Power Stop — Innovation & Research
Power Stop

Power Stop Extreme Performance Brake Rotors & Pads were first introduced in California in 1997. Over the years, Power Stop has earned a reputation for high quality by assuring tight tolerances and the best materials. Their mission is to provide the best solution for your vehicle's braking problem. Power Stop uses extensive testing to develop the best rotor and pad combination for your vehicle and driving style.

Today, Power Stop is more committed to new product development and innovation than ever before. Their demanding criteria mandates high pad bite without high temperature fade or pedal pressure deterioration. They use independent dynamometer testing to validate brake performance including pre-burnish (green) friction, high temperature brake fade, pedal pressure sensitivity, speed sensitivity and noise.

A limited range of brake rotor applications are manufactured in Power Stop's US-based facility with a larger percentage manufactured to Power Stop's specifications, blueprints and processes developed over years of experience by their manufacturing partners overseas. Each rotor is carefully analyzed for the best drill or slot pattern and modeled with CAD software.

Power Stop stands behind their brake rotors with a unique 3-year / 36,000 miles warranty against cracking (when combined with Power Stop Brake Pads purchased and installed together).


The Science Behind the Power Stop Solution:

• High carbon rotors improve temperature stability and heat transfer – Power Stop uses the finest blanks featuring G3000-grade castings from the best foundries in the world. Most foundries lower carbon to increase tensile strength and hardness. Power Stop rotors have a carbon content that is 3% more than competitive brands while maintaining 210 Brinell hardness and 250 MPa tensile strength. The microstructure is an ideal homogenous matrix of perlitic and graphite flakes.

• Castings are made from primary scrap and charcoal pig-iron without residual contamination from secondary scrap metals – Some foundries dump scrap in the material with residual elements such as Niobium, Vanadium, Molybdenum, Titanium and Tungsten. These residual materials cause the formation of uncontrolled carbides in the microstructure that weaken the casting.

• Precise machining – Power Stop rotors are carefully machined to prevent stress risers, and they are guaranteed not to crack for 3 years / 36,000 miles when combined with Power Stop brake pads purchased and installed together. (See Power Stop's Warranty for more details.) All products conform to OE dimensions for a perfect fit every time.

• Fade resistant friction – Power Stop Brake Pads are specifically engineered to hold a high coefficient of friction above 1000°. Where other pads show brake fade, Power Stop consistently delivers superior brake power verified via independent test results comparing brake performance with other leading brands. Power Stop Brake Pads deliver up to 35% more pad bite and longer pad life.

• Posi-mold brake pads – Power Stop brake pads use positive mold technology. Posi-mold pads enable consistent density as the material is hot pressed at over 6,000 psi. The result is consistent performance and low noise. All pads are asbestos-free.

• Zinc-dichromate plating – Power Stop's plating resists rust and keeps the rotors looking new. Some competitors use cadmium plating which is highly toxic and a potential cancer risk. Cadmium is banned in Europe and with all major vehicle manufacturers.


Power Stop Brake Pads Technical Data
Power Stop Premium Brakes

Brake performance can vary greatly with different brands. Some aftermarket pads lose over 50% of the pad bite at high temperature or at high speeds. Over the past 15 years, Power Stop has developed the best performing brake pads in the business.

Power Stop pads are used by premier installer shops throughout North America. They have earned a reputation for OE-quality friction and great stopping power, low dust, and noise-free.

Power Stop validates friction performance using stringent SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) tests run by independent test labs. The following data shows braking power, noise and wear results for Power Stop Evolution Ceramic compared with some popular aftermarket brands.


Noise Test Results using SAE J2521

Brake noise is caused by pad vibration. Power Stop pads feature dual layer rubber shims to dampen vibration and eliminate noise.

Brake squeal can also occur if the backing plate is loose on the caliper guides. Power Stop uses precision stamped backing plates to assure good fitment to the caliper.

This graph shows the number of noisy stops for various aftermarket brands on a Chevy Tahoe. Compared to other brake pads, Power Stop pads are exceptionally quiet. Some “premium” aftermarket pads produce annoying brake squeal one out of every four stops.

The bottom line: Power Stop pads have OE-level noise performance.

Stopping Power

Brake performance is measured by mu, the coefficient of friction. Brake pads typically lose pad bite at high brake temperature or at high speed. This loss of stopping power is called brake fade.

The next graph shows the minimum mu (pad bite) for some popular aftermarket brands. The higher the mu the more pad bite.

The graph shows that Power Stop Evolution Ceramic Pads have significantly better pad bite and shorter stopping distance.

The OE friction coefficient is normally above 0.30 even at 1500°. Power Stop’s minimum mu is 0.34. Some aftermarket brands lose more than 50% of the pad bite with mu around 0.15.

The bottom line: Power Stop has close to OE-level performance for safer, faster stops.

Pad Wear

The following chart shows pad wear during the ISO NWI 26867 test on a Chevy Tahoe.

One brand lost 42% of the pad thickness. Most pads average about 10%–13% wear during the test.

The bottom line: Power Stop pads have better than average wear characteristics.

Power Stop® Extreme Performance Brake Systems and the Bob Bondurant® School of High Performance Driving are proud to announce a breakthrough partnership to keep our roads safer and our drivers more secure.

Bondurant, considered the premier high performance driving school in the US, and Power Stop, the leader in brake kits in the US, have aligned their products and services to raise awareness of the Power Stop “1-Click Brake Kit®” system, which is set to innovate the way our cars keep us safe.

“We are honored and humbled to enter into a collaborative partnership with the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving,” states Arvin Scott, Chief Executive Officer at Power Stop.

“This partnership marks a significant milestone in Power Stop’s growth and development as the leading performance brake program in North America. Power Stop is in the early stages of developing a race track/street performance brake package, and the testing, analysis, and feedback from the drivers and staff at Bondurant School of High Performance Driving will greatly assist our engineering team in developing the safest and most reliable high performance braking for auto enthusiasts all over the world.”

Power Stop, the #1 e-commerce brake kit supplier in the United States, has signed a five (5) year agreement with Bondurant to provide rotors, brake pads, and calipers to the school in a strategic partnership. The partnership will allow the Bondurant team to test those brake assets on their 1.6 mile track, while providing constant feedback and results to Power Stop for continuous improvement of the brake system.

“The thrill of partnering with a premier brake performance brand at the school is amazing” states Bob Bondurant, Chief Executive Officer of the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving.

“We offer the highest quality, most advanced training techniques in the world. On the street or on the racetrack, the capabilities of most cars are way above the capabilities of most drivers. The Bondurant school tries to even that out, and with the Power Stop partnership we will be able to improve the safety for drivers everywhere. At the school we are always looking at ways to improve the curriculum and safety of our students and this is another way of accomplishing that.”

Darren Law, Chief Operating Officer at Bondurant, is excited at the prospect of partnering with such an established name in the brake industry.

“Bondurant is very selective in its partnership agreements and after working with Power Stop, understanding their capabilities from an engineering standpoint, and knowing the positive reputation they hold within the industry, we feel this is the perfect partnership. We look forward to helping them advance and grow their product line as well as having them help us improve the performance and safety features of our cars,” he said.