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OEM + brake kit upgrade.

Is it necessary to upgrade your brakes? 

I think it's a must & should really be the first thing to do when upgrading the power level of a vehicle.

How do brakes work 101?

Hydraulic Action

Your brake pedal is connected mechanically, usually via a metal rod, to a device called the master cylinder. The master cylinder is a sealed chamber full of brake fluid, which is a form of hydraulic oil. Brake lines connect the master cylinder to your vehicle’s brake calipers. These brake lines are passageways through which the brake fluid flows.

When you press the brake pedal, the metal rod attached to it acts on a piston inside of the master cylinder. This piston compresses the brake fluid inside of the master cylinder, which builds up pressure within the brake system. That pressure is transmitted through the brake lines and provides the force needed to work the vehicle’s brakes. More pedal force means more pressure, which means more stopping power.

When you release the brake pedal, the action of a spring releases the piston in the master cylinder, returning it to its resting position and decompressing the fluid in the system. This reduces the pressure in the system, causing the brakes at each wheel to release.


Clamping Action

Behind each wheel on your vehicle is a braking system component called the caliper, which is like a big clamp. Brake calipers generate clamping force when pressure is applied, via the brake fluid and brake lines. It’s this clamping action that forces the brake pads against the rotor and generates the friction required to slow or stop your vehicle. In a nutshell, when you press the brake pedal, the resulting increase in hydraulic pressure is transmitted (through the brake fluid in the brake lines) to the calipers. This causes the calipers to clamp, which creates friction and stops your vehicle.

Some vehicles, and particularly older ones, may use brake drums instead of brake calipers. Though brake drums and calipers are different, they both have the same job: turning hydraulic pressure into vehicle-stopping friction.


Friction

Brake pads are metal plates with a special slab of friction material attached to them. Each caliper uses two brake pads, one on each of the caliper’s two opposing sides. When both brake pads are installed in the caliper, their friction material surfaces face one another. But there’s a gap between the two slabs of friction material — and that’s where the brake rotor fits.

The brake rotor is a round, flat and perfectly-smooth metal disc that’s bolted to your vehicle’s wheels, and turns at the same speed they do. The caliper, with its brake pads installed, slips over a portion of that spinning brake rotor. Here, the smooth brake pad surfaces float just slightly above the smooth, rotating surface of the brake rotor.

When hydraulic pressure generated by the brake pedal arrives at the calipers, the clamping action begins. This forces the brake pad friction material surfaces towards one another, making them press against the spinning brake rotor from both sides. This generates a tremendous amount of heat and friction, which is used to reduce the speed of the brake rotor, and therefore, the spinning wheels, and therefore, the vehicle. A heavier application of the brake pedal generates more hydraulic pressure, more clamping, more friction, and faster stops.


Now that we understand how a brake system works lets talk about upgrading that single piston caliper setup you have on your Audi or Euro. 


Your best bang for your buck is to go with a 4 piston caliper from a reputable company. A 4 piston caliper can & often, performs better that their 6 piston brethren. Paired with a stainless steel brake line & aftermarket heat dissipating rotors with street appropriate brake pads & your cars braking performance rises immediately.


Check out my setup below. Over 30lbs of unsprung weight removed from the brake system alone.











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