Arlan Motorsport - Braking Systems

Braking Systems

Braking systems are made up of several components that can be upgraded to improve performance.

Brake Pads

Brake Hoses

Brake Rotors

Brale Calipers are often upgraded as part of a package that includes larger diameter rotors.

Brake Fluid cannot be overlooked as a critically important element of brake system performance.

Why you can't just pick a few components, bolt them together and expect your brakes to work properly.

The process of determining the exact components and their design has been tackled by a variety of companies over the years with varying degrees of success. We've done the research, found what fits, found what works, and made it our business to keep learning about new makes and models. Then we carry the right products.

Brake Pads

Brake pads are often looked at as a starting point for improved braking performance. Whether this is the correct place to start is the first step. If it is, then which pad and compound is right for YOUR APPLICATION. This can be improved performance for high performance street applications, track days or all out competition vehicles.

We have suppliers to meet nearly every demand from street performance to championship winning race compound pads. The exact compound to use will be determined by a number of factors, but we have experience with these systems to recommend the proper pad. Pads may be selected as part of an overall brake upgrade to meet your needs.

Brake Hoses

Brake hoses are usually part of the first stage of brake upgrade. OEM rubber hoses can expand under braking force which means there will be a delay between pedal pressure and brake application as first the hoses expand under fluid pressure and then the fluid pushes the pad against the rotor. Then when releasing the pedal pressure, first the hoses shrink back and then the pads release the rotor. This hesterisis effect makes brake modulation at the limit very difficult, limiting the braking effectiveness. Replacing the OEM rubber hoses with stainless steel braided, teflon lined brake hoses for racing will make a nice improvement to braking at the limit.

Brake Fluid

As part of any stage 1 brake upgrade we recommend using a racing quality brake fluid. This is an inexpensive upgrade and since brake fluid must be flushed and replaced regularly it is a natural when replacing brake hoses and pads. The quality of the brake fluid is critical. The high temperature properties of racing brake fluid is well known, however the dry and wet boiling points both are important as is the compressibility and the ability to resist absorbtion of moisture. All brake fluids have some dissolved water in them and the less the better. The best racing brake fluids have very little dissolved water and will maintain a high pedal under the most demanding racing conditions. Fortunately today this is a very inexpensive upgrade that simply must be done. You no longer have to pay outrageous prices for the best. We use GS610 exclusively because of its performance. As an additional benefit it is very inexpensive compared to racing fluids of the past.

Brake Rotors

Brake rotors can be upgraded in either OEM size, or replaced with larger diameter rotors. When replacing rotors factors determining the selection include the rotor material, surface finishing, one-piece or two-piece, fixed or floating, rotor diameter and thickness.

The Metal

The metallurgy is a science in itself that determines how strong the rotor is including how much heat it can absorb under severe racing conditions (or a little canyon carving) without warping due to stress.

Surface Finishing

The finish of the rotor surface is possibly even more important. The final cut to the rotor surface must not only be absolutely flat and parallel, but the pores of the metal surface must remain open without metal flash blocking the pores. This is vital because the braking efficiency will be determined to a great deal by how much brake pad material can be tranfered to the surface of the rotor. This is what generates the friction and therefore the braking ability. The process of "bedding in the rotor" is the transfer of pad material into the pores of the rotor surface.

1-Piece or 2-Piece floating Rotors

2-Piece rotors usually offer weight reduction by using an aluminum hat with a standard racing brake disc. By separating the hat and disc into two pieces it is possible to use a standard size racing brake disc with a variety of applications. This allows reducing the cost of producing many different applications of brake rotors by using aluminum hats that are not only lighter weight but also much less expensivce to machine than steel or to make a special steel/iron forging.

Floating rotors can be used to greatly improve braking by maintaining a higher pedal. Normally for disc brakes to release, a small amount of play normal in the wheel bearings allows the discs to "wobble" enough to push the pads back away from the disc surface. With 2-piece floating rotors the discs float on bobbins so that the pads do not push the pistons too far back into the caliper. The result is the pedal remains high because you don't have to first push the pistons back out before braking can begin.

We offer a selection of OEM sized direct replacement floating rotors with either dimpled surfaces for high performance street cars or slotted surfaces for racing applications. We offer rotors from AP Racing, Brembo, and Performance Friction Corp.

Size Matters

Increasing the rotor size - diameter and/or thickness of the rotor has several effects. A larger diameter rotor can be used to increase brake torque (the ability to stop the rotating wheel), while a larger diameter rotor also has more mass and can absorb more heat before the pads exceed the operating temperature the compound was designed for. This can be important not just for racing but also for those dashes through your favorite mountain road. For endurance racing it is also popular to increase the thickness of the front rotors to help with heat build-up and to increase rotor life.

These "big" rotors are also heavier which is the opposite of what you want for your suspension to work best. This is the reason ceramic and carbon composite rotors are seen in Formula One and increasingly on super performance cars. Unfortunately these exotic material rotors are very expensive to replace and might be prohibitively expensive for all but multi-million dollar pro racing series. We recommend using the smallest rotor that will meet your needs as the most effective solution.

Brake Calipers

Brake Calipers are often upgraded as part of a package that includes larger diameter rotors. Although there are some racing calipers that can be used directly in place of existing factory race calipers on a few specialty cars without replacing other components, this an exception.

Complete brake packages are available for selected cars which includes most popular enthusiasts makes and models, factory BMW, Ferrari and Porsche racing cars as well as specific brake packages designed for race series such as Grand Am, SCCA Speed GT and Touring and ALMS classes. Take a look at what's available under Motorsport Product Lines and then give us a call.

A Total Solution

Like suspension systems we use our years of experience to recommend a "total solution" that takes into consideration your intended use and we can often offer improvements in several stages.