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There are a lot of good reasons to upgrade your braking system, and they all come down to safety. Not only will better brakes shorten the distance your vehicle must travel to come to a stop, they also will be more resistant to fade. Fade occurs when your brake fluid boils because your brakes have gotten too hot. This results in a soft pedal feel and, not surprisingly, much less responsive brakes. If you\'ve driven on a long, twisty downgrade, you\'ve certainly experienced brake fade.

Brake upgrades typically fall into two categories: A change from drum brakes to disc brakes, and a change from one set of disc brakes to another set with larger rotors.

Twenty or 30 years ago, lots of vehicles came with drum brakes at all four wheels. Nowadays, vehicles feature disc brakes in the front and either discs or drums in the rear. While the front brakes do most of your stopping (simply because the vehicle leans forward when you step on the brakes), your vehicle will stop sooner if you install more capable rear brakes. Of course, a change to larger discs in the front will dramatically reduce your stopping distance and provide increased fade resistance. Larger brakes also give you more control, because they\'re easier to modulate, so you can apply more or less pressure to the brake pedal and see a real difference in braking system response.

Disc brake upgrade kits usually include the brake rotors, the calipers, the caliper mounting hardware and bracketry. Some kits also come with a new master cylinder, which controls the brake fluid, if your vehicle\'s existing master cylinder is not up to the task (typically because it doesn\'t provide enough volume). Many kits also include attractive stainless steel braided brake lines, which often are precut to exactly the right length for your vehicle. Rear drum-to-disc conversion kits also should include emergency brake cables and possibly some additional hardware.

A brake upgrade kit should not interfere with or hamper your anti-lock braking system in any way.

The only issue to be aware of with a brake system upgrade is the possibility of wheel interference. This is more of a problem with front brakes than rear brakes, because the front brakes are larger. And there\'s the rub: Because the new brakes are larger than your originals, they may no longer work with your original wheels. The solution is swapping to a larger-diameter wheel, which also means buying new tires.

We’ve been discussing complete brake packages, but it is possible to buy individual components. For instance, you can change your brake pads to improve stopping performance. However, it’s important to choose pads that are appropriate for your application. Racing brake pads may help a vehicle that’s driven on the street to stop better for a short time, but they most likely are a poor match for the rest of its braking system. Because they will generate increased heat, they could permanently damage the vehicle’s brake rotors. As in most things, the key is to install the right combination of components.

Any time you\'re stopping better, you\'re creating more heat. Brakes use friction to convert a vehicle\'s forward-moving energy to heat. That\'s why your safest bet is to install a complete brake system, in which all the components have been designed to work together.

It\'s also a good idea to use a high-quality brake fluid. A better fluid will have a higher boiling temperature and will be more resistant to fade.

A popular option with brake systems these days is slotted or cross-drilled rotors. Slotted rotors literally have slots running across their outside surface, while cross-drilled rotors have had holes drilled right through them. In the old days, particularly on race cars, when the brakes would get hot they would boil off a material in the brake pads. This gas would get trapped between the brake rotor and the pad, which would prevent braking. To release the gas, people began drilling holes in the brake rotor. Slotting the rotor is a newer technique that produces less stress on the metal, and therefore provides increased rotor longevity.

This phenomenon, known as outgassing, isn’t a problem for vehicles that are driven on the street. However, because brake rotors show through many popular wheel designs, companies do offer cross-drilled and slotted rotors as an option that looks racy.

Plus, cross-drilled rotors can provide a safety and performance advantage in wet weather. Most people’s brakes won’t work right after they drive through a puddle because water gets between the brake pads and the rotors. The holes in cross-drilled rotors actually give that water someplace to go, so the brakes will work right after you splash through a serious puddle.

Finally, if you\'re going to be towing--especially a heavy trailer--you need to look into a good set of trailer brakes.