Q: I put larger wheels on my truck and now my brakes don't feel as firm as they used to. What happened?
A: When you install larger wheels and tires two thing happen. First, you're increasing the weight of your wheels, and second you're expanding the overall diameter of the wheels and tires. As your wheels get heavier and taller it puts increased loads on your braking system. The bottom line is that you've made it harder to stop the larger, heavier rotating mass of your new super-sized wheels.
The good news is that it is relatively easy and inexpensive to upgrade your brake system. There are many options to choose from. The easiest and most cost effective way to better braking is a simple brake pad upgrade. By upgrading to heavy-duty, performance pads like those made by Hawk, you'll experience improved braking.
Another easy upgrade is to add stainless steel brake lines. Russell offers stainless lines that improve the feel of your brakes by reducing line flex. Stock rubber lines expand under pressure. That means part of the stopping force being applied to your brakes is lost to line expansion. Stainless lines eliminate line flex and improve pedal feel and stopping power.
Other upgrades include slotted and/or cross drilled rotors or larger rotors and calipers like those offered by Power Slot and Baer. These upgrades offer the best improvement in braking performance, but at a higher cost than the brake pad and stainless line upgrades mentioned above.