John ButlerWhen changing out your brakes, you may have asked yourself, “Should I install the same brand of brake disc pads and rotors?”
The answer to that question depends on what you want to accomplish. If you’re replacing OE equipment with something comparable, there’s no reason you can’t switch from one brand to another. And there’s no reason you can’t buy pads from one company and rotors from another. But if you’re upgrading your brakes for better street or track performance, the answer gets more complicated.
OE Level Brake Disc Pads and Rotors
OE, or Original Equipment parts offer the same level of quality and performance as the original parts. This means if you replace your worn-out brake pads and rotors with OE equipment, your brakes should perform like new. It doesn’t matter if you buy Raybestos brake discs and Akebono brake pads, if the parts are OE quality, they should perform the same.
Brake Kits and Brake Upgrades
When you decide to upgrade your brakes it opens up a lot of possibilities. Unlike OE parts, upgraded parts offer different levels of braking performance for different driving needs. Some parts are designed to provide better street performance, while other parts are geared for the racetrack or to provide heavy-duty stopping power for towing.
In these scenarios, you can still mix and match parts from different manufacturers, but you need to make sure the parts are compatible and offer the same level of performance. You wouldn’t want to mix street rotors with racing pads. Likewise, you wouldn’t put brakes designed for towing on a race car. In either case, it would hurt your braking performance.
How to Upgrade Your Brakes
If you’re thinking about upgrading your brakes, one way to help decide is to check your rotors’ thickness. Brake rotors have minimum tolerances and if your brake rotors are too thin, they need to be replaced. If your rotors need to be replaced, you can decide how to upgrade your brakes. To help with that, we have several options and resources:
- First, BuyBrakes.com offers a number of brake rotor and pad kits for different applications. Most of these kits are cost-effective solutions that provide measurable improvements over stock brake performance. These kits are designed to fit your specific driving needs and are an inexpensive way to enhance your car’s braking performance.
- If you’re not sure what a brake kit is, we have a helpful guide to explain them and provide information on the different types.
- Finally, check out this guide, if you aren’t sure which kit is best for your needs.
Need Help Finding The Right Brake Pad And Rotor Kit For Your Vehicle?
You can call, text, or fill out our contact form, which you can find here. We’ll review your needs and provide you with some good recommendations.
