Brakes

For obvious reasons, aftermarket UTV brakes are not an accessory you want to get sloppy with. With that in mind, Side by Side Source carries everything you need to restore or upgrade your braking system, from high-performance sintered brake pads that bite harder and last longer, to heavy-duty parking brake components that actually hold your machine on steep hills. Whether you're replacing worn-out pads on your Polaris RZR, fixing a parking brake that's been sketchy since day one on your Ranger, or upgrading to performance brake pads that can handle the heat of desert racing in your Textron Wildcat, we've got brake components from manufacturers who understand that when you squeeze that lever or stomp that pedal, you need immediate, consistent response. These aren't generic parts that "might work,” but application-specific brake components engineered for the exact demands your machine creates.

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Buyer's Guide for UTV Brakes: Helping You Shop!

Why Aftermarket Brake Pads Make Such a Big Difference

Stock brake pads are quiet, affordable, and good enough under more casual riding conditions, but when it gets dusty? Problem. All that dust acts like sandpaper, wearing down your stock pads super quickly and taking the oomph out of your braking power before you know it. If you’re feeling a bit “mushy” already, then aftermarket side-by-side brakes might be just the game changer you need.

Go with a fresh set of sintered metallic pads, and especially if it’s your first set, your mind will be blown by the major upgrade in stopping power. Full disclosure, they may squeal a bit on you, but for many, this is a paltry price to pay for majorly upgraded stopping power. If you frequently find yourself in mud or water crossings, sintered pads are all but mandatory. They recover from water exposure virtually instantly, which can make or break your ride depending on the circumstances.

UTV Parking Brake Problems and How to Actually Fix Them

We’re more than willing to give credit to stock when credit is due, but we’re also not going to sugar-coat it: stock UTV parking brakes are usually pretty terrible. We certainly don’t trust them on steep inclines, and frankly, you shouldn’t either. They lose their tension over time, thanks to cheap springs, poor cable tension systems, or corner-cutting designs.

Heavy-duty parking brake upgrades, on the other hand, tackle all of these pain points with more robust springs that can hold the right amount of tension for much longer, improved cable routing that significantly cuts down on friction and binding, and better mounting hardware that doesn’t allow the system to loosen up over time. The rub, however, is that even a high-quality aftermarket UTV parking brake is only as good as its maintenance. If you’re not holding the way you should be, check if an adjustment is needed before jumping to replacement.

How Your Riding Conditions Influence UTV Brake Pad Choice

The main factor that should determine what type of aftermarket UTV brake pad you need has to do with where and how you ride. If you find yourself shredding dusty trails often, sintered metallic pads are probably the best pick. They can handle all that abrasion and still do their job without faltering.

Mud riders also want to go with sintered pads. When you’re constantly getting those brakes soaked in water, you want something that can recover quickly. If you’re more of a casual weekend rider, you can get along just fine with quality organic or semi-metallic pads. They tend to be quieter, generate less dust, and take it easier on your rotors.

3 Top Selling UTV Brake Brands

EBC Brakes steadily cranks out premium UTV brake components for UTVs and more.
DP Brakes is a great brand if you need an affordable set of replacement pads.
SuperATV brings their problem-solving approach to parking brake issues, creating heavy-duty solutions that actually fix the problems OEMs should have addressed in the first place.

5 Top Selling UTV Brake Products

If your Polaris Ranger 500/570 parking brake is as useful as a screen door on a submarine, this Heavy Duty Parking Brake Spring by Brake Thingy will actually make it hold on hills like it's supposed to.
RZR owners chasing serious stopping power should grab these Sintered Brake Pads by EBC Brakes, which laugh at heat fade and keep biting hard no matter how much you lean on them.
Get solid, dependable braking without breaking the bank using these Front or Rear Standard Brake Pads by DP Brakes, perfect for riders who need reliable replacements at reasonable prices.
Polaris RZR XP owners tired of parking brake drama can fix it once and for all with this Parking Brake by SuperATV, engineered to actually work the way a parking brake should from day one.
This Brake Pad Set by Armor Tech will stop your Textron Wildcat practically on a dime, and consistently.

Frequently Asked Questions About Side-by-Side Brake Pads

What’s the best pad replacement frequency?

Are you going all-out in dirty environments, or tooling along more comfortably? On the more aggressive (and dusty) end of the spectrum, you might want to replace your pads every fifty to a hundred hours. Double that for more casual riders.

Can I run multiple different UTV brake pads on the same vehicle?

We definitely don’t recommend doing this because the brakes will “grab” at different rates and make your braking experience feel clunky.

What’s with the squealing?

A limited degree of squealing is actually normal, and even expected when first swapping in sintered pads. If it’s excessive, though, you might need to go back in and bed your pads in properly.