Brake Upgrade

Due to Covid couldnt hit the track at all and also some other issues had come up so got out of track . So I am trying to find what would be the best brake upgrade for my car . The car will be short of an all around car so trting to figure what would be the bestpossible solution . I have already a 282 brake set up with a single pot caliper . My options are to keep the single pot caliper and buy better disks and pads . Or use another single pot caliper and go to 300mm disk and pads will be of course for race purpose . Or use a 4pot Brembo Junior caliper with pads and disks but have to make the adapters (no big deal on that).

Now what I am asking since I know bigger doesn't mean better . But is it worth the weight gain that the Brembos will add since the car will not be always or a dedicated track car ?

In all the above the same pads and disks (brand wise will be the same) .

TIA .

Hi Dimitrios,

Some details on the vehicle itself would assist in answering the question for you. Single piston calipers and 282mm rotors sounds to me like they are on a small vehicle, but I would consider that they would be woefully inadequate for track usage even with a lightweight vehicle. Even a run through a twisty area that requires constant usage of the brakes with minimal time to cool them would place a lot of stress on them.

A Steven said, without details of the car, it's actual potential use, any power or suspension changes, that's a terribly open-ended question.

Oh, and the smallest wheels that will be used so some idea of caliper clearances can be assessed.

First thing to consider is if you actually need to replace the brakes -what symptoms do you currently have?

Depending on the use, a simple pad change to something that will work better, with a change to a good fluid may be all that's needed.

Thank you for the replies . I thought that I had written the car specs . Anyway its a Honda Civic EG sedan .

The car at the moment is NA with a B18C and might stay like that for this year and do a forged induction maybe next year if some stuff that I am preparing for it actually work 😅.

Now I already have a set of 282mm on my car with really cheap disks/pads cause I was road tuning it and didn't want to cook a good set of brakes from excessive left foot braking.

I have a set of junior Brembo 4pots , I have the existing set of 282 and also a set of type r calipers that I could go to 297mm . All of them of course will be with good quality pads and disks .

Car is an all around car haven't been on track yet (1st time every once I am done) but I go and do a lot of hill runs

TIA

Hill runs = fast downhills and hard braking?

That can put a lot more stress on brake systems than track use, especially if there are short straights and a lot of hard braking with overall speeds being low, so poor cooling airflow through the discs.

If you have the entire 297 setup - discs, bells/hats, calipers, etc, I would probably go straight to those - if they fit under the wheels. Depending on the relative designs, it's actually possible for the larger kit to weigh less than the OEM and the additional cooling potential 'should' result in a lower peak operating temperature and so allow a selection of brake pad that also works well from cold, for the street driving.

As an interim measure, good quality brake fluid, changed annually, would be my start point and some temperature indicating paint for the discs, and tape for the calipers, will give you some idea of their actual peak operating temperature.

https://apracing.com/race-car/brake-pads/measuring-brake-temperature

https://alconkits.com/support/install-tips/99-using-brake-temperature-paint

https://www.demon-tweeks.com/nz/a-p-racing-temperature-paint-kit-a-pcp2649-1/

280-300mm is normal for rally cars, we have to fit them under 15" wheels, so that's the biggest brake we can fit.

Make sure the fluid is good and fresh, and the pads can take the heat, and maybe route some ducting.

I run a Focus with OEM brakes. I have the exact same choices. I can run a 282mm from a regular Focus, or a 300mm from a Focus SVT. I have both sets, and I switch between them, depending on the roads being raced on. They both work really well though.