hows your brakes on 37s and a dana 30?

blondejoncherokee

blondejoncherokee

NAXJA Member
Location
sacramento
So im wondering how everyone else that runs 37s on a dana likes the stopping power? i figure the advanced fab is the right spot to ask about stopping on 37s . my buddy rob says he can stop fine on his 39s on his dana 30, whereas when i recently went from 35s to 37s it seems the brakes finally kinda suck a bit.

WJ booster and master.
ZJ prop valve spring.

bled system . no leaks.
30 up front with centric premium pads and calipers, autozone rotors.

currie hi 9 in rear with brand new centric premium calipers, pads, rotors, for the 8.8 discs back there.

there is alotta extra weight :hybrid caged, TNT belly pan, stiffeneners, trussed/sleeved and knuckle gussets 30, tons of bracing and metal, winch, bumpers, 2x6 rockers, way too much spare parts, linking the rear soon, tube, the usual stuff.

so who else went from 35s to 37s and felt like the brakes leave alot to be desired?
 
There is no way in hell I would feel comfortable with factory XJ brakes on 37s.

I had the WJ setup on 35s and that was amazing. I'd have run 37s on it no problem.
 
The brakes on my dana axle stop my 37's just fine, the large 1ton dual pistons on the D60 are great.


35"+ tires have no place on a 1/4ton axle for a variety of reasons. Strength and brakes being the main concerns. Even with WJ brakes, that's more rolling mass then I would wanna trust trying to stop. Even if they would work, the small surface area wouldn't do much to fit brake fade.
 
yah i didnt think they would suck this bad. just wondering for all the guys out there running larger tires on the 30, if they dont have too many isues or not with brakes. good chance ill be selling the 37s and waiting til i can finally build a ford hp60, shaved 14 bolt, and some 39.5s....

i could buy a ford hp60 for the price of a WJ brake swap.
 
bled the hell out of the brakes and threw the 35s back on . its alot better, but not great.
 
Wow. I thought I was ballsy running 37s on a built dana 44.
 
foxwar71 said:
The brakes on my dana axle stop my 37's just fine, the large 1ton dual pistons on the D60 are great.


35"+ tires have no place on a 1/4ton axle for a variety of reasons. Strength and brakes being the main concerns. Even with WJ brakes, that's more rolling mass then I would wanna trust trying to stop. Even if they would work, the small surface area wouldn't do much to fit brake fade.
Click to expand...
stopping power with wj brakes with 35's isnt bad whatsoever. granted i have the newer booster and master, and rear disks. but still.... i can lock them up whenever i please.
 
looking at black magic pads. which is better, black magic, or EBC?
just for the hell of it i have looking at the EBC greenstuff rear pads (99 ford explorer rear discs) and yellowstuff front pads(89 cherokee front discs) i might just suck it up and see how that goes , and if the 35s start stopping even better might just throw the 37s back on...
i have 89 outer knuckles with the different pads, so it seems like im stuck with EBC yellow stuff but they are 109$ free shipping (ouch thats pricey) , and maybe i can get black magic pads for the rear 9.

EBCs for the rear 8.8 discs are 87$ free shipping, black magic are 116$ not sure about shipping and tax.
 
Last edited:
Black magic. Dad has them on his LJ and they rock. I have stock brakes with 37s and I can stop ok. I can lock them up above 40MPH, but it takes A LOT of leg.
 
thats sounds good 2getdirty, i noticed that black magic doesn't have 84-90 XJ pads, only 91+ ?
i ordered EBCs for now for the front, i might order the black magic for the rear 8.8. Once i do that, and sometime soon ill pull the o ring in the prop valve, bleed everything like crazy again, and go from there.
 
The bm pads are better than the ebc stuff... Call them if you have questions, but I know they have a pad for your xj.
 
Stock brakes with 39"s...you have got to be kidding.
My XJ brakes were not adequate with 33"s. It's is my DD and at freeway speeds, it was scary, even with EBC yellows and premium parts all around.
Considering how light and small the stocks tires are in comparison, this isn't surprising. Heck, the brakes were nothing to write home about when the the XJ was completely stock, when compared to the brakes on my Acura.
Upgrading to Vanco 48-mm fronts (basically the same as WJ brakes), and ZJ rear discs made a huge difference.
The Vancos came with EBC yellows but did not stop well in cold weather, at freeway speeds, until they warmed up. Switched to the Black Magic pads and now I'm happy. They stop well even when cool.
 
Something else that I think should be mentioned in here is the importance of breaking in new brakes. It is absolutely essential if you want to stop as fast as you can with whatever brake setup you're running. We did this on my friend's Honda Civic when we replaced his brakes (you had to slam on the brakes to stop from 25 and it made horrible noises) we used napa gold pads and rotors and it made a HUGE difference. My other friend from school has the same year Honda, manual, etc, it's basically the same.. But he has some aftermarket brake kit that cost him a fortune.. He didn't break in his brakes and friend A's Honda stops way better on stock-equivalent parts.

My process:

- Before driving under normal conditions immediately go to a rural / deserted road that you can speed up and slow down on without making any problems. DON'T stop quickly or "test" your new brakes on the way there. Be as gentle as possible.

- Speed up to 45 and apply normal braking pressure to slow down to 15, but DON'T stop.

- Repeat the 45-15-45 thing 10-15 times, try to get your brakes pretty warm but don't overheat them.

- Slow down and roll to a stop on the the side of the road (DON'T stop very quickly) and let your brakes cool for a little bit. Play on your phone, smoke, whatever you want - just let your brakes cool down for 10-20 minutes.

- Enjoy your new "properly" broken in brakes!

Disclaimer: I'm not sure if this is the way you're supposed to do this, but it's the way I was taught how to do it and it works for me. Do it however you want, just break them in!
 
when you are braking them in, the 45-15 thing works, however, don't just stop on the side of the road to cool them down. drive it around for 10 or 15 minutes and try to avoid using them. if you have to stop, use the e-brake to hold yourself in place. don't just sit with your foot on the pedal.
 
Voteban said:
Something else that I think should be mentioned in here is the importance of breaking in new brakes.
Click to expand...

Most performance brake pads come with bedding instructions. They vary from company to company, so read the literature.
Do agree that a proper break in in crucial for maximum performance.
 
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