NEOTECH
Menu

fitment

Rear Brake Upgrades With EPB, Drum-in-Hat, or Stock Calipers

Modern rear axles complicate big brake kits — electronic parking brakes, drum-in-hat handbrakes, and calipers you may not want to replace. Five approaches and when each one is the right call.

Updated

Five rear brake approaches, mapped by caliper choice and intended useThe horizontal axis runs from keeping the stock rear caliper on the left to fitting a new fixed caliper on the right. The vertical axis runs from a street car that must keep a working parking brake at the bottom to motorsport use at the top. OERP and OEEX keep the stock caliper; OERP saves mass, OEEX adds thermal capacity. Fixed caliper kits sit on the right, paired either with an electronic parking brake caliper or with a drum-in-hat disc. The hydraulic handbrake sits at the top, for drift and rally builds only.KEEPS THE STOCK CALIPERNEW FIXED CALIPERMOTORSPORT ONLYSTREET — PARKING BRAKE INTACTOERPOE-size disc, stock caliperOEEXOversized disc, stock caliperFixed caliper + EPBKeeps the electronic park brakeFixed caliper + drum-in-hatReuses your OEM drum shoesHydraulic handbrakeRear lock-up on demand
Positions are relative, not measured. Which of these your car can take depends on what the factory rear axle already has — ask your dealer before ordering.

Front brake upgrades are straightforward. Rear axles are where kits get complicated, because the rear brake usually has a second job — holding the car still — and increasingly does it electronically.

Five approaches, depending on what your car has and what you need from it.

Fixed caliper with EPB (dual caliper kit)

A performance fixed caliper handles service braking while a separate electronic parking brake caliper keeps the factory EPB function intact.

When to choose it: your car has an electronic parking brake and must stay street-legal. This is the only route that gives you a proper fixed caliper without losing the EPB.

Fixed caliper with drum-in-hat

The disc assembly retains compatibility with an OEM drum-style parking brake. The outer disc works with our fixed caliper, and the integrated bell housing carries a drum-in-hat design so the factory drum shoes stay in service.

OERP — OE replacement performance disc

A lightweight disc that retains factory dimensions. It drops into the stock caliper with no bracket and no other changes.

When to choose it: you want less unsprung and rotating mass and better disc quality, but the factory caliper is adequate and you would rather not spend on one.

OEEX — oversized disc with OE caliper

An upsized disc used with the stock caliper via custom brackets. More thermal capacity and a longer lever arm without buying calipers.

When to choose it: you are running out of brakes on long descents or repeated stops — a heat capacity problem rather than a clamping problem.

Hydraulic handbrake

A dedicated rear circuit for motorsport use, giving direct control of rear brake lock-up for slide initiation and rotation.

When to choose it: drifting or rally. This is not a street parking brake and should not be treated as one.

Choosing between them

Your situationStart with
Electronic parking brake, street carFixed caliper with EPB
Drum-in-hat handbrake, street carFixed caliper with drum-in-hat
Stock calipers fine, want less massOERP
Brakes fading on repeat stopsOEEX
Drift or rally buildHydraulic handbrake

Read next