Brake Upgrades

Dirty Dog

Dirty Dog

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We've added a fair bit of weight to our Jeeps, with lifts, bigger wheels & tires, body armour, etc. So I've decided that a brake upgrade is in order.

I'm aware that I have a tendency to overbuild things, so I'm giving the options some thought, and want to see if any of the good folks here have any input.

The most economical option seems to be a Powerstop upgrade, which includes drilled and slotted rotors with ceramic pads. This would retain the OEM calipers and such. It's about $400.

Powerstop also offers a Big Brake kit with even larger drilled & slotted rotors (which require at least a 17" wheel), ceramic pads, stainless lines, and new calipers/brackets. That's about $2,000.

The All-In option would be a Baer kit. That requires 18" wheels (which is what we're running anyway) and includes 14" slotted/drilled two-piece rotors, 6-piston calipers all around, and all the various bits and pieces to make it work. I have a similar kit on my Corvette, and there is no doubt that it provides all the Woah! you will ever need. But it costs about $5,000, and while it makes perfect sense on the Vette, I know it's overkill for this build.

Which doesn't stop me front wanting the Baer kit. To quote Lazarus Long; "Everything to excess! Moderation is for monks!"

Thoughts?
 
I have a Terra Flex big brake kit on mine, was on it when I bought it so I don't know how it compares to stock brakes.
 
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What year is your jk? I have the crown kit for the front with the j8 booster and Teraflex Rears. I wouldn't go with the Teraflex again. What I'm thinking of doing is going with the JT Gladiator Brakes in the rear. There's a bunch of write-ups on the interwebs about it. I would also caution against slotted rotors never go in any puddles, but that's just me
 
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Here is a rundown someone put together on FB. Prices are probably outdated and some parts may be superceded, but it gives you an idea. What I like about this route is all OEM.
321354448_1221891301736331_3322626027973642748_n.jpg


I have the J8 booster but haven't installed it yet. The booster on the 3.6 has a slightly larger bore than the one for the 3.8 and with my setup (2dr),its been fine.
 
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JerryD said:
Here is a rundown someone put together on FB. Prices are probably outdated and some parts may be superceded, but it gives you an idea. What I like about this route is all OEM.
View attachment 124448

I have the J8 booster but haven't installed it yet. The booster on the 3.6 has a slightly larger bore than the one for the 3.8 and with my setup (2dr),its been fine.
Click to expand...


If I remember correctly those are 1/2 ton Dodge Ram brake parts from I think a 2007.
 
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Dirty Dog said:
Our Jeeps are a 2011 and a '13.

Putting the bigger brakes on the rear would be weird, given how brakes are proportioned...
Click to expand...
No, the JT has bigger rear brakes when compared to the JL rear brakes. The fronts are dual caliper with larger rotors, something like 13.6" vs the rear JT at 12.9". Don't quote me on that, not sure what the JL rear is, tho.
 
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I collected this info a couple of years ago and confirmed a portion, but take it for what it is.

JK StockTeraflex/Mopar BBK% ImprovementJL Rubicon% ImprovementGladiator% Improvement
FrontRotor Diameter (inch)
11.9​
13.3​
10.53%​
12.9​
7.75%​
12.9​
7.75%​
Rotor Thickness (inch)
1.1​
1.1​
0.00%​
1.1​
0.00%​
1.1​
0.00%​
Caliper Piston Diameter (mm)
66​
54​
51​
51​
Piston Quantity
1​
2​
2​
2​
Piston Surface Area (mm2)
3421.194​
4580.442​
25.31%​
4085.641​
16.26%​
4085.641​
16.26%​
RearRotor Diameter (inch)
12.44​
13.5​
7.85%​
13.4​
7.16%​
13.6​
8.53%​
Rotor Thickness (inch)
0.47​
0.47​
0.00%​
0.55​
14.55%​
0.86​
45.35%​
Caliper Piston Diameter (mm)
48​
48​
48​
51​
Piston Quantity
1​
1​
1​
1​
Piston Surface Area (mm2)
1809.557​
1809.557​
0.00%​
1809.557​
0.00%​
2042.821​
11.42%​
 
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Just installed the Power Stop Z36 brakes . Rotors and pads .
Did the fronts when I did front bearing . Doing back in next couple days . Will post pics of front & back when complete.
Just switching out the front def noticed a diff in stopping capability . Highly recommend
Quite a bit less than the BIG break kits that are out there .
 
