Brakes

The Right Brake Upgrade Order

Cheapest gains first, biggest spend last. Skip a step and you're spending money at the wrong end of the problem. This is the order we'd recommend to a customer walking into the workshop tomorrow.

1. Brake Fluid — the $45 fix

Boiled fluid feels exactly like faded pads. Brake fluid is hygroscopic — it absorbs moisture out of the air through a sealed system, and after 12 months the boiling point has dropped from "race-spec" to "average commuter". On a hot track day it'll boil before your pads are done. A fresh bottle of DOT 4 race-spec fluid costs less than dinner and fixes the most common pedal-feel complaint we hear.

• Alcon Pro-System PRO-600 (SKU BFL.PRO600) — DOT 4, 300°C dry / 195°C wet boiling point, metal can packaging, $44.95 per 500ml
• DIXCEL race fluid — Japanese-engineered alternative for circuit-focused builds

Shop brake fluid →

2. Brake Pads — match the compound to your driving

Where most actual fade comes from. A daily commuter wants a low-dust street compound. A weekend track-day driver wants something that bites hot. Get this wrong and you'll either glaze pads on the street or have no brakes cold on track. Chicane stocks the full DIXCEL Japan range:

• DIXCEL Premium — OE replacement, daily commuter, lowest dust and noise
• DIXCEL Type M — street performance, low dust, the popular daily upgrade
• DIXCEL EC (Extra Cruise) — balanced street with light track capability
• DIXCEL ES (Extra Speed) — sport street, more aggressive bite, more dust
• DIXCEL Z — track-capable street, the popular street/track compound
• DIXCEL Specom Beta — full circuit race compound, needs heat to work, not safe on a cold street pad

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3. Brake Rotors — replace with pads, not before

Old rotors absorb pad material from the previous compound. Bolt new pads to glazed rotors and they'll never bed properly — you'll have ongoing pulsation, contaminated friction surfaces and shortened pad life. Replace as a matched set. One-piece slotted DIXCEL covers most builds; Paragon two-piece floating discs are the answer when track miles get serious.

• DIXCEL SD / PD / FS / HS / FCR — full one-piece performance rotor range, slotted, plain, full-slot, heat-slit and drilled-slotted variants
• Paragon 2-Piece Floating Rotors — aluminium hat + iron friction ring, replaceable rings, weight savings, thermal isolation for sustained track use
• Alcon & AP Racing Rotors — matched-spec discs for their respective BBK applications

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4. Brake Lines — firm up an old pedal

On a 10-year-old car the rubber has softened and your factory lines expand under brake pressure — that's measurable pedal-feel loss. PTFE-lined stainless braided lines don't expand the same way, which is where the firmer pedal everyone talks about comes from. HEL Performance lines are ADR-compliant for Australian road use and carry a lifetime warranty on most kits.

• HEL Performance braided lines — ADR-compliant, vehicle-specific kits, PTFE inner / stainless braid construction, lifetime warranty

Pairs naturally with a fluid change at the same service — the cheapest meaningful pedal-feel upgrade in the catalogue.

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5. Brake Shims — squeal and heat, two different jobs

Two products, often confused. Anti-squeal shims sit behind the pad backing plate and damp the vibration that causes brake squeal. Titanium heat shims sit between pad and piston and cut the heat path from the friction surface into your caliper and fluid. A track car wants both.

• DIXCEL Anti-Squeal Shims — direct OE-replacement, pair with DIXCEL pad orders to avoid new-pad squeal
• Paragon Anti-Squeal Shims — alternative anti-squeal option, matched-brand pairing with Paragon 2-piece rotors
• Paragon Titanium Heat Shims — thermal barrier between pad and piston, the single biggest fix for boiling fluid on track-driven cars

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6. Big Brake Kits & Calipers — last, not first

If you've done the five steps above and the factory caliper is genuinely the bottleneck — lap times falling off mid-session because the caliper is heat-soaked, not because the pad is gone — then yes, you're ready for a BBK. Most people who think they need one actually need fluid, pads and lines done properly first. When you do need one, you've got three routes at Chicane:

