You might be wondering why two massive aftermarket and OEM brake companies are getting into the side-by-side world, as not only Brembo is getting in on the action, but now so is Wilwood. And that's simple: enthusiast cars are freakin' expensive as hell these days, and everyone's pay hasn't gone up.
Why is that important to the side-by-side world? Well, because enthusiasts still exist, and their passions remain, and UTVs are vastly cheaper than most enthusiast machines. Parroting something I've said before, along with many others, side-by-sides could very well be the avenue for enthusiasts to continue modding culture into the future.
And Wilwood and Brembo see that, too.
But as we've already talked about Brembo's concepts, let's delve more into Wilwood's, as the company is going to start offering some seriously good aftermarket side-by-side brakes that could very well transform any go-fast UTV into a ready-to-race, or trail-hunting, monster.
The news is actually a bit older than Brembo's announcement at the AIMExpo this week, but it's no less intriguing. Wilwood is making three kits for right now, including setups for the Honda Talon, the Polaris RZR and Pro R, and Can-Am's Maverick X3 and R machines. These include new discs and calipers that'll halt any of these machines' progress in short order, and that's something that absolutely is necessary to address.
I wrote about the issue's I've encountered with brake technology in the Brembo post, as while they're all right for the most part, I think the brakes are the most underthought aspect of these machines from the factory. You've got a lot of attention paid to power and suspension, but those don't matter if you can't stop. So these new aftermarket setups are welcome in my eyes, especially when you can just buy another 100 horsepower for most of these from Evolution Powersports in the form of a new engine map.
Again, trees and corners come up quick if you're on a tear.
There will be two options for all three OEMs, including a front and rear setup that includes the disc, caliper, and pads, along with associated hardware, and a race-brake setup that includes vented and cross drilled rotors.
According to the company, "Wilwood is excited to bring the first performance big brake kits to the UTV market. Ever since early side-by-side UTVs were prepped for racing, people have been adapting our brake components to them. Wilwood took those years of experience and engineered ready-to-go, bolt-on performance brake kits for the most popular models. All of our UTV upgrade kits feature forged aluminum four or six piston calipers and dynamically-mounted high-friction rotors. These kits utilize the same engineering and manufacturing we use to produce performance car, truck, racing, and armored military vehicle brakes, scaled-down in size, to fit UTVs."
As for price, I checked out the kit for my Can-Am Maverick X3 Max, and the front and rear kits—they are separate—will run you $3,112 for both. That may seem like a lot, but given these are basically race-pace machines that can conquer anything at 90mph, including whoops and ruts without slowing down, I'd rather spend a bit on getting my UTV to stop when I ask it to.
Maybe I should try Wilwood and Brembo's and see how the two differ? Let me know if you'd like to see that in the comments below.
