Brakes

[sureshot007]

Anyone running stock setups, or does everyone swap the hardware out to run better stuff? I'd like to stay with the stock setup, but need a better performance brake pad/shoe - is anything available?

 

[GrimmJeeper]

these pads will give you the most out of a stock setup http://www.blackmagicbrakes.com/

another option is looking into the WJ knuckle swap, which will net you an even bigger gain with decent pads and give you a better steering setup at the same time for very minimal fab work. XJEEPER did a writeup and it was posted in this subforum in another recent thread about brakes. Use the search function to find it.

 

[sureshot007]

I'm going to assume the 2wd fronts are different from the 4wd, right?

 

[GrimmJeeper]

depends on if you are on spindles or hubs, and even then I'm not 100% sure it makes a difference. What year are we talking here? the spindle beams were only available in the mid to late 80s.

 

[sureshot007]

It's a 94, but I have an 86 front axle I can swap in.

 

[karstic]

Black magic pads and Centric Premium Rotors

 

[sureshot007]

I can get Hawk HPS and Porterfield R4S for the fronts, and I have experience in with racing on both of these pads, but I have never heard of Black Magic before. From the looks of their website, I'd be more inclined to stick with the Porterfields.

 

[GrimmJeeper]

They're a new company, the website is still quite lacking so I can understand your hesitance to try them out. Hawk is also a big player in the brake pad market.

 

[fyrfytr1717]

The EBC Yellowstuff's are also a great pad. They (in combination with the Centric rotors) are what the Vanco guys recommend as the best combo of the many different brands they've tested. I think I've been running them for about a year now. Excellent stopping power, even when they're cold. My only complaint is that they squeak from time to time.

Edit: Interesting, it appears that Vanco is now offering the Black Magic pads (as well as the EBC's) as an optional upgrade pad with their big brake kits.

 

[badron]

How about the booster upgrade.

 

[sureshot007]

How about the booster upgrade.

How about it?

 

[badron]

Use google search. It been done to death.

 

[XJLI]

How about it?

swap the single diaphragm booster/MC combo for one from a 95+ XJ.

if you have an ABS-equipped truck, you already have the bigger booster.

 

[sureshot007]

Use google search. It been done to death.

Thanks for the useful information.

swap the single diaphragm booster/MC combo for one from a 95+ XJ.

if you have an ABS-equipped truck, you already have the bigger booster.

No abs. Besides, I'm fighting brake fade, so the booster won't help.

 

[casual]

How about some home made vents? Its very helpful in keeping brake temps down..My suggestion would be a more aggressive pad & some brake ducts/vents. Hawk/EBC come to mind. EBC tends too not last as long as the Hawks but the are quieter & don't dust as much. Hawks have alot of dust but do have a decent life!

I'd look into getting some brake vents/ducks, they are very useful in keeping rotor/pads cooler! So fade won't come as quickly & may not come at all, also it will cool the brakes off, just incase you do overheat them..

 

[GrimmJeeper]

NAPA carries a combination ceramic/semi metallic pad, the brand is "Adaptive One". I run them on my daily driver because I was having problems with brake fade coming down hill from my sister in law's house, no more fade and no problems with the rotors like you can run into by just switching to a normal ceramic pad.

 

[karstic]

I can get Hawk HPS and Porterfield R4S for the fronts, and I have experience in with racing on both of these pads, but I have never heard of Black Magic before. From the looks of their website, I'd be more inclined to stick with the Porterfields.

Although Black Magic is a new company, the man behind it has a lot of years in the off-road industry. To my knowledge he worked with Vanco in developing their Big Brake kit for the D30 and was one of the developers of the WJ swap among other things.

I have the Black Magic/Centric combo on my 97 daily driver. I drive Los Angeles traffic everyday. Stop and go on surface streets and then panic stops on the freeway where you are going 70mph one second and a dead stop a few hundred feet later.

I am a very satisfied customer.

 

[cal]

The owner and engineer behind Black Magic Brakes goes by "MrBlaine" or "Mr.Blaine". Google him, and read the assorted jeep forums - you will find that he knows more about jeep brakes than anyone else alive, and has engineered many of the offroad products you are familiar with.. he is however not a webmaster.

Black Magic Brakes are some of the best products that you can put your hands on. YOU. CANNOT. GO. WRONG.

 

[sureshot007]

I contacted Porterfield, and they will make me a set of shoes for the rear with the R4S compound, plus they already have fronts, so I'm all set. Thanks for the advice guys.

 

[XJLI]

i'll have to try these black magic brakes, ive seen plenty of mrblaine posts, he knows his poop. they make em for larger than stock (60/44) applications?