Most of us don’t think about upgrading the essential parts of a vehicle after purchasing it. Some don’t have the budget for it, while others just don’t know what their vehicle requires for optimum performance. Brakes are one of the most important parts of a functioning vehicle. If the brakes fail to work, the driver’s life can be in danger, not to mention that failing to stop your car in time can put other drivers and pedestrians at great risk. Apart from getting your vehicle serviced regularly, you must carefully consider the following reasons why you need to upgrade the factory-installed brakes in your vehicle.

1. To Replace Inefficient Brakes

You must understand that the vehicle you own is an assembly of different parts obtained by the vehicle manufacturers that are compiled together in the factory. The manufacturers buy vehicle parts from different suppliers at cheaper rates to maximize their profits. These low-cost vehicle parts may not be the best possible fit for your needs. Due to the cheaper quality, the parts of a vehicle might deteriorate at a faster rate. Within a few years of buying a vehicle, the brakes are bound to burn-out due to prolonged wear and tear. The brakes may start to be less efficient after excessive usage. To avoid a situation where your brakes completely fail to work, you should think about installing better and upgraded brakes.

2. Longer Lasting Brakes

If you tend to use your vehicle beyond ordinary tasks and add a lot of mileage on it, chances are that the brake pads of your vehicle may wear off sooner than they normally do. Pushing your vehicle to high speeds and sudden braking can decrease the brake’s durability. When you apply the brakes in a speeding car, the traction created between the brakes and the tires generates a lot of heat. The high temperatures can easily degrade the rubber pads of the brakes. Sooner or later, the rubber fittings are bound to thinning away and leave you with inoperative brakes. Upgrading the rubber brakes with a semi-metallic brake is a certain way to increase the life expectancy of your vehicle’s brakes.

3. Decrease Stopping Distance

Over time, the calipers of a vehicle’s brake lose their clasping power that is used to clamp down on the tires during braking. When you push the brakes with old calipers, the vehicle takes longer to slow down and come to a stop. This phenomenon is known as brake fade. The stock brakes lose their efficiency over time, while as mentioned on Advanced Braking, a new braking system will last longer, improve braking power, decrease the stopping distance, and prevent the fading of brakes. The older the brakes, the longer the stopping distance will be.

4. Increased Efficiency Under Extreme Conditions

If you use your vehicle to race or to drive under extreme conditions, replacing the stock brakes with performance brakes is the best thing to do. Installing a complete performance package in a race car can help you get in and out of sharp turns easily and confidently. Otherwise, if you use your vehicle for routine tasks and occasionally take it for a rough spin, changing to performance calipers and pads will work perfectly for you. You don’t need a full-spec braking system in your vehicle if you don’t use the car for racing. Upgrading the brakes of your vehicle is beneficial for dissipating the thermal energy generated during braking. Additionally, you can install rotors to divert the heat away from the brake disc.

5. Vehicle Safety

The last, but not the least, of the reasons to upgrade the brakes of your vehicle is safety. Driving long-distance routes with worn-out brakes is nothing less than life-threatening. If you have an old vehicle, likely, the brake pads and calipers don’t function at their maximum capacity. You may have also noticed while driving downhill that it is harder to slow down the vehicle. Stomping on to the brakes is the only viable option left in such situations. It is vital to have your vehicle’s braking system checked by a good mechanic before riding off on long road trips.

A good driver knows that compromising on the quality of their brakes is equivalent to compromising their safety. If you’re having issues with your vehicle’s braking system, you must get it serviced or completely replaced immediately. If you’re planning on increasing your vehicle’s performance by installing a turbo booster, you will also need to upgrade the brakes along with it. Remember that the faster you drive, the harder it will be to stop, so be sure to consider your safety and that of others if you wish to drive fast and furious.