Yesterday we talked about the basics of tires and brakes and that they are dependant upon traction/friction to do their best work. But that the tires and brakes with the best traction/friction factors are also likely to wear out faster so that most consumer tires and brakes are a compromise of long life and reasonably good performance.
Many consumers believe that they can get the very best of both worlds of performance and long wear by paying more money for tires and brake pads/shoes that promise "race car performance." In the case of tires I can assure you that even the most expensive street tires are no where near as good as racing tires when driving at the limits of you and your car's performance envelope. Even at the lowest rank of automobile contests like a "run what ya' brung" day at the local drag strip or a club's autocross competition, expensive street tires will get beat all day long by even old worn out race tires. I know this because I have done these kinds of competitions on expensive street tires and old, used race tires. Old, used race tires win EVERY time.
Now lets get back to brakes and more specifically what you can do to improve your car's braking ability. Most people assume that "bigger is better" and they install larger disks and calipers. While installing larger brakes is relatively easy and it will improve braking power, the extra weight of the larger components is a performance negative and the new larger parts may not fit under the wheels you have on your car.
A much better way to improve your brakes is to use quality friction materiel (brake pads and shoes). If you go to your local auto parts store Pep Boys, AutoZone, Kragen, etc. or even a good independent parts store they will offer OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) style brake pads and shoes and maybe a slightly more expensive "upgrade" set that promises better performance. Frankly even the upgrade stuff is not all that much better than the standard stuff. For real braking performance you need to move up to the stuff racers use which is sold by Porterfield Brakes or EBC Brakes.
So what is the down side of these real performance pads? They cost 2-3 times as much as the cheapos sold in the parts store, they will wear out faster than standard pads and shoes and as they wear out they will throw off more brake dust on to your shiny wheels. But you will also notice a marked improvement in stopping power when you are driving enthusiastically.