When it comes to drag racing, making horsepower is usually priority one when it comes to making the vehicle faster. However, there are a number of reasons why upgrading to an aftermarket brake system should be considered first. Along with increasing engine output, weight reduction is universally accepted in the motorsports world as a viable means for improving vehicle performance. Most drag brake kits, including the ones we'll discuss in a little bit, utilize rotors, brackets, and calipers that are significantly lighter than factory pieces. Adding the individual weight savings up, your car could be losing 10, 20, even 30 lbs or more of unsprung weight. This weight reduction can improve on-track performance by lowering the overall vehicle weight (less mass to accelerate and decelerate) and by allowing you to move weight around the vehicle to optimize weight transfer and traction. A reduction in unsprung weight also allows the suspension to work more efficiently. Increased braking performance through better caliper, pad, and rotor design is yet another reason to upgrade to a dedicated drag racing brake system, and one racers should not take lightly. There are a great many compromises with a factory braking systems what works from the factory for a street application may not be the best way to go for your drag application. Stock brake systems are designed for low noise, low dust, a smooth pedal feel and average stops from street-legal speeds—this is likely not the best option for repetitive long stops from elevated, on-track speeds. As you move your vehicle usage toward a single purpose, optimizing each vehicle system for that purpose will allow it to perform better as a whole. Drag brake kits deliver an increase in braking performance to compensate for the increase in speeds. One other thing to realize, especially if your car is an older muscle car, is that the factory braking systems of the 60s and 70s were not designed for many of today's average highway speeds, let alone full-tilt on-track speeds. With the reasons for a brake upgrade obvious, let's take a look at three different options that Strange Engineering has for your vehicle. The Pro Series Brake Kit from Strange Engineering is the next step up in drag brake performance, and covers both front and rear brake system components for most popular Ford, GM, and Mopar applications. It maintains the same forged one piece design of the S-Series, but upgrades the solid rotors to radial-slotted versions that allow for greater heat expansion to prevent the rotor from distorting. The rotors also feature lightening windows in the hats to reduce rotating mass. The Pro Series line also utilizes directional calipers with staggered piston sizes to ensure even pad wear. Uneven pad wear can lead to excess drag on the rotor, which can slow your vehicle down.
When it comes to drag racing, making horsepower is usually priority one when it comes to making the vehicle faster. However, there are a number of reasons why upgrading to an aftermarket brake system should be considered first. Along with increasing engine output, weight reduction is universally accepted in the motorsports world as a viable means for improving vehicle performance. Most drag brake kits, including the ones we'll discuss in a little bit, utilize rotors, brackets, and calipers that are significantly lighter than factory pieces. Adding the individual weight savings up, your car could be losing 10, 20, even 30 lbs or more of unsprung weight. This weight reduction can improve on-track performance by lowering the overall vehicle weight (less mass to accelerate and decelerate) and by allowing you to move weight around the vehicle to optimize weight transfer and traction. A reduction in unsprung weight also allows the suspension to work more efficiently. Increased braking performance through better caliper, pad, and rotor design is yet another reason to upgrade to a dedicated drag racing brake system, and one racers should not take lightly. There are a great many compromises with a factory braking systems what works from the factory for a street application may not be the best way to go for your drag application. Stock brake systems are designed for low noise, low dust, a smooth pedal feel and average stops from street-legal speeds—this is likely not the best option for repetitive long stops from elevated, on-track speeds. As you move your vehicle usage toward a single purpose, optimizing each vehicle system for that purpose will allow it to perform better as a whole. Drag brake kits deliver an increase in braking performance to compensate for the increase in speeds. One other thing to realize, especially if your car is an older muscle car, is that the factory braking systems of the 60s and 70s were not designed for many of today's average highway speeds, let alone full-tilt on-track speeds. With the reasons for a brake upgrade obvious, let's take a look at three different options that Strange Engineering has for your vehicle. The Pro Series Brake Kit from Strange Engineering is the next step up in drag brake performance, and covers both front and rear brake system components for most popular Ford, GM, and Mopar applications. It maintains the same forged one piece design of the S-Series, but upgrades the solid rotors to radial-slotted versions that allow for greater heat expansion to prevent the rotor from distorting. The rotors also feature lightening windows in the hats to reduce rotating mass. The Pro Series line also utilizes directional calipers with staggered piston sizes to ensure even pad wear. Uneven pad wear can lead to excess drag on the rotor, which can slow your vehicle down.

More From This Category