On eBay or Amazon you can purchase four drilled rotors, pads and braided brake hoses for less than $500, but how do they stack up to a Wilwood big brake kit? Donut Media’s YouTube channel answers this question and it is not pretty.

What they found out is not surprising. The cheap rotors and pads did improve the stopping distances by seven feet. But, during the endurance test the brake pads caught fire and the pedal dropped to the floor. The car with the Wilwood big brake kit improved its stopping distance by only five feet. But during the endurance test, it did not fade or catch fire. The kit included Wilwood 6-piston front calipers and 2-piston rear calipers with larger rotors, pads, and braided stainless lines to the tune of $4400.

While the stopping distances did not improve drastically between the two brake kits, the fade resistance and cosmetics make the Wilwood kit the winner. But, it would be nice if they tried the same test with premium brake pads that had a better friction compound and better engineering of the backing plate.