• Brembo — Italian, OE supplier to nearly every performance manufacturer. PISTA forged racing line (FF6, FF4), GT|A / GT|M / GT|BM Gran Turismo street and track, GT-S monobloc bridge-to-track. The default when you want a recognised brand with the widest fitment catalogue.
• AP Racing — UK (Coventry), 700+ Formula 1 Grand Prix wins, originator of the patented Radi-CAL asymmetric caliper. Road & Track range (forged Radi-CAL with dust boots, hard-anodised pistons, ADR-friendly) and Competition range (race-spec hard-anodised, quick pad change, motorsport-focused). The performance-engineering choice for buyers who want the most technically-developed caliper in the market.
• Alcon — UK (Tamworth), F1 / WRC / Aston Martin GT3 motorsport pedigree. CAR97 MONO6 street, CAR70 RC6 dual-use, CAR89 TA6+ time attack, CR6420 endurance GT, full motorsport range. The answer when the build is track-focused or Brembo doesn't have a fitment for your chassis.

Every BBK install needs new lines (caliper position changes), fresh fluid (system bleed) and ideally matched pads — buy the bundle, not just the caliper. Engineering certification rules differ by state (NSW eng cert, VIC VASS, QLD MOD plate) — confirm before ordering if road registration matters.

Shop big brake kits →  |  Shop brake calipers →

Every Chicane Brake Category

Nine sub-categories, all stocked, all ADR-conscious where road registration matters.

• Brake Pads — DIXCEL Premium, Type M, EC, ES, Z, Specom Beta
• Brake Rotors — Paragon 2-piece floating, DIXCEL slotted, Alcon & AP Racing motorsport
• Brake Fluid — Alcon Pro-System PRO-600, DIXCEL race fluid
• Brake Lines — HEL Performance ADR-compliant PTFE stainless braided
• Brake Shims — DIXCEL anti-squeal, Paragon anti-squeal, Paragon titanium heat shims
• Big Brake Kits — Brembo PISTA / GT / GT-S, AP Racing Radi-CAL, Alcon street and motorsport BBKs
• Brake Calipers — Brembo, AP Racing and Alcon caliper-only options for bespoke builds
• Brake Temperature Management — the thermal chain: ducts, shims, 2-piece rotors
• Brake Ducts — direct rotor cooling for track-focused builds

The Brand Breakdown

Each brake brand at Chicane has a specific role in the system. Mix and match by category — DIXCEL pads with Paragon rotors is a perfectly normal pairing, as is HEL lines with Alcon fluid.

DIXCEL (Japan)

Tokyo-based brake specialist. The deepest category coverage on Chicane — pads, rotors, fluid and anti-squeal shims all under one Japanese brand. Known globally for the M-spec OE-quality street pad and the Z-compound street/track pad popular with JDM tuners. Fits everything from R35 GT-R to BRZ to BMW M-cars. Always written DIXCEL in all-caps.

Paragon Performance

Premium two-piece floating rotor specialist. Aluminium hat + replaceable iron friction ring, weight savings vs OEM one-piece, the rotor choice when track miles get serious. Also the source for titanium heat shims — the single biggest fix for piston-to-fluid heat soak on track cars. Popular on track-focused 86 / GR86 / BRZ, FK8 / FL5, R35 GT-R, STI, Evo X and GR Yaris.

HEL Performance (UK)

Cornwall-built stainless braided brake lines. ADR-compliant for Australian road registration, PTFE inner tube with stainless braid and protective outer, vehicle-specific kits with lifetime warranty on most lines. Cheap eBay lines are generally not ADR-compliant — flag this at engineering inspection time and the install gets refused.

Alcon (UK)

Tamworth-based bespoke caliper, rotor and fluid manufacturer with F1, WRC, IMSA, Formula E and Aston Martin GT3 pedigree. Sold at Chicane as complete BBKs (CAR97, CAR70, CAR89, CR6420 and the full motorsport range) plus the Alcon Pro-System PRO-600 brake fluid. The right answer for serious time-attack and circuit builds.

