The most important modification? Brakes!
If you drive your car hard, even if it’s not on a race track you need better brakes, at least on 90% of the cars out there. Everyone thinks that to be fast, you need big power. Sure that is true but as important as power is brakes. Being quick is about being able to push to the very edge, being able to slow down (controllably), carrying speed and momentum through a corner is a must, exit speed is king!
Now lets kill a rumor, you do not need giant rotors nor do you need 6 pot calipers! Yes both will help with braking but neither are as important as proper pads, stainless brake lines and brake fluid.
Picking out brake pads can be very intimidating as all of the brake companies offer multiple compounds for every car, what compound is right for your car? The car is not the question, you and how you use your car are the question. If you are using your car on the street, do NOT buy a racing pad! Racing pads are for racing, they suck on the street and they are dangerous as a race pad only comes in/becomes effective when there is heat built into the pad, consistent heat. Meaning you pull out of the drive way in the morning, tap the brakes at the end of the drive way, you are going to keep rolling longer than you want to and for freeway driving they are very dangerous, imagine doing 80mph for 3 hours never touching the brake pedal and then having some reason to jump on the brakes, they aren’t going to work well. Do NOT buy race pads for use on the street! Race pads also make a lot of dust and are very noisy. Companies like EBC make pads designed for street and track use, their YellowStuff pads are an excellent choice for any street car and they work great on the track. Shop smart and do your homework.
The other important stuff, stainless steel lines and good fluid. Brakes get hot with heavy use, while a normal brake line will do the job, stainless lines maintain a consistent feel and will rarely fade. Brake fluid is just as important, normal brake fluid will work but when it gets hot it breaks down, the result is a soft/spongy brake pedal that produces less than optimum brake pressure. In the end doing brake pads, stainless lines all the way around the car and changing the fluid will cost you about $500. It will be the best $500 you spend on your car and will be the modification that puts you ahead of the other guys. We were going to ignore bigger rotors and calipers but this wouldn’t be a complete article without talking about them. Bigger brakes mean more braking surface for the pads, more surface means a shorter stopping distance which is a great thing. If you can afford to go bigger, do it! But be forewarned, a proper big brake kit is not cheap and now there are crappy companies making big kits that look right but suck. Again, shop smart!
We’ve said it a few times, “shop smart”. Here is a real quick and easy way to determine if the brake company that you are looking at is real. Do racers use them? Not does the company sponsor a team or driver, any company can do that with enough money but what matters is what are racers using? You want one of those brands.
Lastly lets talk about drum brakes really quick. If your car came with drums on the rear, get rid of them! They are 100% worthless, there is no exception!