The smart way to improve your car’s performance

Performance car enthusiasts are never fully satisfied. Not even the best sports car in the world is ever perfect, which is why we love to modify our machines.

Whether it’s improving the engine’s power output, the car’s handling characteristics or just the visual aesthetics, tinkering is in our DNA.

However, we often start in the wrong place, searching for more grunt before anything else. But there’s a more effective and more affordable – and far less complicated – way to improve the performance of your car before you go meddling with the motor: enhancing stopping power rather than horsepower.

Allow us to explain why…

Ask any racing driver about which element on the track is the most important for a fast lap time, and the majority will say ‘under brakes’. It’s where they can make the biggest gains and is not only critical for overtaking but also for staying out in front.

A car that can brake harder and later – and, most importantly, consistently for lap after lap – is faster and more enjoyable to drive than one with more horsepower that cannot.

Better brakes breed confidence from the driver and generate faster lap times from the car. Simple as that.

Both on the circuit – if you’re a regular track day pundit in your performance car – and, more importantly, on the road, better brakes improve the safety of your car by being able to stop quicker and potentially avoid emergency situations that may cause injury or damage.

Upgrading your brakes should really be your first performance modification.

Sure, it’s not as sexy as a loud exhaust system, a bigger turbocharger, lowered suspension, or flash new alloy wheels, but it is the most affordable and cost-effective solution.

For around the same amount as you’d spend on two high-performance tyres, you can drastically improve performance with a new set of better discs and pads, high-pressure hoses, and high-temperature brake fluid.

Thankfully, there’s a one-stop solution here from Bendix thanks to its Ultimate+ Performance Brake Upgrade Kit.

Bendix is Australia’s largest manufacturer of specialised friction material products and a global leader in the automotive aftermarket sector, with more than 60 years of experience.

Following an exhaustive research and development program using the latest in technology, Bendix has developed the Ultimate+ Performance Brake Upgrade Kit to suit a wide variety of popular sports cars, including selected Holden and HSV Commodore models, the rally-bred Subaru WRX, and the fun-to-drive Toyota 86/Subaru BRZ twins.

Bendix offers separate packages for front and rear brake upgrades, allowing owners to choose the right solution to suit their requirements and budget.

The front kits include upgraded Ultimate rotors, Ultimate+ brake pads, Ultimate+ brake hoses, a 1L bottle of high-performance DOT4 brake fluid, a can of Bendix Cleanup brake cleaner, a tube of Ceramasil brake parts lubricant and a bonus 60L Bendix icebox. The rear kits include Ultimate disc rotors and a set of Ultimate+ brake pads.

The Bendix Ultimate rotors are the core element of the Performance Upgrade Kit and provide superior stopping power through their design and construction.

The discs feature high carbon content in their metallurgy, which not only improves friction for faster deceleration but also provides consistent thermal stability that reduces brake fade and warping under extreme braking temperatures.

On the face of each disc, Bendix has incorporated Diamond Tip slots and V-shaped dimples that further assist with dispersing hot gases for better performance. These elements also help to eliminate dirt and water between the rotors and brake pads for more consistent braking performance and pedal feel.

The Bendix Ultimate rotors have been designed based on the original manufacturers’ specifications for size, diameter, and stud patterns, ensuring they are easy to fit and don’t compromise any other components in the suspension or steering systems.

The rotors work in harmony with the Ultimate+ brake pads, which Bendix says improve stopping power by up to 25 per cent compared to the standard brake pads fitted by the original manufacturer, while also being more durable and reducing wear on the rotors.

They do this using an advanced ceramic formula that provides better pedal response and braking confidence, while also producing significantly less noise and brake dust, meaning alloy wheels stay shinier for longer after each wash.

The Ultimate+ brake pads also feature Bendix’s unique Blue Titanium Stripe, which rapidly ‘mates’ the pads to the rotor when the brakes are first applied. This eliminates the need to ‘bed in’ the brakes, which saves time – especially if you change pads at a track day.

With the Bendix Ultimate+ Performance Brake Upgrade Kit for the front of the car, the inclusion of braided brake hoses is another critical element.

These feature a Teflon-coated core line wrapped in a stainless-steel braid with a protective outer sleeve; this essentially prevents the hose from expanding when under high pressure.

Conventional rubber brake hoses will expand like a balloon when the fluid is hot under heavy braking. Naturally, this reduces the hydraulic pressure applied to the pistons in the caliper that force the brake pads onto the rotor. This not only reduces the stopping power, but also makes the brake pedal feel spongy and less responsive.

With braided lines, the stainless-steel sheath ensures the hydraulic pressure remains consistent, while also offering added protection from damage due to road debris.

Lastly, having the right brake fluid in the system is also an important element in improving performance, especially the consistency of braking.

Brakes obviously produce a lot of heat in how they operate, and the hydraulic fluid that connects the entire system is affected by this. Under sustained high pressures, the temperature of the fluid can rise to a point where it boils, at which time it can create air bubbles in the lines that cause brake fade or, even worse, brake failure.

The front Bendix Ultimate+ Performance Brake Upgrade Kit includes a 1L bottle of DOT 4 Brake Fluid that has a higher boiling temperature than the DOT 3 fluid that many manufacturers use as standard (230ºC compared to 205ºC).

Another benefit of using DOT 4 brake fluid is that it helps minimise corrosion within the braking system while remaining inert to both natural and synthetic rubbers used in hoses, cups, and seals.

The Bendix Ultimate+ Performance Brake Upgrade Kit not only improves the driving experience but also helps owners better maintain their ride.

The Ceramasil Brake Parts Lubricant is specially formulated to improve the dampening of all-natural brake vibrations, which in turn reduces the level of noise and any unwanted frequencies entering the cabin while driving. It also provides protection against corrosion and improves wear for better long-term durability of key components such as brake pads, calipers, and rotors.

When upgrading the brakes, apply the Ceramasil Lubricant to all metal-to-metal and rubber contact areas as well as the backing plates on the brake pads.

And, when you’re not driving, the Bendix Brake and Parts Cleaner quickly and easily removes brake dust and road grime from your wheels and brake components. Cleaning the rotors regularly, using the Bendix Brake and Parts Cleaner, will also prevent the brakes from squeaking or squealing.

So there you go, the simple reasons why you should chase stopping power rather than horsepower first when searching for added performance. For track day enthusiasts it’s the most affordable and effective way to improve your lap times, while also improving the safety of your car no matter when or where you’re driving.

To learn more about the Bendix Ultimate+ Performance Brake Upgrade Kit, head to the Bendix Australia website.