An essential part of your UTV is the braking system but can cause some issues if you are driving your machine hard. The main reason for braking issues with any vehicle is heat that causes brake fade. Commonly seen in UTV racing, brake fade occurs when the brakes heat up and result in less braking force.

Brake fade happens when heat transfers into the brake pads, calipers, and brake fluid. There is a significant decrease in braking force due to all the braking energy being translated into heat. UTV’s have increased braking problems due to the design of the brakes. There are many improvements that can be made to a UTV’s braking system.

 

Calipers:

Brake calipers are responsible for transferring hydraulic energy into clamping force. As you press the pedal fluid is pushed through the master cylinder creating hydraulic pressure. The brake fluid travels through the brake lines to the caliper and pushes the pistons outward to clamp the brake pads against the rotor.

The common issue with most UTV calipers is the diameter and number of pistons in each caliper. Most stock calipers only have two pistons per wheel which don’t provide enough stopping power when it’s needed. By doubling the number of pistons per caliper you are effectively doubling your braking force.

Smaller diameter pistons also prove to be a problem as they don’t cover enough surface area and do a poor job at distributing the braking force. Increasing the diameter of the piston along with the master cylinder bore creates more pressure and covers more surface area on the brake pad. Dialing this in allows for optimal caliper efficiency and a great pedal feel.

Another factor that can improve overall braking performance is the piston seals. When the seals in the caliper go bad, the brake fluid can become contaminated and hinder your braking. Dirty brake fluid can affect the pedal feel and heat dissipation capabilities.

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Rotors:

Most UTV rotors are constructed of cheap stamped steel. They are very similar to the design of motorcycle brakes as they are paper thin and have machined patterns for ventilation. The idea behind this is that the thin rotor and machined slots dissipate heat much better than a traditional car rotor.

This couldn’t be further from the truth for UTV’s as the thin rotors transfer more heat into the surrounding components. Utilizing a traditional vented rotor allows for the rotor to disperse heat through the middle vents rather than into the caliper and brake fluid. Upgrading your rotors alone could prove to be very beneficial, but the options are limited due to the caliper design.

Most big brake kits on the market currently will upgrade the calipers but maintain the same style rotor as the factory. While this does slightly improve the braking performance, there are still many downsides to using a factory-style rotor. Upgrading the rotors and calipers will solve the biggest issues in a UTV braking system.

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Brake Pads:

There are many variables that go into a brake pad and the performance it exerts. A few of the factors include – Compound material, size, surface area, and ventilation. Using a more abrasive compound will provide more braking friction and will slow you down much faster. This is a fine balance as the better the braking compound, the faster the pad will deteriorate.

Brake pad size in correlation with piston size will significantly improve the performance of your brakes. Increasing the surface area making contact with the rotors will effectively create more friction and improve the clamping force and friction. With friction comes heat which is why brake pads need ventilation as well.

Most brake pads have a groove cut into the surface and this is for heat dissipation and noise reduction. Completely flat pads are commonly noisy and squeal upon applying force. This is due to harmonic vibrations and those vibrations resonate in the rotor causing a squeal.

Incorporating the slot into the brake pad not only helps reduce harmonic vibrations but also helps the vaporized gasses escape. As the pad heats up, moisture and other materials are vaporizing and need to properly disperse. The incorporated slot allows for those vapors to escape efficiently and maintain peak braking performance.

Do I Need A Big Brake Kit?

Installing a big brake kit can significantly improve your braking performance and give you the upper hand. While better brakes will always benefit you, the necessity will depend on the way you drive your machine. If you are taking your machine out on trails every other month then upgrading your brake pads would be ideal to provide more bite when pressing the brakes.

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If your driving style revolves around UTV racing, installing a big brake kit will be considerably beneficial for you. UTV racing is highly demanding when it comes to the brakes on your machine. In this setting is where you will notice the effects of brake fade and a spongy feeling pedal due to your brake fluid boiling.