AP Racing (UK)

Coventry-built, founded 1966, the originator of the patented Radi-CAL asymmetric caliper design that's redefined what a high-performance brake caliper can be. 700+ Formula 1 Grand Prix wins, supplier to F1, WEC, IndyCar, NASCAR Cup, BTCC and most major motorsport categories. AP Racing is part of the Brembo Group (acquired 2018) but operates fully independently with its own engineering and product development. Sold at Chicane in two ranges — Radi-CAL Road & Track (forged calipers with dust boots, hard-anodised pistons, designed for road-registered use with track capability) and Radi-CAL Competition (race-spec, hard-anodised finish, quick-release pad change). The performance-engineering choice when you want the most FEA-developed caliper in the market.

Brembo (Italy)

Stezzano, Bergamo. OE supplier to Ferrari, McLaren, Porsche, AMG, M-Division, Audi Sport, Lamborghini and Aston Martin. Monopoly brake supplier to Formula 1. Aftermarket UPGRADE catalogue at Chicane covers the PISTA forged racing line (FF6, FF4), the GT range (GT|A cast 2-piece, GT|M monobloc cast, GT|BM 4D-cast monobloc) and GT-S monobloc with stainless piston inserts. The most OEM-trusted brand globally.

Frequently Asked

Where should I start with brake upgrades?

Fluid and pads. Both are under $500 fitted, and together they solve the majority of pedal-fade complaints we hear. Lines and rotors come next. Big brake kits are the last step, not the first.

Do I really need a big brake kit?

Usually no. If you haven't already upgraded fluid, pads and lines, fix those first — you'll be surprised how often that's the whole answer. BBKs come into their own on heavier cars that genuinely heat-soak the factory caliper on track (R35 GT-R, BMW M, AMG, big Audi RS), or where the factory rotor diameter is the bottleneck.

Pads or rotors first?

Together, almost always. New pads on old rotors will pick up the previous compound's deposits and never bed properly. The exception is low-mileage pads on still-good rotors of the same compound — in which case pads alone is fine.

Why does fluid matter so much?

Brake fluid is hygroscopic — it absorbs moisture out of the air, even through a sealed system. After 12 months the boiling point has dropped significantly, and on a hot track day it'll boil before your pads are done. A $45 fluid change is the cheapest performance upgrade in the catalogue.

Are braided brake lines ADR-compliant in Australia?

HEL Performance lines stocked at Chicane are ADR-compliant. Many cheap eBay lines aren't, which becomes a problem at engineering inspection. If the car ever sees the road, buy ADR-compliant.

Brembo, AP Racing or Alcon — which BBK is best?

All three are world-class. Brembo is the default for wide fitment and brand recognition, particularly suited to cars that came factory-Brembo. AP Racing is the performance-engineering choice — the Radi-CAL design is the most FEA-developed caliper in the market with unmatched F1 pedigree. Alcon is the bespoke motorsport answer for time-attack and circuit builds where you need a specific caliper for a specific job. Tell us the car and how you drive and we'll point you at the right one.

How often should I bleed my brakes?

Street car: every 24 months minimum. Spirited weekend driver: every 12 months. Track car: between every event or at least quarterly. If you can't remember the last time, it's time.

DOT 3, 4, 5 or 5.1 — which one?

DOT 3, 4 and 5.1 are all glycol-based and intermix safely. DOT 5 is silicone-based and must never be mixed with the others — confusing DOT 5 with DOT 5.1 is a real safety issue. For most performance street and track builds, DOT 4 race-spec fluid like Alcon Pro-System PRO-600 is the right choice.

Supporting Mods

Pair your brake upgrades with the rest of the build:

• DIXCEL — Japanese pad, rotor, fluid and shim specialist for matched-brand brake builds
• Paragon Performance — two-piece floating rotors and titanium heat shims for serious track miles
• HEL Performance — ADR-compliant stainless braided lines for street-registered AU builds
• Alcon — UK motorsport calipers, rotors and Pro-System fluid for time-attack and circuit builds
• AP Racing — Coventry-built Radi-CAL forged calipers with F1 pedigree, Road & Track and Competition ranges
• Brembo — Italian OE-grade UPGRADE caliper kits across PISTA, GT and GT-S ranges