Bracket Drag Racing Basics
Brakes
Don’t Skimp when it comes to your Race Vehicles Brakes. It takes you an 1/8 mile or ¼ mile to get to the Finish line. Now you have to stop in a lot less Area and Time. You need high Quality Brakes to get you stopped and in a straight line. The Last thing you need is one brake to grab more than another, you could be kissing the wall with your Drag Race Vehicle real quick. I recommend that you get Disc Brakes all the way around, if you do not have them already. There are Disc Brake kits on the market that are made for most Vehicles out there. They include everything needed to stop your High Powered Vehicle in a hurry. If your Vehicle already has Disc Brakes, there are upgrade kits for them also. You can get 2 or even 3 Piston Calipers. Always use High Quality Disc Pads too. Never use Bonded Disc Pads for Your Race Vehicle, they make Riveted Pads that are far Superior to the Bonded Pads.
You can use Drum Brakes if your Vehicle came with them, but even then you should upgrade everything to New Condition using all new parts. You could still upgrade them further by making standard Brakes into Power brakes. You can also replace a Single Reservoir Master Cylinder with a Duel Reservoir Unit.
No Matter what, if you are using a Used Vehicle for your Drag Racing. You should, for good Measure, replace all the Steel Brake Lines with New Steel Brake Lines. Another Item you will need for your Race Vehicle is Steel Braided Flex Brake Lines. These Braided Lines run from the Steel Brake Lines on your Frame, to each of the Calipers in the front-end, and to the Y Block on the rear-end, for the rear Brakes. The Steel Braided Lines replace the Rubber hose lines that came stock on most Vehicles. The Steel Braided lines have less give to them, which translates to more stopping power when you need it.
NOTE: Anytime you replace anything in the Brake System, always check and double check everything, from tightening fittings to making sure the fluid is up to level. Make sure there are NO Leaks Anywhere. You can never be to Safe when it comes to your Brake System. If your speed is 150 MPH or Faster you will have to have a Parachute, to help stop the car along with your regular Braking system.
