10 tips for safe, sure-footed brakes

1. Pick the Right Compound

• Racing compounds go on a race car, while street compounds go on a street car.

2. Look for Leaks

• If anything is leaking in your braking system, fix it immediately. Make a visual inspection of all brake components and look for wet areas–you should find none.

3. Make Sure They’re Assembled Correctly

• If a car has had at least one previous owner, assume that someone with a lack of mechanical ability has touched the brakes.

4. Bleed Them Correctly

• We’ve always preferred the two-person way: One person goes to each wheel and bleeds the brake according to the shop manual instructions, while another person works the pedal.

5. Adjust the Drums

• After making sure the adjusters are not frozen, adjust the brakes so they just start to drag.

6. Adjust the Parking Brake

• Stuck parking brakes can quickly make brakes feel and act funny, plus wear out things out quickly.

7. Check the Hoses

• A visual inspection of flexible brake hoses is pretty easy–look for leaks and cracks, discarding any hose with either.

8. Check the Linkages

• After you’ve checked that all the components are not leaking and are in good shape, look for wear (and therefore compliance) in the pedal/master cylinder linkage and in the rear brake/parking brake linkages.

9. Rotor & Drum Surfaces Matter

• Obviously, grooves are bad, but so is glazing.

10. Do You Really Need Those Big Brakes?

• If you can lock up your wheels and tires, you don’t need bigger brakes–you need stickier tires

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