For anyone that enjoys modifying a vehicle, the upgrades are endless. Power upgrades, suspension, intake, exhaust, wheels, and tires, the list doesn't stop there, especially in the off-road and overland world. Upgrading your stock tire size to tents, armor, winch, rooftop tents, or maybe a tow-behind trailer. We're constantly building our trucks taller, stronger, faster, and more capable. But how capable is your truck if it can't stop all that weight you've added? So, let's talk about PowerBrake's Brake upgrade kits and dive into why a brake upgrade is just as, if not more important than any other vehicle upgrade.

We're going to use this Tacoma we built here at the shop as an example to explain why a brake upgrade from PowerBrake should be next on the modification list. The Tacoma started out as a bone stock 2021 Tacoma TRD Off-road, a very capable truck. Our customer's goal was to build an off-road capable Overland-style truck. So we did what we do best and transformed the truck over several days. The build consisted of the following modifications:

Alu-Cab Canopy Camper
Alu-Cab 270-Degree Shadow Awning
Alu-Cab Shower Cube
Old Man Emu 2.5" Suspension Lift
SPC Upper Control Arms
Maxtrax with GP-Factor Mounting pins
AEV Conversion Salta Wheels
275/65/17 BFGoodrich Tires

This modification list is pretty darn extensive, and all these bolt-ons do add weight. On top of all the gear we added to the bed of the truck, the wheels were upgraded from 16s to 17s as well as bumping up the tire size from stock 28 to 32.5x9. All this gear before adding a fridge or cooler stocked with food and drinks along with recovery equipment, bedding, and camping essentials. So we added both weight and rotating mass, all of which needs to come to a stop. Let's not forget the brakes have to manage all this weight while off-roading. So when you encounter rocks, off-camber obstacles, steep, ruff hills, and managing traction to the wheels, your brakes are getting a workout. What happens to brakes when put to the test on trails like these? The answer? Easy brake fade.

Have you felt brake fade before? What is it? Brake fade is when you put heat into the brake rotors faster than the discs dissipate that heat. What happens is you run the brake pad friction material above its max operating temperature, causing your brake pedal to feel soft while stopping power diminishes and eventually fail. Your truck will take longer to stop and will require much more pedal input than you may be used to. These are signs you are experiencing brake fade. While all of this is happening, your brake rotors and pads produce so much heat they can eventually boil your brake fluid, causing your brakes to completely fail.

So, your brakes got hot and you experienced brake fade. You let your brakes cool down and continued on the trail. Later you get back on a paved road and while coming to a stop, the whole front of the truck is now shaking and you feel it in the brake pedal. That extreme heat the pads and rotors endured caused the brake rotors to warp and are no longer contacting the brake pads evenly, causing the truck to shake under braking. The only fix is to replace your pads and rotors. Do you see where we're going with this? PowerBrake's Big brake upgrade kit will eliminate this scenario from ever happening again, even on the gnarliest of trails.

When you do a PowerBrake Big Brake kit you upgrade your caliper and rotors in both size and technology. The Big Brake Kit increases stopping power by adding more brake surfaces, more clamping power, and increased cooling capabilities.

PowerBrake's Big Brake Kit is packed with features that put their kits leaps and bounds ahead of the competition. Have you heard of the Dakar Rally?

Their kits can be found on winning Dakar Rally trucks. If you are looking for a real-life torture test, Dakar is it. The Dakar is a 10-15 day rally that covers more than 4,000 miles of dirt, rock, and high-speed desert racing. We can confidently say these brakes work! For the adventure traveler, the off-road kit that PowerBrake offers shares the same technology found in the Dakar vehicles, so you can travel with confidence your brakes will be there every mile along the way.

The kits look impressive, but once you dive into the technology packed in these brakes you'll truly be impressed. Let's go over what is included in the kit:

X-Line billet 6-Piston Front Calipers
High-performance PB01 brake pads
1-Piece 350x34mm 48-vane rotors
Billet caliper mounting brackets
Stainless steel braided brakes lines

Caliper Specs

Machined from high-grade aerospace aluminum billet
Available in two finishes: Red anodize / Dark Grey anodize
6 stainless steel pistons (stainless steel pistons slow the transfer of heat from the brake pads to the calipers seals and brake fluid)
Internal fluid crossovers help manage heat
Hidden bleed screws for protection against damage
Calipers feature MTR system -This system provides a permanent record of the maximum operating temperature reached by the caliper.

Rotor Specs

High-carbon cast iron alloy rotors
48 curved, directional cooling vanes
 -The design significantly increases cooling vane surface area and airflow when compared to factory / OEM disc designs
“AT” Slot pattern on the rotor
Provides efficient removal of sand, mud, and water
Decreases levels of noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) under braking
Chemically de-greased before a black surface coating is added to ensure no machining fluids or other contaminants can be absorbed the brake pads
Rotors require no cleaning, preparation, or use of solvents at all
Rotors feature MTR system that provides a permanent record of the peak operating temperature reached by the rotor -(4-levels: Blue, Green, Orange, and Pink) change to white when a specific temperature is reached

Brake Pad Specs

PB01 brake pad compound is a high-friction, low-met material. A very well-balanced high-performance pad that offers a high friction coefficient and good fade resistance in 4x4 overland and sport truck applications. The friction material surfaces are scorched at the factory, which significantly reduces the on-car bed-in time required.

Was that a lot to take in? We told you the PowerBrake kit is no joke! What about fitment? Well, PowerBrake has Big Brake Kits for tons of makes and models of trucks, SUVs, and passenger vehicles. Head to our site to see all of our available kits. Current vehicles found on our site include:

Toyota: Tacoma, Tundra, 4Runner, FJ Cruiser, and Land Cruiser 200 & 80 Series
Jeep Wrangler: JL, JT, and JK,
Lexus: GX460, 470, and 570

We want to hear from you!

If you are interested in upgrading your vehicle's brakes, contact us today using the form below. Our knowledgeable sales and service team will be happy to assist you in getting your truck to stop on a dime.