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Dirty Dog said:
Why?
Click to expand...
Slotted rotors are great for a race car where you're developing high heat and you need to exhaust the gases. I haven't really had that need on a Jeep, and my experience has been to have mud and gunk get in the slots and chew things up more than normal. I would rather have the increased surface area, fractionally more it may be.

I need to apologize for some of my posts. I really can complete a coherent thought but after rereading some of my posts I wouldn't blame you all if you doubted that. 😁
 
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JerryD said:
Slotted rotors are great for a race car where you're developing high heat and you need to exhaust the gases. I haven't really had that need on a Jeep, and my experience has been to have mud and gunk get in the slots and chew things up more than normal. I would rather have the increased surface area, fractionally more it may be.

I need to apologize for some of my posts. I really can complete a coherent thought but after rereading some of my posts I wouldn't blame you all if you doubted that. 😁
Click to expand...

The Powerstop Z36 I’ve installed replaced the current slotted rotors . Haven’t experienced anything your describing about slotted rotors building up mud etc .
I could possibly see an issue if you bury the axles in mud or sand . That could be an issue even with traditional vane cooled front rotors . As the cooling vanes can get plugged up .
To be perfectly honest researched the whole slotted/drilled rotors a bunch .
Was never able to find 1st hand experience with issues on many forums .
It was always my friend or I heard about this etc when pressed for more info .
The slotted drilled rotors are helpful when towing or do a lot of mountain driving .
I don’t tow but do spend a lot of time in the mountains . I use 4 lo a lot when descending from a summit trail but good brakes are needed as well .
There is one uTube video where a guy messed up his z36 brakes . He was literally buried in sand . Even traditional fiat rotors and pads would have got chewed threw by the abrasive sand .

Fronts are done on my Jeep
Installing rears in a couple days . If I ever experience an issue will report . But I tend not to bury Jeep in mud or sand so already know won’t be a concern
 
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JerryD said:
Slotted rotors are great for a race car where you're developing high heat and you need to exhaust the gases. I haven't really had that need on a Jeep, and my experience has been to have mud and gunk get in the slots and chew things up more than normal. I would rather have the increased surface area, fractionally more it may be.
Click to expand...
Is this a concern based on anything real, or just a gut feeling or anecdotes? I've not been able to find anything other than "my friends cousins neighbor Bob knew a guy who said they heard...".

I did check with one of our kids. His BS is Mechanical Engineering. His MS is in Control Systems Engineering and his PhD is in Railroad Engineering. He investigates derailments, crashes trains, and blows trains up for various government agencies, that sort of thing. His current project is related to the Hyperloop Project. His reply was that surface irregularities add surface area, which is good for cooling, and also potentially add stress concentrators and crack/corrosion initiation points. But he added that he couldn't imagine any real-world circumstance in which a Jeep would be exposed to enough mud/water for a long enough time for it to have any impact. Normal wear will result in replacement long before any theoretical damage from moisture.

The brake experts at places like Baer, Willwood, and Powerstop seem to agree.
 
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Not sure about the surface and wear portion of slotted rotors so can’t really speak to that. But we went Jeeping this weekend and after a few mud puddles my wife radio me and said “Hey one of my brakes are squeaking now” a few of us responded “probably got some mud / dirt in there“. I could see where a slotted rotor going through mud or something else could pick up dirt and grim In the slot. Eventually I think it would come out or work its way loose so not sure on any long term effect, but can see the potential for it.
 
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Danarch said:
Not sure about the surface and wear portion of slotted rotors so can’t really speak to that. But we went Jeeping this weekend and after a few mud puddles my wife radio me and said “Hey one of my brakes are squeaking now” a few of us responded “probably got some mud / dirt in there“. I could see where a slotted rotor going through mud or something else could pick up dirt and grim In the slot. Eventually I think it would come out or work its way loose so not sure on any long term effect, but can see the potential for it.
Click to expand...
It's at least as likely that the squeak was mud/dirt in the dust shield. I've seen that countless times.

The bigger question is, if it WERE dirt in the slots, would it have any measurable impact on braking performance at off-highway speeds? I'm doubtful.

Of course, we don't really have mud here. It all runs downhill to Kansas and leaves us with big old rocks.
 
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