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Source: Australian Car Mechanic post
YALLOURN, Australia – Penrite Racing Supercars and Bathurst winner, David Reynolds, was brought in by DBA (Disc Brakes Australia) to drive two European vehicles back to back, one fitted with an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) brake package, and the other with a set of DBA Performance brake rotors and pads.
With more than 40 years of manufacturing experience, exporting to more than 30 countries worldwide, including throughout Europe, DBA is a proven alternative to brands people commonly associate with European cars.
DBA provides direct replacement brake components for a wide range of European brands including, but not limited to, Audi, Alfa Romeo, Citroen, BMW, Jaguar, Land Rover, Range Rover, Mercedes, Porsche, Volvo and Volkswagen. Importantly, DBA’s parts can be easily fitted without the need to modify any components on the European vehicles, meaning they can be a straight swap for OEM.
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DBA has a range of Enshield rotors to provide clean, rust free performance, OEM style cross drilled and slotted rotors and slotted rotors that are designed to suit most European vehicles.
It is crucial to have trust and confidence in a car’s braking system to perform repeatedly. Reynolds discovered this in the DBA Performance package.
The two European cars were tested in two disciplines on the tarmac at Victoria’s Haunted Hills Hillclimb circuit. Reynolds took the cars to the track for a circuit braking test and found that the DBA components consistently performed better than the OEM parts. It is here that the experience of being a test driver and race driver is put to the test.
Reynolds said that the function of a car’s braking system can be woefully underestimated by drivers.
“Upgrading brakes can be the paramount thing to save your life,” said Reynolds.
During the punishing circuit tests, Reynolds noticed that the OEM equipment did not have as much bite and response to the brake pedal, more pedal pressure was required and the car’s anti-lock braking system (ABS) was noticeably more engaged as a result.
In comparison, when driving the car that had been upgraded to DBA’s equipment, Reynolds immediately noticed the bite and response of the pedal and observed that the brake fade exhibited in the OEM car was not felt in the DBA car, and the ABS was virtually nil in its usage.
In a series of braking distance tests, stopping 15 times from 100kph to 0kph, Reynolds found that the DBA package immediately pulled up in a significantly shorter distance than the OEM parts. The first test had the DBA setup stop in two meters less than the factory fitted setup. By the half-way mark, his tests showed the OEM’s braking distance had blown out to over four meters.
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