.

In amongst our range are hundreds of top-tier performance brake components from renowned brands like EBC and Pagid. To find discs and pads for your car, view the range today using the link above or get in touch with our team of experts for advice - we’re always here to help you get the parts that are right for you.