🤑 4 Brake Caliper Considerations That Save Time & Money

Bigger brakes ALWAYS mean better braking performance. WRONG!

Fitting brake calipers that have a bigger piston area for more clamping force or brake torque seems like it would be the no-brainer way to improve braking performance, but we're missing some vital considerations with this commonly believed myth that makes it untrue.

Explained here are some of the other factors you must consider, which include master cylinder sizing, pedal travel, brake bias and physical restrictions, which all play critical roles in your brake packaging options and performance.

Why would even fit bigger discs, calipers and better pads but retain the same amount of brake torque yet still improve brake performance in compliance (movement), thermal management, weight and brake pad compound range options.

Also discussed is what might happen if you stray too far from what your OEM ABS system is expecting regarding front vs rear brake bias and how it can be relatively simple to stay within this window but still improve your vehicle's braking performance.
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TIME STAMPS:
0:00 - What Brake Calipers Do
0:34 - Why Upgrade?
0:55 - Master Cylinder Pressure
1:35 - Brake Torque
2:10 - Piston Area Increase
3:22 - Front Upgrade Only
3:40 - Upgrade While Maintaining Balance?
4:15 - Tyre Grip Considerations
4:32 - COG Considerations
4:48 - Brigger Brake Physical Constraints
5:22 - Allow For Flex & Expansion
5:42 - Caliper Mounting
6:07 - Caliper Brackets
6:41 - Caliper Positioning
7:35 - Supplier Recommendations
8:16 - Directional Calipers
8:26 - Brake Bleeding
8:51 - Key Points!
8:58 - 1.) Pedal Feel & Bias
9:09 - 2.) Master Cylinders
9:15 - 3.) Advantages Go Beyond Brake Torque
9:27 - 4.) Mounting
9:42 - BUILD | TUNE | DRIVE
9:55 - Just One Of MANY Modules
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LINKS:
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TAGS:
#highperformanceacademy #brakes #calipers #brakesystem #brakerepair #buildtunedrive #learndriveoptimise #motorsport #auto #carmods #automotive

[hpa]

What upgrades do you have planned for your own brake setup?
TIME STAMPS:
0:00 - What Brake Calipers Do
0:34 - Why Upgrade?
0:55 - Master Cylinder Pressure
1:35 - Brake Torque
2:10 - Piston Area Increase
3:22 - Front Upgrade Only
3:40 - Upgrade While Maintaining Balance?
4:15 - Tyre Grip Considerations
4:32 - COG Considerations
4:48 - Brigger Brake Physical Constraints
5:22 - Allow For Flex & Expansion
5:42 - Caliper Mounting
6:07 - Caliper Brackets
6:41 - Caliper Positioning
7:35 - Supplier Recommendations
8:16 - Directional Calipers
8:26 - Brake Bleeding
8:51 - Key Points!
8:58 - 1.) Pedal Feel & Bias
9:09 - 2.) Master Cylinders
9:15 - 3.) Advantages Go Beyond Brake Torque
9:27 - 4.) Mounting
9:42 - BUILD | TUNE | DRIVE
9:55 - Just One Of MANY Modules

[gordowgwg]

I think you hit every possible consideration there - very, very well done! 👍😎

With the wheel fit, few things more annoying when a "brake kit" says it will fit "some" wheels of a given diameter - it's VERY handy when they provide an actual template for that specific application.
The caliper drawings help a lot, but don't take into account how the disc is also going to be limited in position on the hub/axle.

[justintowers]

what oem vehicles use 4 pot radial calipers with staggered pistons? The only one i know of is Porshe Boxster S. Is there any other ones out there? What aftermarket companies sell radial calipers with staggered pistons? This is for a 99 Celica SS-IIII and there is no off the shelf kit with thick enough rotors!

[PreludeDude]

I just installed my Endless front caliper setup on my street car... ME20 pads, I can tell you these things stop like a freight train now. Overkill for street but I want to do more track time with that car. It's not a daily.

[bigbothoee]

Its goose from top gun lololol i upgraded for show then had the problems with bias bigtime under heavy braking i was to invested got a bias adjuster its not 100% but it no longer nosedives ideally need bias box and larger brake master bore

[RadDadisRad]

I need to upgrade my brakes. I installed a supercharger on my truck and it hits 100mph faster than it went to 60mph stock. Looking at the Roush Alcon kit. It’s a stock upgrade so I will keep my brake balance and abs function.

[htc_b]

Whos driving at the end of the video ? Any channel to check this car / driver up ? Thanks

[arcanevoid]

what would be an acceptable increase/decrease in piston area? have been able to find wilwood calipers that will work for both the front and rear of my fwd celica, which has single piston sliding calipers all round. front increase is +0.36 square inches and the rear is +0.18 square inches, this is going up to 4 piston front and 2 piston rear keeping the oem discs

[sircefiro]

For most street cars it's usually for looks lol

[rbdetMitch]

@hpa01
Currently researching front brake upgrade options for my tiguan r. It has the same front calipers as the mk8 golf r, 2 piston 43mm/45mm sliding with a 357mm rotor.
Was looking at an off the shelf kit from paragon brakes that uses an alcon car97 6 piston monoblock caliper with 380mm rotors. Seems like a generic caliper used on many applications with a car specific adaptor.
Piston sizes in the alcon car97 are 30.2mm, 34.9mm and 38.1mm. I calculate the piston surface area for 1 side of the alcon caliper as 2813.02mm2 and the factory sliding caliper as 3042.63mm2.
Is this an acceptable change without requiring MC changes or detrimental effects to braking power, pedal feel and modulation?
Will be leaving the rear calipers the same due to the electronic parking brake being integrated into the single piston sliding rear caliper and just upsizing the rear rotor from 310mm to 350mm

[CJEVOLUTION]

Looking forward to the break system course I purchased at HP Academy

[el_kuks]

Will factory ABS work as intended if with increase of piston area master cylinder would be proportionally increased?

[el_kuks]

But thing i questioning most is to how calculate brake force with drum brakes

[tbas]

But a Brake Upgrade wont make you stop faster as the stock brakes already lock up the ABS.
You can just stop More Often Before Fade (So only useful on a track, cose if you get brake fade driving on a normal road, you can't drive and need to learn how to use the gearbox.