For the vehicle's braking system, veteran drivers often pay special attention. Because braking distance has a decisive impact on driving safety, even a difference of one meter can mean the difference between an accident and the edge of life and death. As a result, many fans will make some modifications to the braking system. The most common practice is to replace large brake calipers and multi-piston cylinders, such as four-piston or the more exaggerated six-piston version. In addition, brake discs are often replaced for better heat dissipation and durability. With the addition of other small accessories, the cost of a complete set of modifications may be as high as thousands or even tens of thousands of yuan. So, can such a modification really shorten the braking distance?

In fact, to really shorten the braking distance, several components need to be systematically modified, and replacing the calipers alone is not very effective. Many people opt for more premium brake calipers for the sake of aesthetics, giving the car a more performant look as if it were a race car. Why doesn't a larger caliper significantly improve braking distance? There are two main reasons:

120. In urban road conditions, the speed of the vehicle is usually around 0km/h, and even if you are on the highway, it rarely exceeds 0km/h. In such a speed range, the original braking system is more than enough to cope with, and the braking power is not a limiting factor. Automakers are also concerned about braking performance, and they have already done so if a simple change of calipers can significantly reduce braking distances. In fact, the essence of braking is achieved through the frictional force between the tire and the ground, and this force determines the stop of the vehicle.

Below 120km/h, the original braking system is enough to generate enough force to push the tyre grip to the limit and trigger the ABS system to intervene. This means that the brake cylinder does not completely lock the brake disc during emergency braking, but ABS intervenes to automatically adjust it to prevent the tyre from locking. This shows that in most cases, the original braking system is strong enough to exceed the grip limits of the tires.

2. The brake calipers modified in the aftermarket may not fully match the original system of the vehicle, and the response of the ABS system may be inaccurate if it is not professionally tuned, and the braking efficiency may be affected by premature or late intervention.

Of course, modified brake calipers are not completely useless. For example, at very high speeds (e.g. above 160 km/h), the braking distance can indeed be significantly shortened, because the faster the vehicle, the more braking force is required. In addition, the high-performance braking system also has excellent resistance to thermal decay, and can maintain stable braking power even under long-term high-load braking.

In everyday driving, even at high speeds, it does not exceed 120 km/h, and car manufacturers have designed their braking systems with this in mind. Therefore, for most driving situations, the original braking system is sufficient to use, and there is no need to upgrade additional parts such as calipers and cylinders.

If you do want better braking performance, in addition to modifying the braking system, it is also necessary to replace tires with higher grip. At the same time, it is also important to strengthen the vehicle's suspension system, especially the front wheels, to avoid suspension compression and tail lift caused by the forward shift of the center of gravity.